Doctor Who: The Company of Friends

Big Finish: Monthly Range #123

by Lance Parkin

Benny's Story
Deep in the mines of Epsilon Minima, Professor Bernice Summerfield is up to her neck in it - as usual. The Countess Venhella has hired her to recover a lost Time Lord artefact: A TARDIS key, it turns out. Guess whose?

Fitz's Story
On the planet Entusso, the Doctor and Fitz Kreiner investigate Alien Defence Incorporated - your one-stop shop for protection against extraterrestrial invasion! But which is the greatest menace: the hideous Vermin Queens or ADI itself?

Izzy's Story
TARDIS travel opens one's eyes to a universe of possibilities, reckons the Doctor. For geek girl Izzy, it's also a fantastic way to track down ultra-rare back copies of 'Aggrotron!', the most dangerous comic in history...

Mary's Story
Switzerland, 1816: at the Villa Diodati, Lord Byron's house guests tell each other tales to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart. With a monster on the loose outside, young Mary Shelley isn't short of inspiration.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Anthologies, Short Stories

Audiobook

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Lance Parkin is an author who has written professional Doctor Who fiction since the 1990s. He is one of the few authors to write for both the 1963 and 2005 version of the programme — though much of his fiction has actually been based on the 1996 iteration. Indeed, he was notably the first author to write original prose for the Eighth Doctor in The Dying Days. He was also the author chosen to deliver the nominal 35th anniversary story, The Infinity Doctors, and the final volume in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range, The Gallifrey Chronicles. More recently, he has written for the Tenth Doctor in The Eyeless.

He is further notable for his work with Big Finish Productions, where he is arguably most known for writing the Sixth Doctor adventure, Davros.

Outside of Doctor Who, he has written things like Warlords of Utopia and (with Mark Jones) Dark Matter, a guide to the author Philip Pullman.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four short stories featuring the eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) make up this fairly entertaining audio collection. For me the story featuring author Mary Shelley stood head & shoulders above the rest for entertainment & set the stage for more of Shelley's travels in the TARDIS.

[Noah Soudrette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benny's Story
It's always a delight to hear Benny swing into action alongside the doctor, especially since it's only happened twice before, and never with Paul. Lisa Bowerman is as smart and sexy as usual, and I quite love the plot hook of an archeological dig looking for a TARDIS key. Unfortunately, the plot after that point goes a bit sour in my opinion. All the scenes with Benny and the Doc are wonderful, but the rest just seem a bit tired and contrived. Also, I can't see some rich bitch, no matter how connected, smuggling Time Lord tech off Gallifrey. I do like that it addresses the TARDIS being alive, and the fact the Doctor calls that relationship personal and private. Very good that. Still, a bit of an underwhelming start, especially coming from Lance Parkin.
3/5

Fitz's Story
I'm a big fan of the old BBC Eight Doctor novels so this was a real treat for me (it'd only've been better if they'd have done one with Sam. Yes I love Sam, wanna fight about it!? ) Matt Di Angelo really hits it out of the park here, as well as writer Stephen Cole. The whole thing is wonderfully funny what with the Doctor's infomercial about alien invasions and the replica Doctor made out of a water dispenser! I can;t say enough good things about this, it was just lovely and spot on!
5/5

Izzy's Story
Another right smasher! I've always loved Izzy and Jemima Rooper has been a favorite of mine as well. She captures Izzy here perfectly, and as Alan Barnes points out in his writer's note, she feels very mid-nineties. Wonderful. Yes, I admit, the whole thing does get almost too madcap and zany for its own good, but who cares! It's fun! As I said, I just adore Izzy and the idea of a sci-fi geek companion using the TARDIS to collect back issues of comics, makes her a girl after my own heart. To bad she onyl fancies the ladies... and that she's fictional of course.
4.5/5

Mary's Story
Now don't get me wrong. I thought Julie cox was a wonderful Mary. She conveyed compassion, intelligence, and her desire for something different, in a mere 25 minutes. I also like the idea of a later 8th Doc. in trouble inadvertently summoning a younger self to help out. My biggest problem with this story was a lot of the borderline cheesy Frankenstein elements. Obviously they should be there to some degree, but a drugged out Shelly electrocuting a corpse of a monster Doctor? It was all just too much for me. Those people are compelling enough as it is, and I just felt they took all those elements too far. Still, the bright moments shine very brightly and in the end I quite enjoyed it (especially the joke in the last line of the play).
3/5


All in all I really loved this release. I hope we can see more of these companions in audio form in the future. As for that "Three companions" bonus episode, I assume that was a preview of some upcoming release? I found it all very confusing.

