Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time - Standard Edition

by James Goss, John Dorney, Guy Adams

Time is collapsing. Incidents of chaos and devastation are appearing throughout the lives of one Time Lord and his many friends – all fallout from one terrible disaster. From Earth’s past and present to timeless alien worlds, from the cloisters of Gallifrey into the Vortex itself... The Doctor must save universal history – and he needs all the help he can get.

1. Lies in Ruins by James Goss

On a strange ruined world, a renowned archaeologist opens an ancient tomb. Only to find another archaeologist got there first. Professors Summerfield and Song unite to solve a mystery. Then the Eighth Doctor arrives, and things really become dangerous. Because their best friend isn’t quite the man River and Benny remember…

2. The Split Infinitive by John Dorney

A criminal gang appears to have recruited a member with time-bending powers. It’s a case for the Counter-Measures team – in the 1960s and the 1970s! The Seventh Doctor and Ace have their work cut out to save the day twice over, and make sure Gilmore, Rachel and Allison don’t collide with their past, or their future.

3. The Sacrifice of Jo Grant by Guy Adams

When pockets of temporal instability appear in a Dorset village, UNIT are called in. Soon, Kate Stewart and Jo Jones find themselves working alongside the Third Doctor, while Osgood battles to get them home. But this isn’t the first time UNIT has faced this threat. Only before, it seems that Jo Grant didn’t survive...

4. Relative Time by Matt Fitton

Disaster strikes inside the Time Vortex, and the Fifth Doctor is thrown together with someone from his future… someone claiming to be his daughter! Kleptomaniac Time Lord, the Nine, believes it’s his chance to steal something huge. But Jenny just wants her dad to believe in her.

5. The Avenues of Possibility by Jonathan Morris

DI Patricia Menzies is used to the strange, but even she is surprised when the eighteenth century itself falls onto her patch. Fortunately, she has the founders of modern policing to help with her enquiries. And when the Sixth Doctor and Charley arrive, they find armed and hostile forces trying to change Earth history forever.

6. Collision Course by Guy Adams

Fallout from the temporal distortions has now reached Gallifrey. To find the cause, Leela and Romana remember travels with the Fourth Doctor to the same world, at different times. The enemy is revealed, and it may take more than one Doctor to prevent the destruction of everything!

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel

Audio CD

First published July 17, 2019

About the author

James Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Reviews

[The Post Monument · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies in Ruins - 4 stars
The Split Infinitive - 4 stars
The Sacrifice of Jo Grant - 5 stars
Relative Time - 3.5 stars
The Avenues of Possibility - 2.5 stars
Collision Course - 4.5 stars

Overall - 4 stars

[Taksya · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Lies in Ruins by James Goss
Partenza con il botto, con le due migliori archeologhe dell'universo affiancate dall'ottavo Dottore.
River Song e Bernice Summerfield si trovano presso alcune misteriose rovine e, con l'arrivo del Dottore e della sua esuberante companion le cose, ovviamente, precipitano.
Il primo mattone per la costruzione della solita apocalisse temporale.
2. The Split Infinitive by John Dorney
Il settimo Dottore e Ace si trovano affiancati al gruppo di Counter-Measures (apparso per la prima volta in "Remembrance of the Daleks" e adottato dalla Big Finish dal 2012) nella lotta contro dei criminali temporali.
Saltiamo dagli anni '60 agli anni '70 ma, apparentemente, non c'è legame con il primo episodio... apparentemente...
3. The Sacrifice of Jo Grant by Guy Adams
Dopo gli ultimi audio della UNIT, Jo sembra essere diventato un personaggio ricorrente e, nel monento in cui uno strappo spazio-temporale inizia a fare danni, si trova catapultata nel passato con Kate. Un passato che ricorda bene, con il suo Dottore e il Brig, ma al quale i testimoni dicono non sia sopravvissuta.
4. Relative Time by Matt Fitton
Il quinto Dottore e sua figlia Jenny, interpretati dal quinto Dottore e da sua figlia, si ritrovano a combattere un evento temporalcatastrofico a bordo di una nave temporale alla deriva nel vortex.
La presenza di the Nine non aiuta (ma è graditissima, per quanto mi riguarda) e, tra le righe, forse iniziamo a capire cosa sta accadendo al tempo.
5. The Avenues of Possibility by Jonathan Morris
Tocca al sesto Dottore e Charley Pollard, assieme a DI Patricia Menzies (incontrata i vari audio). Una serie di squarci temporali mettono in comunicazione varie zone temporali, creando paradossi e, finalmente, scopriamo chi c'è dietro tutto questo.
La conferma che la presenza del Dottore servirà per l'apocalisse non stupisce.
6. Collision Course by Guy Adams
Gran finale con Romana II e Leela, entrambe impegnate in una avventura con il quarto Dottore, ma in due linee temporali che avvengono in contemoporanea... ma solo da poche ore.
Finale con tutti i Dottori intervenuti... più varie altre sorprese.

