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The Eighth Doctor Adventures
Doctor Who: Echoes
As the Doctor, Liv and Helen explore the universe, they come across lost souls, troubled minds and long-kept secrets. From a lonely world with birdsong but no birds, to an English university whose undergraduates tell ghostly tales, and a distant galaxy where a utopian society lives in the shadow of enormous creatures, the TARDIS crew are haunted by echoes of past, present and future...
Birdsong by Tim Foley - The TARDIS arrives on an empty world where two scouts await the rest of their colony. Except this world may not be as empty as everybody thinks. There’s a figure in the woods – and a strangely familiar sound. As the Doctor and his friends learn more about the planet’s inhabitants, the birdsong they hear becomes a deadly chorus.
Lost Hearts by Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle - Michaelmas term, 1903. In one of England’s ancient universities, strange apparitions float between quads and cloisters. While Liv and Helen protect a naïve undergraduate from a sinister society, the Doctor finds a ghost-hunting ally. One who happens to be the era’s foremost chronicler of things that go bump in the night.
Slow Beasts by Dan Rebellato - The Doctor takes Liv and Helen to see one of the Wonders of the Outer Galaxy – to Ran-Zoan, where immense alien figures loom over the plains and settlements of the Renn. But the Slow Beasts hide a secret – a secret that, once unleashed, spells doom for this entire world.
Birdsong by Tim Foley - The TARDIS arrives on an empty world where two scouts await the rest of their colony. Except this world may not be as empty as everybody thinks. There’s a figure in the woods – and a strangely familiar sound. As the Doctor and his friends learn more about the planet’s inhabitants, the birdsong they hear becomes a deadly chorus.
Lost Hearts by Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle - Michaelmas term, 1903. In one of England’s ancient universities, strange apparitions float between quads and cloisters. While Liv and Helen protect a naïve undergraduate from a sinister society, the Doctor finds a ghost-hunting ally. One who happens to be the era’s foremost chronicler of things that go bump in the night.
Slow Beasts by Dan Rebellato - The Doctor takes Liv and Helen to see one of the Wonders of the Outer Galaxy – to Ran-Zoan, where immense alien figures loom over the plains and settlements of the Renn. But the Slow Beasts hide a secret – a secret that, once unleashed, spells doom for this entire world.
- GenresDoctor WhoAudiobook
Audio CD
First published May 1, 2024
About the author
Tim Foley
196 books18 followersTim Foley is an artist and illustrator born in Flint, Michigan, in 1962. Over the past quarter century, his clients have included national and international magazines, book publishers, and advertising agencies such as the Wall Street Journal, Cricket Magazine, New York Newsday, LA Weekly, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He currently lives and works in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 6, 2024
The first episode, Birdsong, is one of the best episodes that Big Finish has put out for a long time. The other 2 episodes are good too, just not quite the same high. All in all one of the best collections for a good long time.
September 24, 2024
3 stories featuring one of my favorite Tardis-Teams.
The first 2 stories, Birdsong and Lost Hearts, are delightfully disturbing and creepy. Honestly, Birdsong becomes very dark and makes your skin crawl towards the end.
Lost Hearts features are much more common villain (as Who stories go) who is just in it out of greed and lust for power, but still, until we get there, it is also quite creepy.
The last story is again a much more standard Doctor Who story, but it also presents the listener with a moral dilemma that needs to be solved. Food for thought.
The performances for all of these are very well done.
The banter between the leads is great, and it reminds me again why Liv is one of my favorite audio companions.
Dan Starkey is maybe a bit overused (he plays several roles, but even with different accents I have no trouble identifying him). It is not a big problem, but pulls me out of the story for a moment. He is doing a good job, though.
Very good release, even if it is quite dark and haunting.
The first 2 stories, Birdsong and Lost Hearts, are delightfully disturbing and creepy. Honestly, Birdsong becomes very dark and makes your skin crawl towards the end.
Lost Hearts features are much more common villain (as Who stories go) who is just in it out of greed and lust for power, but still, until we get there, it is also quite creepy.
The last story is again a much more standard Doctor Who story, but it also presents the listener with a moral dilemma that needs to be solved. Food for thought.
The performances for all of these are very well done.
