The title may not be snappy but this is something I have been toying with for a while. It’s a quick list of the first fifty Big Finish main range titles and my own views of what are the titles you might want to collect first. Given the news of the new pricing I thought I would produce this to give any newcomers to Big Finish some sense of where they might like to invest first. Don’t forget the prices will never go up so why not bookmark this post and refer back to it whenever you feel like investing?
My definitions are:
- Classic - must have, great stories
- Essential - you need this to follow a story arc, or for some other reason
- Good - the best stories
- Interesting - this has one or more features that make it worth listening to
The first fifty
| Release | Title | Guide | Notes |
| 1 | The Sirens of Time | Essential | Surely you must have the first release?! |
| 2 | Phantasmagoria | Good | The main range quickly finds its feet |
| 3 | Whispers of Terror | Interesting | Already Big Finish show that they are serious. Lisa Bowerman is a star |
| 4 | The Land of the Dead | ||
| 5 | The Fearmonger | Good | A powerful story with Jacqueline Pearce |
| 6 | The Marian Conspiracy | Essential | The first appearance of Evelyn! |
| 7 | The Genocide Machine | Interesting | First Dalek story and part of a mini-arc |
| 8 | Red Dawn | Interesting | Sets out part of the Big Finish Ice Warrior mythos |
| 9 | The Spectre of Lanyon Moor | Good | The Brigadier and Evelyn with a great supporting cast |
| 10 | Winter for the Adept | ||
| 11 | The Apocalypse Element | Good / interesting | Lalla Ward and more of the Dalek mini-arc |
| 12 | The Fires of Vulcan | Interesting | Say hi to Melanie Bush |
| 13 | The Shadow of the Scourge | Interesting | A Benny cross-over story |
| 14 | The Holy Terror | Interesting | One for Frobisher fans |
| 15 | The Mutant Phase | Interesting | A re-worked AudioVisual tale and part of the Dalek mini-arc |
| 16 | Storm Warning | Essential | The Eighth Doctor joins the party and we meet Charley |
| 17 | Sword of Orion | Classic | Cybermen and a wonderful re-telling of an AudioVisual classic |
| 18 | The Stones of Venice | ||
| 19 | Minuet in Hell | Interesting | The Brigadier and a re-work of an AudioVisuals tale |
| 20 | Loups-Garoux | Good | This one lingers long in the memory |
| 21 | Dust Breeding | ||
| 22 | Bloodtide | ||
| 23 | Project: Twilight | Essential | Introducing The Forge and (indirectly) Hex |
| 24 | The Eye of the Scorpion | Interesting | The introduction of Erimem |
| 25 | Colditz | Classic | The introduction of Klein and David Tennant! |
| 26 | Primeval | ||
| 27 | The One Doctor | Interesting / Good | Humorous but not to everyone’s taste |
| 28 | Invaders from Mars | ||
| 29 | The Chimes of Midnight | Classic | A ghost story for the Eighth Doctor and Charley |
| 30 | Seasons of Fear | Good | A New Year’s feast of adventure |
| 31 | Embrace the Darkness | Interesting | An odd but well told story |
| 32 | The Time of the Daleks | Interesting | A Dalek story that doesn’t really work but is part of the mini-arc |
| 33 | Neverland | Essential | A key part of the early Charley arc |
| 34 | Spare Parts | Classic | Beware the Cybermen! |
| 35 | …ish | ||
| 36 | The Rapture | Interesting | Back story for Ace and Tony Blackburn! |
| 37 | The Sandman | Interesting | The dark side of the Sixth Doctor |
| 38 | The Church and the Crown | Good | Fun with Peri in the Paris of Dumas |
| 39 | Bang-Bang-a-Boom! | ||
| 40 | Jubilee | Classic | The Dalek story that went on to TV |
| 41 | Nekromanteia | ||
| 42 | The Dark Flame | ||
| 43 | Doctor Who and the Pirates | Classic | Singing and emotion in a finely wrought piece of genius |
| 44 | Creatures of Beauty | Interesting | An odd tale that plays with the form |
| 45 | Project: Lazarus | Essential | The Forge arc continues |
| 46 | Flip-Flop | Interesting | We meet the Slithergees in this clever tale that can be listened to out of order |
| 47 | Omega | Interesting | Guess who? |
| 48 | Davros | Interesting | And guess who again?! |
| 49 | Master | Interesting | Does what it says in the title! |
| 50 | Zagreus | Classic / Good / Interesting / Mad | Zagreus sits inside your head… |
