David Richardson, is, essentially, the new John Nathan Turner (should I duck?). Producer of Big Finish Doctor Who audio, he came up with an idea of jumping in the TARDIS, returning to the 80s – all tasteless clothes and brilliant music (what?) – and resurrecting some stories which, for the most part, had become legendary. I chased him down a corridor, caught him in a net, and asked him a few questions about these “Lost Stories” – another exciting Big Finish initiative…

Now, these aren’t the full of the “lost” season 23 are they?

We’ve always been careful to say that we’re making the Lost Stories, not Season 23, but even so many people are calling it the latter. Actually, out of the eight productions, three of them were originally intended for Season 23; the rest would have come in earlier or later seasons. But I am approaching it as a ‘proper’ season of Doctor Who, starring Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant, in which each of the stories follows on from the last.

Can you tell us a bit about each adventure in the series? Co-stars, adversaries, etc…?

Sure. The Nightmare Fair is well known, as Graham Williams originally novelized it for Target books. John Ainsworth has done a very faithful adaptation of Graham’s script, and we have David Bailie as the Celestial Toymaker. We thought of all sorts of names, but David came to mind when I was just staring at my bookshelf and saw my DVD of The Robots of Death. He was superb in that, and he brings charisma, playfulness and menace to the Toymaker.
Mission to Magnus is another of the well-known Lost Stories, as Philip Martin also did a novelized version. Nabil Shaban is back as Sil, here allied with the Ice Warriors (played by Nicholas Briggs and James George). It’s an action-packed romp, and it’s an absolute joy to hear Nabil back in the role.
Leviathan was perhaps the least well-known story of this collection. The late Brian Finch had originally written it for the 1984 season, and it got as far as completed rehearsal scripts before it was pulled. His son Brian sent the scans of the script to me, and I thought it was terrific – and packed with surprises. I’ve just received the FX edits and it’s sounding great. I’m very chuffed with this one.
The Hollows of Time is by Christopher H Bidmead, and it finds the Doctor and Peri visiting the village of Hollowdean, where they intend to catch up with an old friend. It’s as complex and imaginative as we’d expect from Chris, and it sees the return of the Tractators – the gravity-controlling monsters from Frontios.
Next up is Paradise 5, which was originally pitched by PJ Hammond to be part of the Trial of a Time Lord season, with the Sixth Doctor and Mel. We’ve tweaked it a little, taking out the trial sequences and replacing Mel with Peri. It’s a cracking tale, expertly adapted by Andy Lane, with an all-star cast – Alex Macqueen (In the Loop) plays Gabriel and James D’Arcy (Master and Commander) is Michael.
I’m just script editing the final three stories. The Space Whale is now ready for studio, and it’s wonderful to see Pat Mills’s extraordinary story finally being recorded. It was pulled from production no less than three times during its TV life – probably because of the enormous special effects demands.
I’m just awaiting the next draft of The Macros from Ingrid Pitt and Tony Rudlin, while Point of Entry is now with Barbara Clegg, awaiting her comments on Marc Platt’s excellent adaptation. It’s been a busy time, but we’re nearly there!

So what were the criteria you used to select which ones you produced? And of course, how easy was it adapting a television script for audio?

The criteria was mainly Sixth Doctor stories, as quite a few scripts fell by the wayside between 1984-1986. And it also gave us the chance to make the series as a cohesive whole, with a running regular cast. The writers have risen to the challenge of making these TV scripts for audio, and myself and director John Ainsworth have been on hand to provide help and advice. It’s surprising, however, how much you can do with just sound effects without the need to have a character describing what they are seeing.

I’m surprised not to see Yellow Fever (And How To Cure It) in there, although obviously Bob (Holmes) is no longer with us… was this never considered?

We did consider it, and investigated the idea, but the bottom line is it doesn’t exist. Not in any useful state that would give us something to work from. We could have gotten somebody to write a story with the Sontarans and the Rani and the Master set in Singapore, but what’d be the point? It wouldn’t have been a ‘Lost Story’ but a new story based on a very loose idea.

Is part of the fun of these the research?

