The fifth volume of Big Finish’s Classic Doctors, New Monsters series was released earlier this year with four stories that made clever use of their chosen Doctors and monsters.

The boxset begins with The Krillitane Feint, featuring the return of the ever-evolving bat-like creatures introduced in the Series 2 episode, School Reunion. They are pitted against the Second Doctor and his companions, Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Herriot, and it’s a match that works. This era’s base under siege template is utilised, but writer John Dorney uses most of the runtime as a set-up for a clever reveal which makes this a story of quite a different kind.

It starts with the Doctor and his companions finding a high-security military base in the future where humans are conducting research on Krillitanes to learn more about their unique biological abilities. That alone is a great concept which poses some big moral questions, and the characters settle in by initially pretending to be interested in this research from a point of financial gain rather than scientific curiosity.

The healthcare problems of the future are believable and interesting, and the discussions about them act as a great way of masking exposition about the Krillitane. Even at this point in his lives, the Doctor is more than familiar with the species and is able to bring his moral code into play while still maintaining an image of a man with very different motives to his own.

Morals are somewhat put to one side once the Krillitanes escape: chaos ensues and everyone just wants to stay alive. However, this simplification of the drama also sets up the rest of the story and another in this boxset, so no spoilers here at the big reveal — but it makes the listener see the characters in a whole new light. The cast themselves particularly enjoyed playing this one out.

Not only is the reveal and subsequent twist pulled off, but the story is far stronger for it. Without the extra levels of detail and the reward of relistening, the story doesn’t have a push until then, and its inclusion rapidly speeds up the plot as subterfuge and stability unravels.

Story two is The Dying Breed, which has the feel of a Thirteenth Doctor episode; unsurprisingly so given it features the dog-like Lupari from her era. The Fourth Doctor and Leela meet them, and it’s teased at the beginning and end that he can meet the Lupari for the first time more than once since he has forgotten his past and future encounters with them.

The opening scene features Miriam Margolyes as a soothsayer telling stories to some Lupari cubs, and kicks off the world-building around the species’ rather unique home.

Once the core cast of characters are introduced, it’s clear the Lupari have social structures much like those in Europe many centuries ago, even though they have had no prior contact with humanity. This is an issue, since the story basically revolves around the two species encountering each other for the first time and the Lupari are more human-like than the homo sapiens present.

Despite that rather large concept issue, it’s a very well-realised tale by Tim Foley. Tom Baker and Louise Jameson are on top form, as is John Leeson as K9, and while the main members of the Lupari to feature are very simply written, the performances are still strong.

Younger listeners will have their imaginations tickled by The Dying Breed, and adults too, should they listen to it alongside them, so in that sense it’s perfect Saturday night content as Doctor Who has traditionally been. There are also lots of really striking visuals to build in the mind’s eye.

John Leeson probably has the most fun in this one, as K9’s canine-like appearance puts them on a level playing field with the Lupari while the hairless apes they travel with have to work harder to gain the trust and respect of the furry people they meet. K9 even gets the equivalent of drunk, in several scenes of hilarity for the robot dog.

Although early on, it is said the destiny of the Lupari is at stake, the drama really only feels consequential for the Doctor and Leela as untrusted outsiders, and also because of the former’s history (or future) with the race.

There are silly moments, serious moments, and scenes in which everyone’s acting chops are used, so it’s a shame the plot is predictable. A bit like the Thirteenth Doctor era.

The final scene is an epilogue, with the Fourth Doctor revisiting the Lupari later in his life and having a wonderful interaction with Margoyles’ soothsayer once more. It is the choice of TARDIS line-up that helps this story out deliver its plot’s potential.

Next up is The Krillitane Relic, a sequel to the first story of the boxset which deals with the consequences of some of the events that took place in it.

The Seventh Doctor and Ray are rather interestingly chosen to be two of the main characters in this one, particularly since the boxset was released ahead of Past Forward, the brand new boxset from Big Finish that reveals how Ray becomes a companion. The Welsh mechanic was introduced on television in Delta and the Bannerman, and behind the scenes, there were plans for her to travel alongside the Doctor before Sophia Aldred got the gig as Melanie Bush’s replacement by playing Ace.