The banter between the leads is great, and it reminds me again why Liv is one of my favorite audio companions.
Dan Starkey is maybe a bit overused (he plays several roles, but even with different accents I have no trouble identifying him). It is not a big problem, but pulls me out of the story for a moment. He is doing a good job, though.
Very good release, even if it is quite dark and haunting.
June 14, 2024
The Eighth Doctor Adventures is a wild range of stories, there's always something new and different around the corner. The EDAs are arguably by far one of Big Finish's most consistent series', It is quite uncommon that I find that a truly poor story comes along to spoil the fun. I really like the direction Big Finish is taking with 8 atm and honestly, I'm loving every second of it.
Birdsong:
The Tardis arrives on a planet that should be empty and devoid of life, instead the crew finds two scouts, a forest, and a lonely cottage. But in the woods, a sinister birdsong can be heard and soon the crew will uncover a terrifying secret that will shatter everything.
Tim Foley has written a rollercoaster of a story that is atmospheric, uncomfortable, creepy, and towards the end terrifying. The ending of this one is heartbreaking, with a really emotional scene that tugs at your heartstrings. Definitely a standout in this range. 10/10
Lost Hearts:
In an ancient university, The Doctor, Liv, and Helen are investigating a mysterious anomaly that has brought the Tardis to the year 1903. Apparitions stalk the halls, a creepy professor is sticking to the shadows and Liv and Helen are facing the misogynistic values of the 20th century. But that's not all, things are about to get complicated because Helen's grandfather is here.
Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle have written a fantastic timey-wimey adventure with the wonderful essence of a ghost story. I really didn't expect the twists with this one, it was an absolute joy to see them unfold in this atmospheric adventure. I loved the reveal at the end about one of the characters, but won't say anything since it's a nice surprise. 9/10
Slow Beasts:
The Doctor takes Liv and Helen to see one of the most beautiful wonders in the universe, the slow beasts, gigantic creatures that move incredibly slowly on the planet Ran-Zoan. But a secret is being hidden one that could have catastrophic consequences.
Dan Rebellato has written a fun, fast-paced story, filled with action, and plenty of comedy, while also having something to say about colonization. Compared to the rest of the set there isn't much to discuss unless I go into spoilers so I'll end it off here, but it's a fun time nonetheless. 8/10
Overall: 27/30
Birdsong:
The Tardis arrives on a planet that should be empty and devoid of life, instead the crew finds two scouts, a forest, and a lonely cottage. But in the woods, a sinister birdsong can be heard and soon the crew will uncover a terrifying secret that will shatter everything.
Tim Foley has written a rollercoaster of a story that is atmospheric, uncomfortable, creepy, and towards the end terrifying. The ending of this one is heartbreaking, with a really emotional scene that tugs at your heartstrings. Definitely a standout in this range. 10/10
Lost Hearts:
In an ancient university, The Doctor, Liv, and Helen are investigating a mysterious anomaly that has brought the Tardis to the year 1903. Apparitions stalk the halls, a creepy professor is sticking to the shadows and Liv and Helen are facing the misogynistic values of the 20th century. But that's not all, things are about to get complicated because Helen's grandfather is here.
Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle have written a fantastic timey-wimey adventure with the wonderful essence of a ghost story. I really didn't expect the twists with this one, it was an absolute joy to see them unfold in this atmospheric adventure. I loved the reveal at the end about one of the characters, but won't say anything since it's a nice surprise. 9/10
Slow Beasts:
The Doctor takes Liv and Helen to see one of the most beautiful wonders in the universe, the slow beasts, gigantic creatures that move incredibly slowly on the planet Ran-Zoan. But a secret is being hidden one that could have catastrophic consequences.
Dan Rebellato has written a fun, fast-paced story, filled with action, and plenty of comedy, while also having something to say about colonization. Compared to the rest of the set there isn't much to discuss unless I go into spoilers so I'll end it off here, but it's a fun time nonetheless. 8/10
Overall: 27/30
August 28, 2026
Great set of stories about belonging and the everlasting dilemma of survival vs the means to achieve it and how these are affecting your surrounding environment. Liv and Helen always such a pleasure!
