Though the programme had been put on indefinite hiatus in 1989 (and despite the failed revival attempt with the 1996
TV movie), the
BBC still published, as well as gave non-exclusive licenses to other companies to produce
Doctor Who stories through various mediums such as novels and comics.
Big Finish Productions, which mostly consisted of fans who started out recording fan audio plays, were given the license to record some of the
New Adventures, a series of novels from
Virgin Books which had originally been licensed
Doctor Who stories, into audio plays. A number of
Doctor Who spin-off writers formed the group of original writers, including
Gary Russell,
Nicholas Briggs,
Justin Richards and
Mark Gatiss. Future
Doctor Who showrunner
Steven Moffat also joined, but left after it became clear that the license did not extend to the then-incumbent
Eighth Doctor. The still alive actors of the Fourth to Eighth Doctors were approached for the role, but
Tom Baker, the
Fourth Doctor, declined. The releases therefore alternated between the
Fifth,
Sixth and
Seventh Doctors, with the license extended to include the Eighth Doctor in 2001, although his releases generally weren't included in the alternating schedule, instead that years 8th doctor releases would all come out one after the other before then returning to the normal rotation of the other doctors.
Doctor Who was revived in 2005, returning to television, and the next few years saw the introduction of new spin-offs, including
The Eighth Doctor Adventures, and the Eighth Doctor mostly moved away from the
Main Range. Various
companions from the television show returned across the next few years. March 2000 saw the first time a companion originated in Big Finish itself, with the introduction of
Evelyn Smythe, played by
Maggie Stables; October 2000 saw
Lisa Bowerman reprise her role of
Bernice Summerfield from Big Finish's spin-off of the
same name, a character who originated in the Virgin novels; and November 2000 saw the introduction of
Frobisher, who originated in the comics, with
Robert Jezek playing the role. Since then, every televised companion has reprised their role in Big Finish (with the exception of
Jackie Lane's
Dodo Chaplet). Big Finish has been characterised as “augmenting the canon" by utilising "fan experiences and memories of fans" from TV, steeping itself in "fan nostalgia", even using the serial format of the original series and the corresponding theme tunes; it has also been derogatorily referred to as being full of 'fanwank' for emphasising "fan pleasure" through references to continuity, over plot. The releases have also been compared to fanfiction, in the way they try to "correct perceived transgressions", focus on and deepen the characterisation and emotions of characters, and revitalise the earlier dynamics of some villains while also recontexualising their motivations. On a more neutral level, they have been characterised as focusing more on the 'interpersonal' than the 'epic'; that instead of homages, they serve as supplements to the story, improving and emphasising other parts of the plot. Though the BBC has not echoed the sentiment, executive producer
Nicholas Briggs considers the audios to be completely canonical. ==Theme music==