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benny's Story:

I have only listened to one or two other stories with Benny. But this one works well as an introduction. I loved the 8th Doctor and Benny together and how much they bounce off each other.
"My name is Bernice Summerfield. My friends call me Benny."
"I can't even lose a ket without it turning into an epic adventure."
"You think our lives just stop and start depending on whether the Doctor is around?"

Fitz's Story:

I have yet to meet Fitz, so I felt that this story was wasted on me. The story is set during the time when the Doctor destroyed Gallifrey (in books) to help save it from destructive force that was destroying Galligrey anyway. But to also prevent time travelling technology being used to destroy the web of time. Due to this the Doctor has lost his memories and is left on Earth, where for over 100 years he attempts to find himself and the TARDIS.
I need to find the books to read more about The Doctor and Fitz's adventures. I absolutely loved the chemistry between the pair.

"You're a part time saviour. You save worlds at your convenience."

"Take your time...but please let go of my leg."

"Fitz Kreipier, private eye. This is the dirt."

Izzy's Story:
One thing I haven't really explored is Doctor Who comics. Izzy is a comic companion brought to life in a story about a comic book character coming to life. I didn't like the voice choice for Izzy- played by Jemima Rooper. I felt her character was lacking energy and needed more geekiness.

"My name's Izzy and I chose the Doctor!"

"The punishment is infinite death!"

"Court Master cruel, was a girl?"

"I shall return"

Mary's Story:
In 1816 at Lord Byron's house- guests were telling each other stories. The 8th Doctor ends up being the very inspiration for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein's monster. Along with her brother by bringing a corpse back to life. I absolutely love the idea of Mary Shelley as a companion and can't wait to see where they go. Probably my favourite story of the bunch, I just loved the timely wimenyness of the plot. The main thing I now dislike is Christ Chibnills story and how he could of easily of added a couple of lines in his episode to aknowledge

"There is no place for squeamishness in the search for knowledge!"

"The TARDIS is regenerating!"

"You have to remember it's very important. Frankenstein is the name of the monster and not the name of the Doctor."

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of The (Eighth) Doctor adventures, each short trip style adventure features a different companion.

Benny's Story - Bernice Summerfield has traveled with the Doctor before, but she’s never traveled with the Doctor like this before. After a disaster at a mysterious archaeological dig, Bernice and The (Eighth) Doctor start out on another series of adventures and THIS is only the beginning (3/5).

Fitz's Story - This is a fun romp. Entertaining, but as I’m not as familiar with Fitz, I feel like I might not have appreciated it as much as I might have (3/5).

Izzy's Story - Izzy is a super-fan, and she’s determined to use the TARDIS to get her hands on the one issue of her favorite comic series that she never could get her hands on. Not really sure if this more of a parody or an homage to fandom. It feels all very insulting (3/5).

Mary's Story - The (Eighth) Doctor meets Mary Shelley, but she’s never met him before, but he HAS met her before. Or has he? Or has she? On one hand this is great little story, on another it’s kind of a mess. On a third hand the episode featuring The (Thirteenth) Doctor, completely contradicts this story (let’s blame that on the Time War and leave it at that). What I don’t like about this one is that it rather gives the author a lot of the nuggets for the basis of the book Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus and thus deluges Ms. Shelley’s creativity (this is what I don’t like when they have The Doctor meddle with historical figures). Still, that’s the fault of the author, not the actors and it is well performed and very entertaining (3/5).

This anthology actually works wonderfully as a sampler for the Eighth Doctor Adventures from Big Finish. Also, this release includes a chapter from the on going story The Three Companions. Update: I’ve since learned that this short, is another chapter of a serial featuring Polly, the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster that ran month-by-month for about a year, threading through the Doctor Who Monthly range.

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 52 Book Challenge - Summer Road Trip Mini Challenge - Snacks - 2) Light And Sweet Theme

This was a collection of four short stories with the Eighth Doctor and friends. I haven't read or listened yet to any other adventures with any of friends in these stories, so it was like being introduced to them all, and they were all pretty decent.