They feel like a fleshed out combination straight away, not fully familiar with each other’s lives but on strong enough terms to banter with each other and work quickly as a unit.

Having never watched or listened to any story featuring Ray before is no issue, since actor Sara Griffiths quickly manages to make her feel familiar, likeable, and above all Welsh!

The story is set on a spaceship where people in cryogenic sleep are kept, ready to be revived years later, and begins with a job interview involving a recognisable voice as the applicant. There are two returning characters, and it’s not written to indicate too heavily in one direction or the other which one it is.

Once the Doctor and Ray appear, they’re quickly given the standard fare of being locked up and questioned. They then meet a very important individual, at least to the Doctor, and structurally, it is very similar to its prequel as there is moral musing, a guessing game, then an acceleration of the plot once many lives are at stake.

The connective tissue to the earlier story is very well written, and the actor responsible for carrying most of it does an exceptional job, but little more can be said without giving away spoilers.

Eugenics becomes a topic late on, but is introduced then moved on from very quickly rather than given more time as a dramatic beat to be dissected as the Krillitane make themselves known.

Tim Foley makes the tone more cheery again in the fourth story, titled Five Hundred Ways to Leave Your Lover. Its title takes its inspiration from the Paul Simon song, ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’.

The story gets the most out of the Eighth Doctor simply by providing Paul McGann with fresh material to apply himself to, since he usually brings his best performances when it gives him a challenge or something new to do. In this case, it’s a queer romance tale set in a simulated honeymoon suite the Monks (who featured in a trilogy of episodes during Doctor Who Series 10 with the Twelfth Doctor) are trying to control.

Charlie Condou, who recently starred in Series 15 of the show on television, plays the Doctor’s fiancé, Chris, and he spends the first half of the story attempting to split up with him. With each scene, they are in a new location, with the Doctor trying to keep their relationship alive with big romantic gestures (or rather distractions from the Monks) that often end up with the pair in slightly comedic situations.

The Eighth Doctor is always energetic and positive, much like his very first appearance in 1996’s TV Movie, and this feels almost like a Doctor Who Magazine comic strip from that era.

Since this incarnation was the bridge between the classic and new eras of the show, and particularly its attitudes to romance and sexuality, this story kind of pokes fun at the Doctor actually being a very unromantic figure who just happens to know many places, activities, and customs which different races use to impress their significant other.

It would be impossible to fit 500 into a story lasting less than an hour, and it still feels rapid fire even though time is actually given to developing Chris and his anxieties and intentions. He is often used for comic relief, but that’s more set by the genre tropes the story is riffing off, and his annoyance with the Doctor is well-written.

Competing for Chris’ love is Mark, played by Andrew Hayden-Smith. Doctor Who fans will know him from Series 2’s Cyberman stories. He is attractive but unsettling, kind but intimidating, and seeks to hold Chris’ trust (as much as his heart) in a very different way to the Doctor.

The turning point of the story is when… the main characters get naked after touching the sky. This is not a drugs trip, but actually a very well considered story beat. Admittedly, it does little to fool the Monks, but sets up a brilliant ending to the story and is another example of the extreme things that the Doctor has to ask of ordinary people when lives and worlds are at stake.

In the final act, the Doctor becomes more of a side-character, and McGann relishes in the comedic elements he still gets to incorporate as he tries to stop Chris and Mark from being betrothed in his place. He gets to do his own ‘stop the wedding!’, of course, and some DNA sharing is achieved through a quick smooch. Don’t worry, it is all comedy.

Eventually, the Doctor is taken out of the plot entirely, at least as a fully formed character, but it’s another strong bit of writing and the sound effects team at Big Finish does an excellent job in the scene where he exits proceedings.

Overall, it’s a strong boxset that makes clever choices with its usage of the various Doctors and companions, and the performances help elevate areas where the plots are quite thin. The inclusion of Ray and the Lupari in particular give this release more connections to Big Finish’s other 2025 output, with new eras of Doctor Who being explored for the first time.

Classic Doctors, New Monsters Series 5 is available now from Big Finish.