Ok, I did listen to some of the very first Audios that were done staring Sylvester as the professor and Ace as companion.

But for some reason never kept up and now they're all official and what not and about 5,000,000,000 stories to peruse... Ok, I jest at that point but still... there are a lot.

So, where would be a good place to start that does not require too much back knowledge. I don't mind epic stories or a larger arc that span several different adventures.

TV story wise I like:

The Romans, Ark In Space, Logopolis, Terror of the Vervoids, Curse of Fenric, Earthshock, Tomb of the Cybermen, Genesis of the Daleks, Series 5 with Matt Smith, TIP/SP, Midnight, 42 -> FOB

(btw this is not a comprehensive list of classic stories I like just a selection to give those in the know something to work with when helping to recommend something.)

I would strongly recommend: The Chimes of Midnight, Storm Warning, Spare Parts, The Pirates, Master, The Spectre of Lanyon Moor or Night Thoughts.

And I would be prepared to bet that at least one of the next three people to respond will also mention my first recommendation...

I would concur with those recommendations and also add The Holy Terror and The Kingmaker. I like Project Twilight as well.

There isn't a lot of continuity between the stories most of the time, most of them can be enjoyed without knowing what went before.

Well I decided to go with your first suggestion of "The Chimes Of Midnight."

I also stumbled across "Legend Of The Cybermen"

So I will let you know what I think. If it's any good (Which I'm sure it is, I will have a look at some of the other recommendations)

Just as an aside, have either of you listened to the Bernice CDs. I remember years ago listening to the first two, while 'Oh no it isn't' was amusing, I wasn't sure if it was great and I really don't remember it anymore.

Thanks for the suggestions.

The One Doctor - superb!

I have a few of the Benny audios, though nowhere near the whole series. BF's output is quite phenomenal, definitely not good for the bank balance if you're a completist. But I quite like them.

Thought The Holy Terror was absolutely awful - it could have been written by RTD or SM with its cop out ending. I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone waste time on that for such little reward. Didn't think much of Storm Warning either.

I agree, how can anyone possibly invest the time and money in all of BF's output. I do wonder how they make money, surely they can't sell that many of each release. Perhaps their audience is diverse, i.e. some concentrate on Benny, some on Companion Chronicles, some on main range, etc.

However they do it, they do it-they've a very loyal fan base, and it's not all Doctor Who, either. Personally, I wish they'd do some more Strontium Dog stories, i really liked the ones they did...

Well once I've finished with the crap that is 'The Deep' on BBC I'm going to go listen to The Midnight Chime...

I do fear for my bank balance after looking at the website!

I have no idea what Deep was like....but I can assure you, you are in for a lovely treat with Chimes of Midnight!

Legend of the Cybermen is part 3 of a trilogy, and it might be hard to understand without listening to the first 2. City of Spires and Wreck of the Titan, first. Might not, I suppose.

And The Holy Terror is awesome.

Im listening to each Big Finish release in order at the moment and have to say The Holy Terror and Colditz are two of the best ive heard so far.

I think you need to hear Charlie's story in order though instead of starting with Chimes of Midnight, as thats about halfway through the story up to Zagreus

It stands alone pretty well, though. I don't think there's anything in it that would confuse a new listener, and it's a very strong story.

In terms of cost, I think some BF fans stick with a particular Doctor. I really only buy 6th Doctor plays, and occasionally 5th Doctor (such as the current plays with Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa).

I never bother with 7 or 8.

I used to buy anything and everything, but now (due to finances) generally pick up only the main range, and only make a real point of buying McCoy and McGann stuff when it comes out. The rest, I wait to get later when they start turning up second hand.

I suppose so, but they do make massive references to Charlie's original timeline thats broken in Storm Warning. Id say if nothing else that should be listened to before any other 8 and Charlie stories

Well I listened to the Chimes Of Midnight and have to say it was fantastic. Not having listened to Storm Warning did not have a detrimental effect, I think. The atmosphere was excellent and my only complaint, if I was forced to have one, was the ending was a little noise based, which on a radio play when you've no visuals, was a little confusing.

All in all, I'm glad I started with that one and it certainly gave me an idea of what Big Finish can do.

Just on the last "episode" of Legend of the Cybermen. I'm certainly glad I've watched the Mind Robber (one of the first stories I bought on video when I was about 10 or 11), and I don't feel left out not having listened to the first two parts of the trilogy, it appears to be pretty stand alone apart from a few references to the previous story. It's a little more silly and the guy playing Dracula is mot my cup of tea. The cliffhangers have all been excellent, although I figured out the one for part 3 a little before the Doctor, which gave me a sense of smugness.

My first Big Finish was the 5th Doctor's Kingmaker - being a big fan of historical stories and of Richard III, I loved it! I moved on to Loups Garoux, because I love Turlough, and that was great too. Having hated the Sixth Doctor on telly back in the day, I was a bit scared of trying his audios, but a friend eventually persuaded me to try one, and I started with Doctor Who and the Pirates, which is just fabulous. My favourite audios are:
5 - Kingmaker, Loups Garoux, Winter for the Adept
6 - Pirates, Marian Conspiracy (Evelyn's first story, she's awesome), Jubilee (inspiration for Eccleston's Dalek episode), The One Doctor, Spectre of Lanyon Moor
8 - Storm Warning, Minuet in Hell

Can I just say: somehow, I forgot to mention both the 'I, Davros' series and Time of the Daleks, before. I am suitably ashamed, as they are wonderful.

Well I am just about to start listening to Storm Warning and have Spare Parts lined up once I have finished that. Yes, that does just mean I am working my way through all these suggestions...

I had a look at the I, Davros stuff and yes it does look very interesting but I think I will save that for another time.

Oooh, I, Davros is brilliant, especially if you're familiar with I, Claudius.

Well I listened to Storm Warning. Very good story, good ending and a nice introduction to Charley,

However, and this is not a slight, but I could easily have seen Colin Baker doing that role with the same dialogue and what not.

I listened to Spare Parts and have to say it is my least favourite out of the 4. I will commend the fact that I really managed to feel the location. Very enjoyable story but I didn't quite connect with it for some reason. Oh well these things happen. It felt very 5th Doctor story and I couldn't see another Doctor in it. I just wish there had been maybe a different companion. Enjoyed the references to Adric and I very much enjoyed the twist regarding the Cybermen origin. I did think some of the dialogue of the main committee was a little difficult to understand de to their monotone electronic way of speaking.

Not sure which I'm going to try next. Maybe Time of the Daleks, since I've done to cybermen and I have to say, I quite like Charley...

The Cyber voices probably were a little hard to understand, but you can't fault their authenticity: they were based on the ones used in the sixties TV serials, which were also frequently unintelligible...

That is fandom taken to the extreme: we never understood them first time round, so second time round, they made equally sure we wouldn't understand them...