Probably my least favourite of the four was Izzy's Story, and this is a really stupid reason why, but the voice actress for her sounded like Jackie Tyler, and I kept getting really confused.

Probably my most favourite of the four was Mary's Story, and I just liked the setting, the plot and Mary was well written and characterized, and makes me excited to try the other stories with her as a companion.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. A nice coda to the Charley saga and a nice introduction to companions that are in otherwise inaccessible media (good luck getting any of the New Adventures books or Doctor Who Magazine comics at an affordable price these days).

A nice snapshot of the different facets of the Eigth Doctor and the originality of his various companions. Some nice wee references to adventures that have come before and the final story that ends on a literary reference make this a great series of adventures. I hope there will be more adventures with Izzy in the future!

[Morg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully stupid! It's actually quite a fun format, having these shorter stories- enough to get in, do the plot, and get out. Fitz's story was very funny in particular, and I was surprised at just how fleshed out all the characters in Mary's story turned out to be. None of the stories are groundbreaking, but they don't need to be. Very enjoyable through and through.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS – BENNY'S STORY” (Main Range 123a)

Scritto da LANCE PARKIN.
Con PAUL McGANN, LISA BOWERMAN, RICHARD EARL e SU DOUGLAS.

Nelle profondità delle miniere di Epsilon Minima, la professoressa Bernice Summerfield ci è dentro fino al collo – come al solito. La contessa Venhella l'ha assunta per recuperare un perduto artefatto dei Signori del Tempo: una chiave del TARDIS. Indovinate di chi?

The Company of Friends è un'antologia che racchiude quattro storie in cui l'Ottavo Dottore incontra companion che non si erano mai visti con lui in audio prima di allora.
La prima non poteva che essere Bernice Summerfield, che fino a quel momento aveva incontrato Otto solo nel libro The Dying Days, ultimo delle Virgin New Adventures ad includere il Dottore, scritto sempre dallo stesso Parkin.
Nella narrazione, Benny accenna a quegli eventi e a quello che le è successo in seguito (qui pare sia ambientato dopo Death and the Daleks), giusto per dare un po' di contesto a chi non la conoscesse.
In poco più di mezz'ora si sviluppa una storia divertente e accattivante, con tanto di paradossi temporali, pur restando semplice nella trama. Ebbene sì, il Dottore non può neanche perdere una chiave senza che questo si trasformi in un'avventura!
Sentire Benny e Otto insieme è fantastico, dato che i due hanno una chimica pazzesca. In audio, oltre a questo episodio, i due si incontreranno nuovamente soltanto in Legacy of Time, quindi spero vivamente che in futuro decidano di fare altre storie con loro.



L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS – FITZ'S STORY” (Main Range 123b)

Scritto da STEPHEN COLE.
Con PAUL McGANN, MATT DI ANGELO, FENELLA WOOLGAR, PAUL THORNLEY, RICHARD EARL e SU DOUGLAS.

Sul pianeta Entusso, il Dottore e Fitz Kreiner indagano sulla società Alien Defence Incorporated – il vostro sportello unico per la protezione contro le invasioni aliene! Ma qual è la più grande minaccia: le orribili Regine Vermin o l'ADI stessa?

Fitz Kreiner è un companion che è stato a fianco del Dottore per la maggior parte delle Eighth Doctor Adventures, i libri pubblicati dalla BBC dopo che la Virgin aveva perso i diritti. Questa serie è forse perfino più lunga e articolata delle VNA, e io ancora non ne ho letto neanche uno, perciò il personaggio mi è del tutto nuovo.
Fitz è apparso in ben 50 libri su 73, quindi chiaramente la breve introduzione che fa di sé non è neanche lontanamente esaustiva. Si evince che sta viaggiando con il Dottore da un bel po' di tempo e che con loro c'è anche una ragazza di nome Anji che rimane off-screen.
Lasciando da parte eventuali riferimenti che ancora non posso cogliere, la storia è molto leggera e divertente. Una compagnia che protegge dalle minacce aliene ha utilizzato l'immagine del Dottore (molto famoso su quel pianeta, avendolo salvato già diverse volte) per farsi pubblicità, e quindi chiaramente lui e Fitz vanno ad indagare sull'effettiva onestà della cosa.
Questa è tutt'ora l'unica apparizione audio di Fitz, e in soli 30 minuti è difficile giudicarlo (così a pelle mi è sembrato gioviale e dal flirt facile, e molto legato al Dottore). Comunque lo riascolterò quando avrò letto i libri.