Il box set dedicato ai primi vent'anni della Big Finish comprende un assolo per ogni Dottore classico, con companion d'epoca e collegamenti sia ai vari spinoff (nati in casa BBC/Doctor Who e rilanciati in casa Big Finish) che ai companion, fissi o ricorrenti, comparsi negli anni.
Partendo da Bernice Summerfield in coppia con River Song, passando per il team di Counter Measures, con una capatina alla nuova U.N.I.T. fino ad una riunione di famiglia con Jenny e un incontro con

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what an incredible box set, definitely has to be my favourite Big Finish release of all time, with amazing stories written by brilliant writers, with plenty of surprises and an epic finale!

The Legacy of Time:
Lies in Ruins: 10/10
The Split Infinitive: 9/10
The Sacrifice of Jo Grant: 10/10
Relative Time: 9/10
The Avenues of Possibility: 9/10
Collison Course: 10/10

Overall: 57/60

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great boxset :) Now I am only waiting for a story featuring Jenny and 10 :D

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 5 stories were fun, but I wasn’t really sure where this collection was going, but then it did mange to wrap itself up nicely. Not the best collection out there, but great to see all the different match ups of doctors and companions.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio drama spans several incarnations of the Doctor and includes tons of guest appearances by companions and allies from over the years. These types of stories are always ambitious and far too often don’t quite live up to expectations. Some of the chapters do just that, they seem to have grandiose designs, but just fall short, while others delightfully meet and perhaps even exceed these expectations. When taken as a whole, I was very pleased with this one.

(1) Lies in Ruins - I was pleasantly surprised to hear River Song in this one and the potential paradoxes that might blossom with her meeting the eighth Doctor before she meets the tenth, well - let’s just say it’s handled well. This was a nice little tale with some interesting twists and good pacing. It fits well within the eighth Doctor’s timeline as well and Alex Kingston is just as manic as she ever is. Very entertaining.

(2) The Split Infinitive - I was probably disappointed with this one because I had some higher expectations. I’ve always rather enjoyed the interplay between the seventh Doctor and Ace and, unfortunately, due to the nature of the narrative, there is not much opportunity for that. On top of that the nature of the story is rather manic. It is a fine adventure, but perhaps a bit more chaotic than it really needed to be.

(3) The Sacrifice of Jo Grant - I’d not heard any productions as yet with Tim Treloar stepping in for Jon Pertwee’s Doctor, and he does a surprisingly good job. There are a bit of changes in speech patterns, but he comes across sounding very much like he belongs in the role. The story itself is interesting and jumps from the present to the third Doctor’s era and works remarkably well. There are a couple of really powerful moments that long time Whovians will likely find pulling at their hearts, I know mine were tugged awfully hard.

(4) Relative Time - And this one? This chapter? Adventure? Well, superficially it’s pretty straight forward, until, well ... let me just say I do love some weird and quirky meta-humor and this one is filled with it. What could have been rather conventional, suddenly becomes delightfully playful, silly and enormously entertaining. This one is two tons of fun.

(5) The Avenues of Possibility - Another chapter that can get a little wonky if you don’t pay attention. Interesting and well done. Good job from all the cast, but overall not among may favorite chapters.