August 21, 2026
This set as a whole gets a high 4 stars. It started well, had a real dip in quality in the middle, and then ended on one of my favourite listens of the year. I’d definitely recommend it.
Birdsong:
4 stars. I really liked this one! I enjoyed the twists and turns in the episode, and the ending was so sweet, both for Liv and Helen, and for Bex. I thought this was a really strong story. I had a few issues with it, but it was mostly production-based– they’ve not cut out any of the actors breaths, and that’s a little grating to listen to. It would be fine if it was occasional, but on every single line you can hear the soft wheezing of Paul breathing through his nose at the end, or somewhere in the middle. As someone who produces audios myself, it’s pretty easy to just cut that bit out, if you want to. This was extra noticeable to due to the general lack of music– it was mostly used for scene transitions rather than in the back of any scenes, which was actually… fine. It worked alright because this TARDIS trio have such a strong dynamic, and respond to each other so quickly, that it didn’t really feel too silent for most of it. Still, it made it feel like it was dragging on a bit when they had a larger period of speech.
Lost Hearts:
2.75 stars. This was interesting to listen to after the first two parts of Dark Gallifrey: Decayed Master, which I have really disliked. Seeing this was the same authors… Well, what I will say is that this is definitely better than that was. 75% of this, I was enjoying. It moved slow, but that’s often the case with ghost stories. It was intriguing… right up until the story needed a resolution, and suddenly things were being pulled out of thin air to resolve it. (SPOILERS) The concept of someone being able to use the TARDIS telepathic circuits to project an image of themselves into people’s minds in the past is something that’s never been set up in the show or within this audio, so it came massively out of nowhere. Like, it was a cool twist that it was Liv appearing to him earlier in the episode… but there was absolutely no way to catch on that that’s what was happening, which makes it bad storytelling. Also, they can’t really have it both ways with time travel. Liv sending them a message changed the present, so nobody died. That means her message changed time. However, her first attempt at sending the Doctor a message happened from his perspective in the original timeline. This means she ALWAYS got to this point and sent them back a message… which means that it can’t have changed time afterwards, because she always did it, so they always got her message, and just died anyways. Not to mention the very quick resolution that, oh, Liv changed time with her message which would have been a paradox, but since there was ALREADY a paradox with the damaged TARDIS, it all cancelled out. Like, all of that was stated in one simple sentence, with no mentions of paradoxes previous to this. Again, it’s an issue of there being no setup for the resolution. This episode also had the same production issues as the last one– too many breaths from all actors, and almost no music, making the slow pace of the episode feel even slower.
Slow Beasts:
5 stars. Something I love about the 8DAs is the brilliant original villains it seems to come up with, and this episode was no exception. As soon as they introduced these living, statue-like creatures, I was incredibly intrigued. It had this brilliant sinister feeling to it– I felt like I could really picture the threat towering over them; intimidating them. Especially because of how well the music was utilised in this episode. It created a perfect sinister atmosphere around the slow beasts, and I cannot compliment it enough. The world-building throughout the episode was brilliant– the way the Renn’s society was described just told you so much about them, and made them such an interesting species. Then, the entire section where they went out on a tour– absolutely brilliant. The tour told you about the world whilst being very funny, and whilst allowing for the Doctor, Helen and Liv to spend time together and crack their own jokes too.
Speaking of them, this episode had some absolutely wonderful moments between the trio. Their dynamic was portrayed perfectly, and in a way that just showed the bond between the three of them as they bantered and joked with each other throughout. I was honestly shocked to look up the author and discover this is the only thing he’s ever done for Big Finish, because this is such a brilliant episode and I would so happily listen to more of him.
All in all, I’d recommend the set (but I’d perhaps skip episode 2).
Birdsong:
4 stars. I really liked this one! I enjoyed the twists and turns in the episode, and the ending was so sweet, both for Liv and Helen, and for Bex. I thought this was a really strong story. I had a few issues with it, but it was mostly production-based– they’ve not cut out any of the actors breaths, and that’s a little grating to listen to. It would be fine if it was occasional, but on every single line you can hear the soft wheezing of Paul breathing through his nose at the end, or somewhere in the middle. As someone who produces audios myself, it’s pretty easy to just cut that bit out, if you want to. This was extra noticeable to due to the general lack of music– it was mostly used for scene transitions rather than in the back of any scenes, which was actually… fine. It worked alright because this TARDIS trio have such a strong dynamic, and respond to each other so quickly, that it didn’t really feel too silent for most of it. Still, it made it feel like it was dragging on a bit when they had a larger period of speech.