L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS – IZZY'S STORY” (Main Range 123c)

Scritto da ALAN BARNES.
Con PAUL McGANN, JEMINA ROOPER, ANTHONY GLENNON, ROBERT FORKNAIL, KATRINA COOKE, IAN HALLARD, TEDDY KEMPER e STEVE HANSELL.

I viaggi nel TARDIS fanno aprire gli occhi su un universo di possibilità, così pensa il Dottore. Per Izzy, ragazza geek, è anche un modo fantastico per rintracciare una copia ultra-rara di “Aggrotron!”, il più pericoloso fumetto della storia...

È una furbata dare ad Izzy Sinclair, companion di Otto nei fumetti del Doctor Who Magazine dal 1996 al 2003, una storia interamente incentrata proprio sui fumetti. Purtroppo, anche in questo caso non ho alcuna conoscenza del personaggio, quindi si tratta di una prima impressione.
La storia si apre, dopo la consueta introduzione che spiega poco del personaggio, con una scena dal fumetto che Izzy stessa sta leggendo, molto caricaturale e sopra le righe. In seguito, Izzy trascina il Dottore a cercare l'introvabile ultimo numero della serie, scoprendo in seguito che degli alieni per qualche motivo stanno cercando e distruggendo tutte le copie.
Peccato che il tono sopra le righe continui per tutta la narrazione, e tutti i personaggi sembrino fasulli. Perfino Izzy mi è parsa eccessiva (e in alcuni tratti fastidiosa), e purtroppo non mi ha fatto provare molta simpatia per lei. Pure la spiegazione degli eventi mi è sembrata un po' campata in aria.
Anche se è un ascolto divertente, devo dire che è il più debole dei quattro.





L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS – MARY'S STORY” (Main Range 123d)

Scritto da JONATHAN MORRIS.
Con PAUL McGANN, JULIE COX, ANTHONY GLENNON, ROBERT FORKNALL, IAN HALLARD e KATRINA COOKE.

Svizzera, 1816: alla Villa Diodati, gli ospiti di Lord Byron si raccontano a vicenda dei racconti da far gelare il sangue e palpitare il cuore. Con un mostro che si aggira all'esterno, la giovane Mary Shelley non è a corto di ispirazione.
-----

Questo episodio è molto diverso dagli altri per due fattori. Il primo è che qui non si tratta di un companion che è apparso precedentemente in altri media, bensì di Mary Shelley della quale, fin dal primo audio dell'Ottavo Dottore Storm Warning, si è fatta menzione più volte senza che sia mai apparsa. Il secondo fattore è che, se le prime tre storie sono divertenti, questa è decisamente horror, a rispecchiare lo stile degli scrittori di Villa Diodati.
La storia inizia con gli ospiti, i quali si stanno scambiando racconti del terrore, che vanno ad aprire alla porta ritrovandosi di fronte un Dottore sfigurato e in punto di morte che afferma di essere Frankenstein. Molto di quello che seguirà sarà di ispirazione a Mary per il suo romanzo, ma con molto più timey wimey. Il fatto è che il Dottore non incontra Mary nel giusto ordine, e possiamo in realtà vedere l'Ottavo provenire da due punti molto distanti della sua timeline.

I riferimenti esterni sono tantissimi: dal Dottore che menziona vecchi e futuri companions provenienti da tutti i media, alle indicazioni rispetto alle quali si capisce in quali periodi delle sue timeline personali si trovi il Dottore, alle future avventure che avrà con Mary stessa e che qui non sono ancora avvenute (e neanche erano ancora previste).
A pensarci, è anche divertente il collegamento con la rigenerazione dell'Ottavo nel film, la famosa scena in cui si risveglia all'obitorio proprio mentre sta andando in onda Frankenstein.