(6) Collision Course - This last and concluding chapter starts off a little slow and doesn’t really feel particularly engaging. It has a very theatrical feel to it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but here it ends up, at least at first, feeling like nothing more than a radio play (another problem with the previous chapter as well). But then things start picking up and as threads from previous chapters start coming together. This really is the Big Finish, if you’ll pardon the pun, that I was waiting for and with the surprise inclusion of some very unexpected guest appearances (and I’m not going to spoil it) this chapter concludes with grace, style and panache. Wonderful. Fantastic. Brilliant. Nicely done, superbly entertaining and completely enjoyable.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story was quite fun. I liked the idea that River had been one of Benny's students. I liked them bickering in the trope way that bickering people always end up dating. I liked Benny waiting with cocktails. It was a little heavy on WE LOVE THE DOCTOR. And the companion deserved to be slapped repeatedly. (And didn't quite believe the ending behind her)
The second story I found surprisingly rather dull. It seemed like they just spent the majority of it sitting around in a room describing what was happening to each other. And the gangs did nothing but be stereotypes.
The third story was utterly perfect and wonderful! Best thing Guy Adams has written! Jo was BRILLIANT. People's appreciation of Jo was BRILLIANT. I loved Osgood and Jo having adventure days together. Osgood really needed a female friend! The ending with Kate's bit and Jo's bit was very touching and I cried.
Fifth Doctor and Jenny was alright. Though I totally missed who the immortal woman was?
Sixth Doctor and Charlie were fairly fun, though by this point I was getting a bit bored of TIMELINES AS THE ENEMY plot. Temporal timelines are tiresome. I like scifi that has social commentary and so rarely to time focuses stories have any, and this was no exception.
The last story with Romana and Leela I was really looking forward to because Romana and Leela together are my favourite thing. But then they just had separate adventures with the Doctor instead. I'm probably the only one who was disappointed when Tom showed up! Then the ending of this was terrible! Instead of having Romana be all clever and fix things, like it looked like was going to happen, no we had to wait for all the doctors to randomly come. As if there weren't any other time lords that could have done the same thing. (Conveniently dropping river from her story as she could have flown it with them and Romana, and Romana despite having found the thing lost her place) And all the companions stood around and said how the Doctor was the most amazing person they knew. (And I wanted to throw up a little).

The third Doctor story was quite brilliant though. The rest rather mediocre.

[Shaun Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful. A celebration of all things Big Finish for their 20th anniversary, the six stories contained here range from pretty decent to holy cow that was great. But the final installment that wraps it all up is an absolute joy and elevates the entire box set to a state of amazing listening. For our complete thoughts, visit https://travelingthevortex.com/?p=8895 (Part 1-3) and https://travelingthevortex.com/?p=8923 (Part 4-6)

[Sara Habein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Sure, there were some stories within that were a little more my jam than others, but it was all great. I loved having a bunch of the women there too, being practical and kicking ass, and this was a really lovely way to celebrate Big Finish's 20th birthday. I won't say more so as not to spoil anything.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing, the great celebration of 20 Years of Doctor Who on Big Finish Productions, and Big Finish In general!!

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un coffret vraiment intéressant dans l'ensemble avec une foule de personnages de l'univers Doctor Who (mais surtout Big Finish Productions) qui sont bien introduits et servent bien l'intrigue de chaque épisode plutôt que de simplement faire un peu de figuration ou de combler des trous ou des personnages sans saveurs. D'excellentes compositions musicales, surtout quand on comprend vers la fin qui est la menace qui surplombe l'ensemble des épisodes, la musique prend alors tout son sens et sert vraiment la narration.

Lies in Ruins par James Goss
Un épisode qui part très bien la série. L'introduction d'une compagne Ria m'a surpris·, j'étais plutôt géné· par cette "manic pixie dream girl", je comprends la petite twist avec, mais un Docteur pris avec le démon du midi à son âge (près d'un millier d'année) surprend désagréablement. Heureusement, l'épisode arrive à se concentrer sur l'intrigue et les deux archéologues et la révélation vers le 3/4 de l'épisode nous prend complètement par surprise et miroite et justifie un peu mieux la poétique du désir introduite avec la compagne Ria.

The Split Infinitive par John Dorney
Je trouve intéressant de rendre la séparation entre le Docteur (7) et sa compagne (Ace) parti intégrante de l'enjeu spatio-temporelle (le Docteur est dans les années '70, Ace est dans les années '60 et Ace doit pouvoir communiquer ses déplacements et actions à travers les personnages de Counter Measures). Je semble voir ce scénario souvent avec le Septième Docteur (dernièrement dans Red Planet), mais ici aussi ça se joue bien. Je n'ai pas encore pris connaissance des ennemis de l'épisode (je ne suis pas encore rendu là dans les Companion Chronicles) donc certaines choses m'échappaient un peu (d'où ils viennent, qu'est-ce qu'ils font exactement?), mais l'épisode restait audible même sans avoir écouté ces épisodes ou des épisodes de leur série Counter Measures.