Lost Hearts:
2.75 stars. This was interesting to listen to after the first two parts of Dark Gallifrey: Decayed Master, which I have really disliked. Seeing this was the same authors… Well, what I will say is that this is definitely better than that was. 75% of this, I was enjoying. It moved slow, but that’s often the case with ghost stories. It was intriguing… right up until the story needed a resolution, and suddenly things were being pulled out of thin air to resolve it. (SPOILERS) The concept of someone being able to use the TARDIS telepathic circuits to project an image of themselves into people’s minds in the past is something that’s never been set up in the show or within this audio, so it came massively out of nowhere. Like, it was a cool twist that it was Liv appearing to him earlier in the episode… but there was absolutely no way to catch on that that’s what was happening, which makes it bad storytelling. Also, they can’t really have it both ways with time travel. Liv sending them a message changed the present, so nobody died. That means her message changed time. However, her first attempt at sending the Doctor a message happened from his perspective in the original timeline. This means she ALWAYS got to this point and sent them back a message… which means that it can’t have changed time afterwards, because she always did it, so they always got her message, and just died anyways. Not to mention the very quick resolution that, oh, Liv changed time with her message which would have been a paradox, but since there was ALREADY a paradox with the damaged TARDIS, it all cancelled out. Like, all of that was stated in one simple sentence, with no mentions of paradoxes previous to this. Again, it’s an issue of there being no setup for the resolution. This episode also had the same production issues as the last one– too many breaths from all actors, and almost no music, making the slow pace of the episode feel even slower.
Slow Beasts:
5 stars. Something I love about the 8DAs is the brilliant original villains it seems to come up with, and this episode was no exception. As soon as they introduced these living, statue-like creatures, I was incredibly intrigued. It had this brilliant sinister feeling to it– I felt like I could really picture the threat towering over them; intimidating them. Especially because of how well the music was utilised in this episode. It created a perfect sinister atmosphere around the slow beasts, and I cannot compliment it enough. The world-building throughout the episode was brilliant– the way the Renn’s society was described just told you so much about them, and made them such an interesting species. Then, the entire section where they went out on a tour– absolutely brilliant. The tour told you about the world whilst being very funny, and whilst allowing for the Doctor, Helen and Liv to spend time together and crack their own jokes too.
Speaking of them, this episode had some absolutely wonderful moments between the trio. Their dynamic was portrayed perfectly, and in a way that just showed the bond between the three of them as they bantered and joked with each other throughout. I was honestly shocked to look up the author and discover this is the only thing he’s ever done for Big Finish, because this is such a brilliant episode and I would so happily listen to more of him.
All in all, I’d recommend the set (but I’d perhaps skip episode 2).
March 26, 2026
Three unconnected hour-long stories featuring the Eighth Doctor, with Liv and Helen back as the companions after a diversion with Charlie.
Birdsong
The TARDIS arrives on what should be an uninhabited and lifeless planet, only to discover a cottage established by a pair of advance scouts waiting for the main colonisation fleet. The result is one of those stories where it’s obvious that something isn’t quite right, not least because of the occasional birdsong on a planet that has no birds. But there’s more to it than that, with the relationship between the two scouts obviously strained, bringing in themes of coercion and mental exhaustion on a world where there is simply no social support. Liv, in particular, is well used here, her instincts as a med-tech leading her to take one side when things may not be so simple. There are twists and turns as the story develops, and the use of melodic birdsong as something creepy is a great touch. It’s a strong story that would be difficult to tell with a Doctor less empathetic than Eight, bringing a human touch to what’s partly sci-fi horror. One of the best for a while. 5 stars.