E se vi chiedete come fa questa storia a coesistere con l'episodio The Haunting of Villa Diodati, la mia opinione personale è questa: entrambe le storie sono canon. Il fatto che alcuni punti restino fermi mentre altri cambiano ritengo sia l'essenza stessa di Doctor Who. Per qualche motivo, l'Ottavo Dottore e Mary si sono incontrati qui per la prima volta, e il Tredicesimo Dottore e Mary si sono incontrati sempre per la prima volta quella stessa sera, ma in maniera diversa, nella serie tv. Nessuna delle due storie sminuisce l'altra.
E questa antologia sembra voler dimostrare proprio questo, che nonostante i vari media possano avere delle incongruenze tra loro, sono tutti ugualmente veritieri.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been hoping for some time that Big Finish would do an 8th Doctor release in their four 30-minute story format. The Company of Friends is that release and it doesn't disappoint.

The story featuring Benny features some lovely banter between the two leads. Fitz's story is wonderfully loopy, and I think the actor does a wonderful job bringing the character to life. Izzy's story is an oddly self-referential spoof of comic book tropes. And Mary Shelley's story is wonderfully creepy and features some pretty mind-bending temporal shenanigans.

I'd be delighted to see just about any of these companions return for a full-length release with the 8th Doctor. Fitz and Mary Shelley, in particular, deserve second outings on audio.

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun.

ETA: And just as much so on the second listen through.

[Reggie A · Rating 4 out of 5]

EIGHT GETS TO BE GOOFY? SIGN ME UP

Enamored with this anthology and the fun everyone involved seemed to be having behind the scenes. I just love it when the Eighth Doctor gets to be a little silly and this set of stories understands that so much.

Benny’s: this was my introduction to Benny as a character and I was delighted by her. As a fellow archeologist, her comment on not taking proper measurements made me laugh because in my head I was thinking ‘girl. girl your measurements! your elevations!!’ before she said that. The villain’s motive really hit for me I thought it was hilarious.

Fitz’s: oh this one was my favorite, weird (brief)sexual harassment joke(?)(take your hand off my leg) aside. I loved the format, I love how stressed out and weird the Doctor sounded, I thought Fitz hamming it up was great. The Doctor sounding more stressed about identity fraud than the Daleks in some episodes was so deeply funny.

Izzy’s: This one was weaker for me but it was also so deeply real. I too would go back in time for a lost comic book, and the situational comedy in this story was really good. The conclusion got me good and was exactly the right kind of joke to hit Doctor Who fans with.

Mary’s: the story I listened to this episode for. While it didn’t grip me the way I hoped it would, I can’t deny its effectiveness in an anthology dominated by comedies. This thing managed to be complex, have a decently sized cast, and remain engaging which is no small feat. I can absolutely see why they brought Mary back, she was amazing

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four short stories about four of the 8th Doctor's companions. I bought this one for the last story in this set, but I listened to them all.

1) Benny's Story: I met Benny (Bernice Summerfield) via the old novels back when I was in college, when she was found by the 7th Doctor and travelled with him (the 7th was the current Doctor at the time - Doctor Who was cancelled, but the movie that introduced the 8th was still a few years away). It was interesting that she comes back here and meets the 8th Doctor. She and a fellow archeologist are digging and she finds a TARDIS key - and the Doctor shows up. Not a bad little story.

2) Fitz's Story: Fitz Kreiner and the Doctor investigate ADI (Alien Defense Incorporated) and have to figure out if alien invaders or the defense against the aliens is the worse enemy. Didn't care for this story so much. It was okay, just a little too weird.

3) Izzy's Story: Izzy Sinclair gets the Doctor to go back in time so she can collect a rare comic book (something I would definitely use a time machine for, by the way. Not so much comics, but books) and gets embroiled in an alien conspiracy. This was quite fun.

4) Mary's Story: The Doctor meets Mary Shelley and convinces her to come along as his companion! THIS is the story I wanted the collection for - and I really, really hate that Chris Chibnall negated this with his 13th Doctor story - it would have been so easy to have made this canon with a line or two of dialogue.

[Viola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of shorts featuring the 8th Doctor and various companions.

Benny's story
The banter between Benny and any Doctor is always entertaining to listen to. It's the highlight of this story, the plot is fine but nothing special. There's an interesting element with the antagonist but the entire thing lacked context, as if it was following up from another story.

Fitz's story
The idea of a company using the Doctor's likeness to promote their alien protection services is neat. Shame I don't care about Fitz, never heard of him before and this story didn't endear him to me at all.