The Sacrifice of Jo Grant par Guy Adams
Un épisode qui coupe son punch un peu vite avec son titre et son introduction (même s'il peut y avoir un retournement de situation). Outre ces considérations, un épisode qui se veut nostalgique: l'épisode tourne autour d'une Jo Grant en 2019 est réunie avec le Troisième Docteur et Kate Stewart est aussi catapultée dans le passé, en dilemme avec elle-même à savoir si elle contact ou non son père. Le paradoxe au sein de l'épisode n'est vraiment là que pour faire réunir les personnages avec leur passé ou leur famille plutôt que d'être un élément d'intrigue central. Osgood est aussi présente, mais beaucoup plus comme personnage secondaire que comme récit B ce que l'épisode tente de présenter, mais sans grand succès à mon avis.

Relative Time par Matt Fitton
Ce n'était qu'une question de temps avant que la fille du Dixième Docteur (Jenny, jouée par Georgia Tennat) fasse une apparition audio avec son véritable père (Peter Davison). Le duo est rejoins par The Nine (personnage que je ne connaissais pas) et une acolyte, Thana, qui ne peut pas mourir que je ne connaissais pas non plus (ça fait beaucoup de personnages qui ne peuvent pas mourir quand même). À la fois un épisode de tentative de braquage (par les villains) que le Docteur doit contrecarrer en même temps qu'une immense explosion temporelle survient. Le lieu, un vaisseau spatio-temporal de croisière de super-riches qui viennent observer la fin des temps n'est qu'un prétexte pour faire quelques blagues et à peine faire jouer quelques vies humaines supplémentaires dans la balance pendant que le Docteur, Jenni, the Nine et Thana se rencontrent tous pour la première fois (excepté pour le Docteur et the Nine). L'épisode est très correct, il est passé assez rapidement dans mon écoute.

The Avenues of Possibility par Jonathan Morris
Un épisode semi-historique (au moins deux personnages historiques dont John Fielding) criblé de paradoxes venant du futur. Avec une surenchère de paradoxes de plus en plus grande, j'hésitais entre trouver le tout hilarant ou dramatique (je l'ai pris comme comique). Il y a plusieurs personnages que je ne connaissais pas (ex: Patricia Menzies) en plus des personnages historiques britanniques que je ne connaissais pas plus (j'ai dû les rechercher sur Internet pendant l'écoute) rendait le tout très confus au début, et se calmant par la suite avec la relation entre les personnages se stabilisant et ayant gagné le contexte qu'il me manquait. Dans l'ensemble, c'est un épisode assez intéressant à écouter une fois qu'on a les références en main avec une finale assez impressionnante au niveau sonore (je dois avouer avoir peut entendu un combat assez éclaté au niveau audio et ça le rendait vraiment épique).

Collision Course par Guy Adams
Une très bonne finale pour la série, le jeu sur la double narration est vraiment bien exécuté et sert de manière exemplaire l'intrigue principale. Le jeu de renvoi aux sirènes du temps (le premier DC que Big Finish a produit avec plusieurs Docteurs) fittaient bien avec l'aspect très spécial du coffret pour fêter l'anniversaire de la maison d'édition. Sinon, l'intrigue était intéressante, les personnages très bien campés, avec Leela et Romana qui tenait bien leur bout face au Docteur (et même avec deux, trois piques bien lancées aux stéréotypes). Le seul défaut est le jeu de Tom Baker qui semblait ne pas se forcer pour jouer dans cet épisode... On appréciera le petit effort de faire figurer plusieurs Docteur (dont le Dixième) pour la finale.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special 20th-anniversary release for the Big Finish audios, this is a set of six hour-long stories in which various incarnations of the Doctor encounter the repercussions of a temporal anomaly. Apart from the last one, they are effectively standalone and could be listened to in any order. It’s worth noting that it’s the BF anniversary that’s being recognised here, so it features a lot of characters and references incidents that are exclusive to the audios, and often without much background explanation. So, unlike some similar collections, it’s not a good place to start – it’s a celebration of what has gone before.