The research was tremendous fun, yes. Actually, the nicest thing was just ringing people up and finding how enthusiastic they were for the project – Colin, Nicola, Philip Martin, Chris Bidmead… all of them were just delighted that these stories would be made at last. As was I. I’m a Doctor Who fan, and I was sorely disappointed back in the ’80s when we heard news about The Nightmare Fair and Mission to Magnus, but then they were never made. Now they’re done. I produced them. I’m rather proud of that.

How close do you stick to the sound of the ’80s? I heard in the podcast you didn’t go for the Radiophonic synth sound…?

We’ve gone for an ’80s feel throughout. That’s been my brief. Only Mission to Magnus is complete so far, but it sounds – in the best possible way – like the soundtrack to a 1980s Doctor Who story. It fills me with a huge, blissful rush of nostalgia every time I listen to it.

Did Colin find the more acerbic ’80s version of his Doctor easy to slip back into, or is it modified to be a little more like the Big Finish version? And of course, Peri is a different character now too, for Nicola…(see our Exclusive Colin Baker Interview for more on this)

It’s probably a halfway house. Perhaps more like the Doctor/Peri relationship was in the Trial of a Time Lord series.

Would you consider maybe doing other ‘lost’ stories – I’m thinking specifically of Sylvester’s scuppered finale season?

If these CDs sell well, then I would dearly love to do more. The lost Sylvester McCoy season would be an obvious contender, but it’s all down to the fans now. If these releases sell in sufficient quantities to pay their way, then there very well could be more.

You mentioned in the podcast that you had to run things past Cardiff – does Upper Boat have much of a say in what you produce and how, or is it simply so you don’t clash monsters, etc?

We just send them our storylines and scripts for approval, just to make sure that another licensee – say one of the novels – isn’t doing something similar. Our relationship with Cardiff is wonderful – they are just so kind and supportive. I’d like to mention Gary Russell here, the Doctor Who script editor who we liaise with. Gary, of course, used to be a producer at Big Finish, and he’s always been so generous and helpful to me personally.

On a personal level, and I asked Nick this too, what would be your ‘ultimate’ adventure to produce?

I don’t really have an ultimate adventure. I just want to work on great productions. Really, the ultimate to me is just the job I’m doing – I love it. It’s the happiest I’ve been in my working life and I have to thank Jason and Nick for bringing me on board, and being such a joy to work with. I get to work on audio Doctor Who, with wonderful actors, great writers, a fantastic engineer and superb directors. I’ve made some dear friends, and travelled far and wide to conventions. One day I’m in studio with the Seventh Doctor and Klein, the next I’m working with Ingrid Pitt and Tony Rudlin on The Macros, and the day after that we’re planning the next run of Paul McGann stories. I love it.

Are there any upcoming stories you are particularly looking forward to?

I have to say I think the upcoming season with the Sixth Doctor and Charley is phenomenal. Patient Zero (read our review of this adventure on Friday -ed) blew me away when I heard it – an epic, vibrantly original and thrilling story written and directed by Nick, and the season finale Blue Forgotten Planet is equally gob-smacking. I’m so pleased to have played even a small part in their production.

Are the Lost Stories taking up all of your time at the moment? What else are you doing?

Well, my main job is producer at Big Finish – which means being responsible for the schedule of everything we do in the company. Actually that’s gotten easier recently, as Paul Spragg (whoever HE is – ed) has joined us part-time, so he runs the audiobooks and I run the full-cast plays. It means keeping an eye on everything, from conception to post production to sale, and that includes all the marketing and advertising too. One essential skill is the ability to look in 27 directions at once!
I also attend all the studio recordings, look after the cast in the green room, record interviews for the CD extras, organize the contracts and paperwork and make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.
We both work closely with Nick Briggs, who is in overall creative charge of BF, and Jason, who runs the company.
I’m also running The Companion Chronicles, which are monthly, plus I’ve just been handed another new project that’s in the very early planning stages. More on that soon.
It’s crazy busy but I thrive on that. I think I’d be bored if it wasn’t busy, to be honest!