Izzy's story.
This was fun. Izzy using time travel to collect a rare issue of a comic is nothing sort of iconic. You can't blame her, it's the final issue including a big reveal. I enjoyed The Doctor's polite, but obvious disapproval of the comic's literary merit and his recommendations from the TARDIS library. The comic's revelation and the reason behind the issues disappearance was certainly interesting, considering the current era and some of the fanbase's behaviour. Izzy was also an unfamiliar companion, and I like her.

Mary's story
I listened to the collection for this one. I stan Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, so even since learning (fictionalized) Mary was a companion of the 8th Doctor, I was curious about their stories together. The characterization was great, and there are some interesting twist and of course, Frankenstein references.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benny’s story

遺跡発掘でターディスの鍵を掘り出しターディス召喚。文献でタイムロードについていろいろ習い知ったらしいヴェンヘラはタイムロードに奴隷されているターディスちゃんを解放してあげたいという使命に燃えている。

ターディスちゃんとぼくの絆を断ち切ろうなんて無理ですけど？な8。ベニース・サーマーフィルドと再会。全部終わって他の星に遊びにいこうかと誘うもベニーは既に家族のある身。速やかにおうちにおくりましたとさ。

ドクターに「全然歳取らないわね」って言って「君は歳とったね」って言い返されるのなにげにひでぇ。

Fitz’s story
エイリアン・ディフェンス・インコーポレーションのCMに勝手に使われてドクター。憤慨してとめにいくが乗り込んだ途端に囚われの身に。

あのFitzが登場するというだけで何やら感無量。そういえば俳優志望だったっけ？ドクターがつかまって“PlanB”でTVに出演してドクターについて語るFitz.ドクターが無事と知った時、再会した時の懐きっぷりがやっぱりFitzだなぁと！また出てきて欲しいなぁ。小説も読まねば！とちょっと気合。CMの8のハマり具合が面白すぎた。

Izzy’s story
“Aggrotoron”というコミックに出てくる“コート・マスター”の正体がついに明かされる回のissueがなぜか入手不可能な幻の本になっていて’コート・マスター“の正体をどうしても知りたいIzzyはドクターを言い含めてターディスでその号の発売日に戻る。

作家も出版社もエイリアンでという流れはいいとしてこコート・マスターの正体が女性と判明した途端のIzzyのリアクションがいまいちよくわからない。彼女の予測と違っていたから怒っていたのなら別にいいんだけれども。Izzyが登場するコミックを読んだことがないのでドクターも引き気味なコミックオタクな女の子というキャラは珍しい感じがした。というかドクターも相当なオタクなくせにー。

Mary’s story

メアリーの家に顔の見分けもつかないほど重傷をおった男が現れ意識を失う。メアリーの夫とその友人たちは瀕死の重傷を負った男が死んだと思い雷の電気を通電させ生き返らせようとする。

この重傷を負った男が未来の8でメアリーと旅したことのあるドクター。メアリーはドクターに見覚えがなく、そこに現行(？)のドクターが現れる。過去8と現行8がかち合うのだけれどなかなか面白かった。現行8がメアリーを旅に誘う。何があってあんな重傷を負ったんだろう。それにしても他のコンパニオンをまたしてる間別のコンパニオンと旅してってそういう時だけターディスきっちり動かせるのねドクター...ってそうでもないか。タイムトラベルの特権って言えばそうだけちょっとズルいなぁ。

[luckey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall nice short stories, it was great to see this lonely Doctor have more companions and see little windows into his life. If I had to rank it, it would be Izzy>Mary>Benny>Fitz. But honestly I enjoyed everybody. Benny is extremely a proto River Song, Fitz is the type of non-chalant schemer this show needs, Izzy is a nerd (pls I lover herrr) and Mary is fucking Mary Shelley ofc she is iconic.
Also her story is an amazing jumping on point for a companion. (and with this if I had a penny everytime the Doctor met Mary Shelly i would have 3 lol)

Overall nothing extremely special, but a fun batch of stroies.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great hearing Benny interact with Eight after hearing her interact with Seven. The two stories about Fitz and Izzy felt gimmicky, but fun. The final story, "Mary's Story," was my favorite. I think that the recent TV episode with Thirteen, "The Haunting of Villa Diodati," might be the better meeting between The Doctor and Mary Shelley, but I did enjoy this one. I thought it was funny when The Doctor said that Frankenstein was the name of the monster, not the name of the Doctor.