And if you can't do that, and be a bit self-indulgent along the way, in an anniversary special, then when can you?

• Lies in Ruins – Even before the title music starts playing, this story is off to a great start with a concept sufficiently neat that you wonder why Big Finish haven’t done it before now (availability, probably) – what if River Song met Benny Summerfield? The two characters are just similar enough that they’re going to clash and both have enough snark that the chemistry between them is bound to be fun to listen to – and it is. While the Eighth Doctor soon turns up with a mysterious new companion in tow, it’s the two female stars who steal the show, even as it slips from its original comedy into darker territory. A good story about why the Doctor needs companions – and the right sort of companions. Although they’re being very vague these days about why the Doctor doesn’t remember River when he meets her in Silence in the Library. 4 stars.

• The Split Infinitive – Split infinitives are not something you’re supposed to wantonly use. Fortunately, this story doesn’t have anything to do with that, although it is about something being split. In large part, that’s the story itself, which switches between the 1960s and 1970s versions of the Countermeasures team encountering the Seventh Doctor and Ace. The result is very timey-wimey, jumping back and forth between the same set of characters at different points in their lives and involved in similar yet distinct events. This inevitably makes it hard to follow at times, although it is well worth it, a good action-filled story with time-bending complexity and links to more Big Finish audios than is at first apparent. 4.5 stars.

• The Sacrifice of Jo Grant – This episode features another inspired combination, with the Third Doctor teaming up with the modern-day version of UNIT to investigate time anomalies in Dorset. Arguably, there isn’t terribly much happening here, with the odd monster popping up to be dealt with, but no villain or especially detailed plot. But that’s all saved by the characterisation, giving time for a proper conversation between the Doctor and Jo, and providing some good moments for Kate and Osgood as well. It’s by no means entirely a nostalgia-fest and there’s the threat of the episode title hanging over it as well, but it’s effective as an anniversary story with some strong emotional beats and a chance for characters to interact in a way they wouldn’t normally. 5 stars.

• Relative Time – Now it’s the turn of the Fifth Doctor to meet Jenny – more significant because of the real-life connection between the actors than for anything in-universe. As with the first episode, it also brings in a major element from another Big Finish story and, on this occasion, it’s one that would likely be a bit more baffling without the context of having listened to at least one of them. This is a base-under-siege storyline, set on an interstellar cruise ship threatened by another temporal anomaly and in many ways, it’s quite traditional, with plenty of running about and technological jiggery-pokery. But it’s another fun story, enlivened by the interaction between the leads even if the guest stars (other than the villains, who work well) are a little redundant. 4 stars.

• The Avenues of Possibility – Here, the Sixth Doctor and Charlie encounter the anomalies in 18th century London, in what’s the most historical episode of this collection. This is largely because it features a couple of historical figures since the story is much larger than the 18th-century elements. In fact, there’s quite a lot thrown in here, including a welcome return for DI Menzies and plenty of references to other audio stories - some more significant than others. It’s a fun romp that manages to do a lot with time travel without being as timey-wimey as some of the others in this arc. 4.5 stars.

• Collision Course – The final episode ties everything together. To begin with, it’s a Fourth Doctor story, jumping back and forth between two different visits to the same planet. Part of the strength of this is contrasting Leela and Romana as companions, but there are some good ideas in here, too. But then it moves into the finale proper, which absolutely throws the kitchen sink at it in true multi-Doctor style. Yes, you couldn’t do this sort of thing often, but for an anniversary, it’s spot on. 5 stars.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time - 3.67/5 stars

Big Finish’s exciting 20-year anniversary celebratory boxset. This deals with time paradoxes that crop up as a mysterious force is slowly putting the pieces together for a big event that is clearly the last story of the set. Thankfully each story has mostly standalone elements so they can be enjoyed with little teases to something bigger going on.
Everyone involved helps create a fun, compelling and entertaining experience.

