My blog: https://comparestorereviewsdw.wordpress.com/
Big Finish's longest running (mega) arc is the arc featuring the 6th and 7th Doctors, and their Big Finish original companions Evelyn and Hex. This post will give quick thoughts on the first chunk of stories with 6 and Evelyn as I listened to them a long time ago.
One of the biggest things that Big Finish is known for (especially in its early years), was taking doctors or companions who didn't get the chance to shine on tv, and giving them some really juicy material to work with. Chief among them is the 6th doctor, brash, arrogant, and with an eye-melting multicoloured coat, Colin Baker's incarnation of the Doctor was not received very well and was not fully explored (not least because he was unceremoniously fired after his second season). So Big Finish took the 6th Doctor and gave him an original companion to help rein back his more troublesome qualities and expand on his character.
6. The Marian Conspiracy by Jacqueline Rayner
The Marian Conspiracy has the first ever Big Finish original companion: Evelyn Smythe! Evelyn is a middle-aged History professor played by the wonderful Maggie Stables (RIP). Evelyn's own history is becoming unraveled, so she and the Doctor travel back to the Tudor period to save Evelyn. The Marian Conspiracy is a really lovely pure historical, and a fantastic first outing for Evelyn, one of my favourite companions.
8/10
9. The Spectre of Lanyon Moor by Nicholas Pegg
It has the Brigadier, so off to a good start. Otherwise, it's a fun pseudo-historical.
8/10
11. The Apocalypse Element by Stephen Cole
I remember enjoying this story, but I also remember literally nothing about it. It has Romana which is cool and I think there was quite a lot of running around.
7/10
22. Bloodtide by Jonathan Morris
Charles Darwin and Silurians. Fun stuff. It gets better as it goes on.
7/10
23. Project: Twilight by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
The first in the 'Project:' trilogy of audios, Project: Twilight is a very dark Doctor Who story (perhaps a bit too much), but it was effective for me and is also essential to Evelyn's arc.
8/10
37. The Sandman by Simon A Forward
A bit controversial, but I enjoyed this one. A cool sci-fi concept and a solid story.
8/10
40. Jubilee by Robert Shearman
Rob Shearman does it again. After the excellent 'The Holy Terror' and 'The Chimes of Midnight', Shearman goes and writes the best Dalek story of all time. Jubilee is just sublime, and one of my favourite Doctor Who stories of all time. This audio does brilliant things with 6 and Evelyn too, essential listening.
10/10
43. Doctor Who and the Pirates by Jacqueline Rayner
And the Pirates is a wonderfully inventive story chock-full of heart, it's hard to dislike this one. And the Pirates uses the tongue-in-cheek recollection of events to tell a truly tragic story, and both aspects are balanced really well. It also has some of the best cliffhangers to grace the show. I felt that the story was let down a bit by its pacing, but it's still a really great story. Another essential listen.
8/10
45. Project: Lazarus by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
"I'll survive Doctor. I always do."
Project: Lazarus is the second part of the 'Project:' trilogy, and also the second part of the experimental story structure trilogy that Big Finish did back in its early days. Project: Lazarus is a story of two halves, one with 6 and Evelyn, and the other with 7 on his own, taking place after the main story, and it should be listened as such. Much like Twilight, Project: Lazarus is disturbing and rather brutal, but I found it to be effective. The ending of the 6 story is also absolutely fantastic, and leads into the climax of the 6/Evelyn era brilliantly.
8/10
57. Arrangements for War by Paul Sutton
Arrangements for War is the climax of 6 and Evelyn's story together so far. After the events of Project: Lazarus, Evelyn is rather upset (understandably so), and the Doctor takes her to Világ for a rest. Then, of course, things happen. Arrangements for War is an utterly gut-wrenching story with a stellar supporting cast and wonderfully realised world. And that ending...incredible.
9/10
So that's the first block of Evelyn stories. Evelyn does go on to have more adventures with the 6th Doctor but I believe they're mostly extraneous apart from a couple. I haven't listened to them yet because of this (apart from one important story) so I won't be going through them. Next is the start of the 7/Ace/Hex stuff!