[Stephen Higham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of short adventures with Bernice Summerfield (Paul Cornell's time travelling archaeologist predecessor to River Song), lad about town Fitz, Izzy (she lives in Stockbridge I guess so that's nice) and Mary Shelly. Authour of Frankenstein, Mary Shelly. All the stories are fun, with imaginative hooks and unique conceits. Paul McGann (spoilers) gets to play two Eighth Doctors having a chat which is a lot of fun.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the humour in these stories. It was fresh and surprising that suddenly the Big Finish 8th Doctor expanded his horizons to meet characters from the novels and comics. I gather these stories were not 'followed up', but they all seem like fertile seeds that might easily have led to many seasons of good audio shows. But didn't.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A set of fun stories that would be annoyingly silly if they were longer. Their brevity made them agreeably entertaining. The Mary Shelley story was probably the best, but I think I enjoyed Bernice Summerfield's the most.

[Finn Chamberlain-Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

I really had fun with this one. Some stories were weaker than others but I think overall they were all a lot of fun and quite unique. It's really cool of them to use characters from the 8th doctor novels. They should do this more often.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great taster for anyone who is new to the 8th Doctor. This is a showcase with some of 8's exclusive novel and comic companions. This is more of a short trip compilation and I think that's a smart decision. The Fitz story is fine but the rest are great.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this only contained Izzy's Story it would be worth five stars.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed hearing how these companions met the Doctor. Especially Mary Shelley.

[Frank Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

N.B. - There is a very short Second Doctor story told at the end of this.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benny ****
Fitz *****
Izzy **
Mary ****

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were decent and some weren't as good, but it makes it very difficult to rate a grouping like this.

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Company of Friends was the 123rd release in Big Finish's Doctor Who Monthly Adventures (formerly known as the Main Range). This was one of their anthology releases with four one-part stories, each featuring the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) and an expanded media companion.

The first story, Benny's Story, is more akin to a Bernice Summerfield that features the Doctor than a Doctor Who that features Benny. In this, Benny is tasked by a crazy countess to find something in a coal mine. It turns out to be the Doctor's TARDIS key. This was a fun story. The villain is bonkers and McGann and Bowerman work well off each other. If you're a fan of Benny and the Eighth Doctor, then this a fun story that you'll probably enjoy.

The second story is Fitz's Story which sees the Doctor and Fitz Kreiner defeating an alien invasion at an advertizing agency that's using the Doctor's likeness to sell invasion defense services. Fitz was a companion in the BBC Eighth Doctor novels and according to the Tardis Wiki Eighth Doctor Timeline (https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Theory...), this falls approximately between Doctor Who: History 101 and Doctor Who: Camera Obscura. This was a really fun, and funny, story. Unfortunately though, this has been so far, my only experience with Fitz.

The third story, Izzy's story, is probably the weakest of the bunch. Izzy Sinclair was the first companion of the Eighth Doctor's comic run in Doctor Who Magazine. I've had passing experience with her character, but nothing in recent memory. The plot of this one is the Doctor and Izzy tracking down the missing final issue of Izzy's favorite comic series (a Judge Dredd parody). This was better than I remembered, but it still feels more childish than the rest and I'm not a huge fan of the Izzy actress. Still, it's not terrible, just kinda meh.

The final story is Mary's Story and is probably the most important story of the set. It even got a separate release later on. The reason for this is that it sets up a trilogy of stories where Mary Shelley travels with the Eighth Doctor. So with this story, we get a time-ravaged Eighth Doctor (possibly from the Time War) and an early Eighth Doctor who will take Mary as a companion, all on the night Frankenstein was conceived. Thus, the Frankenstein parallels are easily apparent. I personally liked this and the next Mary Shelley story Doctor Who: The Silver Turk better than the Series 12 episode "The Haunting of Villa Diodati", though that might also be because I like the Eighth Doctor more than I do the Thirteenth.

All together, these made for a fun listen even if it quite make the 5-star mark. The individual stories are short and don't outwear their welcome. Plus, this is a great introduction to other media companions in the form of Fitz and Izzy. Benny is great as always, and Mary gives an introduction to to a future trilogy of horrer-esque stories. Well worth it if you're an Eighth Doctor fan like me.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of four stories each featuring the 8th Doctor and a different companion. The twist being that none of the 8th Doc companions previously featured in Big Finish audios are among them.