1. Lies in Ruins by James Goss - 3.5/5 stars

Bernice Summerfield, River Song and the 8th Doctor are such an odd group to bring together, but they bounce off each other in a satisfying way. Benny and River’s sort of rivalry is certainly a cute little addition to the canon and I would genuinely like to see them compete against each other over a series of stories (future boxset?).
As for the one-off companion, Ria? I think she drags this story down a lot being a child-like and annoying character. The conflict and the setting are a bit different and will probably not be touched again but they were fun but also the weaker parts of this story as the crossover element carried the story.
Also, the Vogan reference was weird but gotta stan the Vogans.

2. The Split Infinitive by John Dorney - 4/5 stars

Never really listened to Counter Measures before but the group of characters are quite a fun little group that works well with 7 and Ace. The story is structured in a clever way and the reveal of the Rocket Men is kinda cool, despite the fact I have no clue who they are.
Love how this tries to give a proper explanation for the Unit dating issue.

3. The Sacrifice of Jo Grant by Guy Adams - 5/5 stars

This one actually brought me to tears. Lots of gorgeous little moments like Kate talking to her dad in the past and an older Jo getting to talk to the Doctor and tell him what an amazing influence he was on her life and Osgood getting praised by the Doctor.

4. Relative Time by Matt Fitton - 2.5/5 stars

The 5th Doctor meets his future daughter, Jenny ( or for the people who know the actor who plays 5 is actually the father of Jenny). This one had cool Vortisaurs and The Nine stuff in it but the plot felt a bit bland and weak. Major step down from the last.

5. The Avenues of Possibility by Jonathan Morris - 3/5 stars

Charley and 6 deal with paradoxes, alternate timelines and the Sirens of Time. Important key elements from the 8th and 6th Doctor’s monthly range stories are vital here. As for the Sirens of Time, the first Doctor Who with Big Finish villain, they’re finally revealed as the big bad of the set that is the connection that has been building slowly from episode to episode.
The story is a bit weak but it sets up the finale story.

6. Collision Course by Guy Adams - 4/5 stars

Leela and Romana are a fun little pairing here. The first 8 Doctors and the 10th, Romana, Bernice Summerfield and Leela try to stop the paradox in the last 15 minutes which are filled with hilarious and fun interactions. A satisfying end to a wonderful boxset. Definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of Doctor Who.

[Eddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally feel a need to qualify my five-star ratings, but this one deserves a little explanation (even if it's for myself when I come back to this years later).

"The Legacy of Time" is the release celebrating 20 years of Big Finish audios. It's a big, dumb anniversary story, and I love it for that. But a lot of the fun of big, dumb anniversary stories is either knowing all the references, or accepting that some decisions are made because it's a fun reference, and not because it's the best decision for the story.

It's the kind of set where you put Bernice Summerfield and River Song in the same story because they're both kick-ass archeologists, or put the Doctor's daughter with the Fifth Doctor because the listener knows that Georgia Tennant is Peter Davison's daughter in real life. It's the kind of set where you get excited to see characters like DI Mendes again or listen to Charley spout details of her run with the Eighth Doctor from back in 2005.

I've been a fan of Big Finish for well over a decade, so I'm exactly the kind of person who this is written for. I love a set that reunites the Doctor and Ace with Countermeasures while also closing the UNIT dating plothole. It's the most nerdy Big Finish set to date. The story is almost incidental to such a thing.

It also happens to be a really good anthology set showcasing what makes each Doctor great. And, more specifically, what makes each BIG FINISH VERSION of that Doctor great. If you're a casual Doctor Who fan, you may also find this to be a great adventure, but might bulk at the price. I'm the kind of nerd who deeply appreciates all the little in-jokes, side-references, and cameos. For that, to me, it's worth every penny.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Lies in Ruins” alone is a complete 5/5. Paul McGann is in top form, and River Song and Bernice Summerfield try to bring him from the brink when he considers destruction. It’s funny listening to this after having seen him wag a finger at Ten in Time Lord Victorious for doing something similar. This story is a tough act to follow. And while none of the rest quite live up to it, they were fine. I especially enjoyed Jenny and Five having an adventure. We all know the metaness of that. I feel like Legacy of Time ended with a Tom Baker story because he’s considered the favorite among general Whovians, but again, it’s just so tough to beat the breadth of McGann. This was also shortly before Eccleston started working with Big Finish. So close! But he’ll be in the 60th anniversary audio epic Once and Future.

[Xander Toner]

I recently got this at a fairly discounted price from the Big Finish Avent this past December, and I think it was a purchase that's worth it - I probably wouldn't have bought it at full price.

