Review by Scott Lopes

Check out our review of the live performance of The Stuff of Legend here

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Big Finish have celebrated their 25th anniversary in many ways this year, from Dark Gallifrey to the upcoming Sirens of Time Redux. But without a doubt the best part of the celebration has been the newly released Eighth Doctor and Charley story, The Stuff of Legend, by Robert Valentine.

Being completely honest, it’s very hit or miss with the Eight and Charley stories released after the original series, with many of them feeling out of place or just nostalgia grabs, but The Stuff of Legend continues a recent trend that started most prominently with Audacity and In The Bleak Midwinter where these stories are not only fantastic but feel right out of the original run. 

The Stuff of Legend is a pretty near perfect story in just about every way. The acting is absolutely phenomenal here. Everyone from Paul McGann as the Doctor to India Fisher as Charley is giving a fantastic performance, with a standout being Nisha Nayar as Emily Barnfather. Emily is a new companion-esque character to the Doctor and it really can’t be stressed enough how much she absolutely deserves to show up again in the future. It was also a delight to see Alex Macqueen make his return to Big Finish, as always giving a fantastic performance as the Reborn Master.

Robert Valentine has written a fantastic story, the whole thing feeling very well paced. Everyone has something to do and they really feel important to the story. Its focus on folklore and legends especially was really interesting and it felt pretty in line with what the current TV series is exploring as well.

The best way to describe the story of The Stuff of Legend is fun. It’s just so much fun and it feels like everyone here is has having a really good time with it. In a part of their lives where they’re getting dangerously close to Neverland, it was really nice to see such a fun positive story for Eight and Charley. 

Overall The Stuff of Legend is a fantastic Big Finish celebration that showcases some of their best talent in every field. There aren’t many better ideas for an anniversary than to have the definitive Big Finish Doctor, companion and Master all returning alongside some fantastic original characters to give us one of the most fun audio adventures in years. I’d recommend this to any Eighth Doctor fans or really any Doctor Who fans period, you won’t be disappointed.

The Stuff of Legend is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com