Lost Hearts
Continuing the general theme, the historical episode in this collection is a ghost story set at Cambridge University in 1903. In some respects, the setup resembles that of Human Nature, with the exception that the Doctor is aware of his own identity, but that’s where the similarity ends. Strange events are occurring throughout the college, but what could possibly connect them remains obscure for a while as the Doctor investigates. It’s Helen’s turn to get more of a focus, as she finds a personal connection to some of what’s happening, but Liv has several good moments too. The villain is perhaps a little overplayed, and the eventual explanation is rather convoluted, but it does all work and tie together, and, as usual, the atmosphere is strong. 4.5 stars.
Slow Beasts
The TARDIS arrives on a planet in a distant galaxy, where native life is dominated by vast but incredibly slow-moving animals. Compared with the first two episodes in this collection, the story is also rather slow itself, with a lot of world-building and character interaction but not much in the way of action. Eventually, something does go wrong, but the acting and writing are good enough that I didn’t find myself waiting for that moment to arrive. Those who want something faster-paced, with obvious peril from the beginning, may be disappointed, even if they aren’t after traditional action scenes. On the plus side, however, there are some nice ideas in it, a moral quandary at the end, and, given the short length (it’s 52 minutes), a decent sketch of the human colonist society that the Doctor is trying to save. So, if imagery and background are your thing, it will likely be rather better. 4 stars.
Birdsong
The TARDIS arrives on what should be an uninhabited and lifeless planet, only to discover a cottage established by a pair of advance scouts waiting for the main colonisation fleet. The result is one of those stories where it’s obvious that something isn’t quite right, not least because of the occasional birdsong on a planet that has no birds. But there’s more to it than that, with the relationship between the two scouts obviously strained, bringing in themes of coercion and mental exhaustion on a world where there is simply no social support. Liv, in particular, is well used here, her instincts as a med-tech leading her to take one side when things may not be so simple. There are twists and turns as the story develops, and the use of melodic birdsong as something creepy is a great touch. It’s a strong story that would be difficult to tell with a Doctor less empathetic than Eight, bringing a human touch to what’s partly sci-fi horror. One of the best for a while. 5 stars.
Lost Hearts
Continuing the general theme, the historical episode in this collection is a ghost story set at Cambridge University in 1903. In some respects, the setup resembles that of Human Nature, with the exception that the Doctor is aware of his own identity, but that’s where the similarity ends. Strange events are occurring throughout the college, but what could possibly connect them remains obscure for a while as the Doctor investigates. It’s Helen’s turn to get more of a focus, as she finds a personal connection to some of what’s happening, but Liv has several good moments too. The villain is perhaps a little overplayed, and the eventual explanation is rather convoluted, but it does all work and tie together, and, as usual, the atmosphere is strong. 4.5 stars.
Slow Beasts
The TARDIS arrives on a planet in a distant galaxy, where native life is dominated by vast but incredibly slow-moving animals. Compared with the first two episodes in this collection, the story is also rather slow itself, with a lot of world-building and character interaction but not much in the way of action. Eventually, something does go wrong, but the acting and writing are good enough that I didn’t find myself waiting for that moment to arrive. Those who want something faster-paced, with obvious peril from the beginning, may be disappointed, even if they aren’t after traditional action scenes. On the plus side, however, there are some nice ideas in it, a moral quandary at the end, and, given the short length (it’s 52 minutes), a decent sketch of the human colonist society that the Doctor is trying to save. So, if imagery and background are your thing, it will likely be rather better. 4 stars.
August 23, 2026
Two outstanding stories which put the set at an incredible 5 stars, let down only slightly by a middle story that doesn’t quite work but really gets the TARDIS team dynamic.
Birdsong: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A great story, perfectly creepy and loved the production choices here with the lack of music. Also liked the freaky body horror of it all.
Lost Hearts: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A story with a heart that starts out with a solid premise. I don’t care personally for ghost type stories but was really enjoying the dialogue. However the ending third and resolution seemed to let down the rest of the story as they seemed a little hand-wavy.
Slow Beasts: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Absolutely and utterly incredible. Beautiful rich world building, imaginative storytelling, TARDIS team dynamics done to a T. I am devastated that this writer has not written a second story for Big Finish as it was very clear that he has a great writing mind and fresh imagination.
Music really mirrored what the story was going for, very unique and I loved it. Flowers for the composer.