Stories Ranked - Worst to Best
2. The Split Infinitive
5. The Avenues of Possibility
4. Relative Time
6. Collision Course
3. The Sacrifice of Jo Grant
1. Lies in Ruins

Lies in Ruins and The Sacrifice of Jo Grant are two genuinely excellent stories, and are well, well worth getting the box set for. Collision Course is fun to hear just how many Doctors interact, and the other three I have very few opinions of.

[Billy Martel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review by story…

The Sacrifice of Jo Grant: Kind of feels like the SNL50th anniversary special. A bunch of hollow fan service that in theory should be effective, but isn’t. The performances are good though. It’s my favorite Tim Trelor performance I’ve heard. But sadly the script comes first and it’s real bad. 1/5

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was almost like the Worlds of Doctor Who stories. I really enjoyed all the different incarnations of the Doctor and several of Doctor Who Characters I already knew along with some that I just met in this awesome adventure.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

( BookOpoly - “ listen to an AUDIOBOOK “ )

This is absolutely fantastic!! So many great character interactions, it’s hard to be a favorite story but Relative Time, Split Infinitive, and Lies in Ruins come real close

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lies in Ruins - 3.5 stars
The Split Infinitive - 3 stars
The Sacrifice of Jo Grant - 5 stars
Relative Time - 3.5 stars
The Avenues of Possibility - 3 stars
Collision Course - 4 stars

Overall - 3.5 stars

[Saturnberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody is in this!!! :D How amazing could it get? The "Counter Measures" folks are some of my favorite stories and they are here, too! Thank you, everybody at Big Finish!

[Peter Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the end in particular. A bit uneven getting there though!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

1 - 4 stars; 2 - 4 stars; 3 - 3 stars; 4 - 4.5 This has the Doctor's daughter with #5 (which is her actual father in real life); 5 - 3.5 stars; 6 - 4 stars

[Layne S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great audio adventures! Loved it!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies in Ruins ****1/2
The Split Infinitive *****
The Sacrifice of Jo Grant *****
Relative Time ***
The Avenues of Possibility **1/2
Collision Course ***

[Jon Mackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really ambitious story, and it almost works. It is let down by three issues - some of which are my fault. The issues are in the writing, the actors and the conclusion.

The story is *obviously* part of a much larger Whoniverse. I've listened to some of the audio dramas, but not many. Consequently, I don't know who many of the characters are, and they are not introduced by name close to the beginning of the story, so I spend a considerable time wondering who was talking and whether they were a companion or with a supporting cast. It would have been simple to include a line such as "Put that spanner down, Charley and come over here." Like I say, my fault for not being well-versed in the audio Whoniverse.

Second, the actors. On several occasions the voice talents are remarkably similar. In the first story, I wasn't sure whether it was River or Benny speaking (I also wasn't sure which of them was at the tomb first); in another story a voice sounded very much like Colin Baker, talking to Sylvester McCoy - was Baker being ironic when he referred to McCoy as Doctor, and McCoy being patronising when he didn't refer to Baker in the same way? (Turns out it wasn't Colin Baker at all). And were the companions with their "own" doctor? If not, why not?

The conclusion - which would have been immense if it was done as a visual, but it came down to a babble of voices at the end, and I'm not certain how many surprise characters are included at the end. At least two. Maybe three. It just wasn't clear. In addition, it would have been really helpful to have spent a little more time on how the strands of all the stories were drawn together.

On the other hand, there are some absolutely great moments - the exchanges between the Fifth Doctor and Jenny were very entertaining, with the added dramatic irony of the listener knowing they are father and daughter. The final call that Kate Stewart makes is particularly poignant. And Tim Treloar as the Third Doctor is outstanding!

It's a great series, and I'm glad I've heard it. But I wonder how many more stories I would need to listen to in order that it makes sense?

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lies in Ruin:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended

This is one of 8s penultimate stories, and it's what you would expect from the doctor just before giving himself to the time war. River and Bernice are great in this, pulling him back from one of his darkest moments. Depressing yet hopeful in a strange way.

The Split Infinitive:
4/10
Verdict: Optional

Listened to this twice and still can't get a good handle on the plot. Fun setting with great music but dull side characters. Zigzagging between two times with the same characters coupled with sci-fi jargon make this a hard listen, but I can't say you should skip this one because it might just be me having a hard time with this.