First up, we have Bernice Summerfield, the 7th Doctor companion from the Virgin Books novels of the early '90s, previously paired with Eight only in the 1997 novel The Dying Days. Benny, of course, has a long history on Big Finish, albeit mostly in her own, Doctor-free stories, so we're right back into familiar territory with Lisa Bowerman's portrayal of the character, even if the dynamic is now a bit different. The story itself is straight-forward, but fun, and Benny comes across as good as ever. 4 stars.

The second story features Fitz Kreiner, from the 8th Doctor novels of the early '00s. The story is written by Michael Collier, who created the character in the 1999 novel The Taint, which makes it all the more surprising that for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, it just doesn't seem to do a good job of portraying Fitz. Perhaps it's the limitations of the 30-minute format, or of audio for bringing out the sort of internal character detail you get in a novel, but this isn't how I imagined him at all. The story is rather limited, too, although there are some good comedy moments that pull it above the truly mediocre. 3 stars.

Jumping ahead, the final story features all-new companion Mary Shelley. Yes, that Mary Shelley. The story is set around the infamous holiday in which came up with the idea for Frankenstein, and is (I think) a bootstrap paradox in which she is partly inspired by things the Doctor already knows about the novel. It is a little confusing, though, and I might have that wrong. Although it's a short story, it manages to fit a fair bit in, and Shelley comes across as a decent character -indeed, she was brought back later on in the series. 4 stars.

But the real triumph is the third story, featuring Izzy Sinclair, from the pages of the 8th Doctor comic strips of the late '90s. Jemima Rooper does a great job of bringing the character alive in a story about geek girl Izzy trying to track down a fabled 'lost issue' of a '70s comic book. Anyone who grew up in Britain reading comics in that era will know exactly what sort of thing this is, and should get plenty of the references to a certain real-life comic book. It's both funny and, in its own way, rather nostalgic. Zarjaz! 5 stars.

We also get the conclusion to Polly's "Three Companions" story, which has been spread out over the last few releases. Which actually works quite well.

Average rating: 4.0 stars.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was awfully nice to hear Benny with the 8th Doctor. They just made a really great team. It was Short but sweet. I must admit I didn't expect Fitz to sound like that. I'd only read one novel with him in but I definitely didn't picture him as a thug. Izzy using the Tardis to get comics was brilliant! I loved all the 2000 AD references and jokes. The only thing I didn't like was them talking about how it was a "boys comic" and had a woman disturbed about a woman character in it. It was a bit too close to saying girls don't read comics, which is silly when the main character is a (queer) girl who loves comics! But it was still fantastic. Likewise the Mary Shelly adventure was very good but seemed to have hints of Mary not being able to come up with the ideas herself and needing someone else to do it for her. I didn't much care for her prudishness or the way Byron and Shelly were portrayed as idiots. But I did LOVE the idea of the Eighth Doctor and Mary together. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of their adventures.

Then the little extra bit at the end with Brig and Polly. My heart skipped a beat when I heard Nick Courtney! And then how lovely to hear Polly again. Anneke was just lovely.

Really enjoyed this one.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benny's Story:
6/10
Verdict: Optional

Benny is a fun character and the dynamic between her and 8 is really fun. Unfortunately, the plot is a bit naff, I enjoyed the scene switching a bit but it didn't really lead anywhere all that exciting for me. The overall plot was a bit messy at points, especially near the end, but it was ok on the whole.

Fitz's Story:
6/10
Verdict: Optional

I enjoy Fitz, but he is grating at points. The comedy doesn't always land, but I had a hearty chuckle. The plot starts off really interesting, but I quickly lost interest about halfway through.

Izzy's Story:
3/10
Verdict: Should Skip

I found Izzy to be really irritating to listen to, especially considering they're a 20 year old who speaks like a pre-schooler. The setting starts off pretty good, but the main plot quickly had me groaning.

Mary's Story:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended

Mary is a pretty entertaining character here, and while she does sink back with the other characters being so loud, she makes a good first impression. I loved the plot here, even when it loses the plot at parts where it wants so hard to replicate Frankenstein. The timey wimeyness of the plot is also something that is great, I love it when multiple of the same doctor get to interact.