Doctor Who: The BBC Radio Episodes Collection contains a wonderful combination of stories whose uniting theme is exactly what the title implies. This collection includes most of the early audio material featuring the Doctor Who characters.

The Paradise of Death is easily a gem of the collection. With a blend of sci-fi elements including alien invasion and virtual reality, it also brings back long disappeared figures like Brigadier Alistaire Gordon Lethbridge Stewart, Sarah Jane Smith, and of course the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee.

This story also sports the societal critique that Doctor Who so often successfully slid into. There are questions about vicarious experience, of course, but also related to imperialism. Indeed given the placement the story has in this collection, and the fact it was written in the tail end of the British Empire’s existence, it deals with questions of self determination as well as the strong tendancy by the villains to blame natives for not assimilating.

Slipback stars Colin Baker, and while not up to the standards of his later Big Finish audio work, easily shows why his Sixth Doctor became a favorite. While not as deep in some ways as The Paradise of Death, it is a marked improvement over the turn Colin Baker spent on television as the character. Nicola Bryant also plays her part quite well, showing once again shows how she ended up so frequently used for audio material, and the writing of Eric Saward is some of his best. There is an artificial intelligence in the story that, while occasionally a bit too chipper, touches on the differences in mindset a programmable individual might have. While hardly a perfect example of Doctor Who, this one doesn’t deserve the mixed reputation it has  among certain segments of the fanbase.

Exploration Earth is a quick jump in with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. It’s not as in depth as the others, largely due to the fact it was part of a non Doctor Who series of school related radio drama. It is thus somewhat shorter than a single episode of the television version, and also pushes the educational aspects that were toyed with when the series started.

Extras large and small include not only more with some of the featured actors, but other returning characters and performers. There are also a number of behind-the-scenes features, short pieces and interviews largely about returning the characters in an audio format.

There are stories in this collection from three of the actors who played The Doctor on television. This creates a wide variety of production and story style, that might alienate some listeners. One can easily find something to enjoy if they like the franchise, and one interested in the audio medium will likely find so much interesting material.

(BBC Physical Audio, 2022)