The Sacrifice of Jo Grant:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended

Really great story, simple and effective. The 3 and Jo duo are top notch in this story, and this is the story that made me realise that no one in Doctor Who is quite like Jo Grant. An amazing character who it used amazingly here. Some really touching moments from every member of the main cast.

Relative Time:
5/10
Verdict: Optional

All the elements are in place, the setting, the characters, the meta-ness of it all. But somewhere along the way I don't connect with this story the way I feel I should. Maybe it drags too much in too many places? I'm really not sure, I would recommend giving this a go anyway to see, it could just be me who didn't get it.

The Avenues of Possibility:
7/10
Verdict: Optional

I really want to love this story. Great side characters, a really creative story and an amazing ending can't really excuse how slow this is though. It seriously feels like I have it on half speed, dialogue seems like it takes forever and it's really easy to tune out. Again, that ending is amazing, but I can't decide if it was worth the crawling speed up to that point.

Collision Course:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended

Very fun story, and definitely a historic one. I love how scared 4 is of the area he's landed in, and how bad things looked before the inevitable teamup. Romana and Leela are amazing in this, and it's really awesome listening to the doctor's bantering with each other.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a worthy effort for the 20th anniversary of Big Finish.
The whole set has an epic feel to it, with great stories and a HUGE cast (with as many Doctors and companions as never before).

For me, the two best stories of the set were "Lies in Ruins" and "The Sacrifice of Jo Grant".
For completely different reasons.
Lies in Ruins completely shocked me. It is NOT easy listening and I made the mistake of listening to it before going to bed. Bad move. I had expected a fun romp with River and Benny, and while we do get some nice banter between the two, this is anything but a fun romp. This is the DARKEST 8th Doctor story yet and it rattled me quite a bit. The great writing and of course some absolutely awesome performances make this quite chilling. Paul McGann does an amazing job in this.
Very daring of Big Finish to have a story such as this one as the beginning of the set and I would never have expected that they would go as far as they did with this.
Very well done for some chilling and emotional storytelling.
I would, however, not call it enjoyable.

The Sacrifice of Jo Grant however was the polar opposite. What a fun, heartwarming and entertaining romp. Katy Manning is wonderful in this. But while this is very much Jo's story, the other characters also get some moments to shine and both Kate and Osgood get some great lines.

This set would be worth it for these two stories alone.

However, we get much more, we meet many beloved characters again and of course we get A LOT of little easter-eggs and surprise (oh well, maybe not that surprising) cameos. Plus an awesome finale (which is pure fan-service, but this is an anniversary release, so why not indulge a little bit?).

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour de force of the best that Big Finish has to offer, Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time is a set of six connected stories bringing together characters from every era of the show. While all of the stories were excellent, the third instalment, the poignant The Sacrifice of Jo Grant was probably my favourite. Not only was it a great adventure, bringing together the old and the new incarnations of UNIT in an exciting way, but it had some truly wonderful character moments. The conversation between Kate and the Brigadier was lovely, but the interactions between Jo and the Third Doctor were nothing short of perfect.

The moment when the different incarnations of the Doctor joined together to save the day was a triumphal and exuberant finale, the sort of magic that only Big Finish can manage. (I was particularly delighted that my beloved Romana and Leela remained at the heart of the action even after the Doctors started to arrive.) It’s always a delight to see — or listen to, in this case — the banter between the different versions of the Doctor and the fact that I knew there was going to be a happy ending in no way undermined my enjoyment of that ending. The world is full of despair at the moment and seeing so many fantastic characters come together to save the universe is just what the doctor — just what the Doctor — ordered.

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great set this one. A series of 6 interconnected stories, each featuring both one of the Doctors, but also nicely showcasing some of the other characters either created by, or fleshed out by Big Finish, such as Charley or the Counter Measures crew. Each story was quite strong in it's own right, and the overall arc held them together nicely while also maintaining some good mystery until the final story resolves it nicely.
Some good cameos in here as well from some surprising characters, and a few emotional roller coasters throughout as well.
All in all a great listen, and I think as well as Big Finish fans, it would also serve as a good jumping on point for people new to Big Finish.