Birdsong: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A great story, perfectly creepy and loved the production choices here with the lack of music. Also liked the freaky body horror of it all.
Lost Hearts: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A story with a heart that starts out with a solid premise. I don’t care personally for ghost type stories but was really enjoying the dialogue. However the ending third and resolution seemed to let down the rest of the story as they seemed a little hand-wavy.
Slow Beasts: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Absolutely and utterly incredible. Beautiful rich world building, imaginative storytelling, TARDIS team dynamics done to a T. I am devastated that this writer has not written a second story for Big Finish as it was very clear that he has a great writing mind and fresh imagination.
Music really mirrored what the story was going for, very unique and I loved it. Flowers for the composer.
August 30, 2025
Birdsong
7/10
Verdict: Optional
Every aspect of this is on point, a really really solid mystery thriller with supernatural elements. The character writing and acting is the star of the show and McGann is so fully on board.
Lost Hearts
6/10
Verdict: Optional
Fun story, if a bit convoluted at the end. Again, the acting and character writing is great. The villain is a bit naff, but overall it's pretty good.
Slow Beasts
6/10
Verdict: Optional
My points are the same as the last story, the villain is still pretty bad but everything is carried by the main cast. I wish there was a bit more to this box set, but at the same time I'm glad we're getting more stories with this trio of characters before they'll have to part ways.
7/10
Verdict: Optional
Every aspect of this is on point, a really really solid mystery thriller with supernatural elements. The character writing and acting is the star of the show and McGann is so fully on board.
Lost Hearts
6/10
Verdict: Optional
Fun story, if a bit convoluted at the end. Again, the acting and character writing is great. The villain is a bit naff, but overall it's pretty good.
Slow Beasts
6/10
Verdict: Optional
My points are the same as the last story, the villain is still pretty bad but everything is carried by the main cast. I wish there was a bit more to this box set, but at the same time I'm glad we're getting more stories with this trio of characters before they'll have to part ways.
April 30, 2026
Je crois que les quatre étoiles c'est vraiment de la générosité due au fait que ça faisait longtemps que j'avais décroché des audios et que 8/Helen/Liv est une tardis team que j'affectionne beaucoup depuis Stranded.
La première histoire était vraiment dingue, creepy avec des concepts vraiment intriguant et bien poussés. Les 2 et 3ème étaient bien plus classiques, ce qui est dommage pour la troisième qui avait un sacré potentiel avec le concept de base un peu mystérieux et la critique des sociétés qui prônent une non-violence tout en étant des sales colons de merde en réalité. C'était pas assez poussé à mon goût, mais ça reste un box set vraiment très correct, juste avec aucune histoire vraiment mémorable.
La première histoire était vraiment dingue, creepy avec des concepts vraiment intriguant et bien poussés. Les 2 et 3ème étaient bien plus classiques, ce qui est dommage pour la troisième qui avait un sacré potentiel avec le concept de base un peu mystérieux et la critique des sociétés qui prônent une non-violence tout en étant des sales colons de merde en réalité. C'était pas assez poussé à mon goût, mais ça reste un box set vraiment très correct, juste avec aucune histoire vraiment mémorable.
June 11, 2024
This was a great three-story anthology from start to finish, with a great cast, smart writing, and mostly great production.
Slow Beasts is probably the weakest story of the three included in the collection but it’s by no means bad, still a great listen for fans of the Eighth Doctor or Doctor Who as a whole.
Slow Beasts is probably the weakest story of the three included in the collection but it’s by no means bad, still a great listen for fans of the Eighth Doctor or Doctor Who as a whole.
October 8, 2024
Decent, but I didn't vibe with it quite as much as other Eighth Doctor Adventures stories before this one.
October 27, 2024
not worth the listen. didn't finish
November 24, 2024
Birdsong by Tim Foley - 3/5 Stars
Lost Hearts by Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle - 4/5 Stars
Slow Beasts by Dan Rebellato - 4/5 Stars
Lost Hearts by Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle - 4/5 Stars
Slow Beasts by Dan Rebellato - 4/5 Stars
October 1, 2025
Finally another set I can give a full 5 stars! Easily one of the better sets from the past few years. 👍
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews