Editing Audio Visuals

{{for|the concept|audio-visual}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{short description|Unlicensed series of Doctor Who audio dramas made by British fans in the 1980s}}
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{{More citations needed|date=November 2013}}
{{notability|date=November 2022}}
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The '''Audio Visuals''' were an unlicensed series of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[radio drama|audio dramas]] made by British fans in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a831517/big-finish-nicholas-briggs-interview/|title=Celebrating Big Finish: How a gang of fans reinvented Doctor Who for a new audience|last=Jeffery|first=Morgan|date=23 June 2017|access-date=14 November 2022|website=Digital Spy}}</ref>
Featuring [[Nicholas Briggs]] as [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]], twenty-eight audio plays were recorded and distributed on [[compact audio cassette|audio cassette]] between 1985 and 1991 (a pilot, in which the Doctor was voiced by Stephen Payne, was recorded at Chris Corney's house in Hamble near Southampton in 1984).

The first three seasons (released 1985-1988) were produced by [[Bill Baggs (producer)|Bill Baggs]], and the fourth and final season (1989–1991) by [[Gary Russell]].

Although the Audio Visuals audios were a violation of [[copyright]], the BBC chose to look the other way.  Gary Russell later told an interviewer,
:"We were fans doing some stuff for a handful of people. We never advertised in professional magazines, we kept ourselves to ourselves. In doing so, we broke every copyright rule in the book (hell, [[Terry Nation]] would have crucified us - although I think our [[Dalek]] stories knocked spots off [[Eric Saward|Saward's]]!) [[John Nathan-Turner|JNT]] was certainly aware of us, but he didn't care. Why should he? We were no more than any other fan product and at least we weren't printing articles about him or the show. I doubt Saward knew or cared. He wouldn't know drama if it bit him."<ref>[http://justyce.org/gary-russell-interview.html Gary Russell talks about the Audio Visuals (Sonic Screwdriver, Victoria, Australia. 1998)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Many of those involved in the Audio Visuals went on to work in more professional, licensed science fiction audio drama, either through [[Bill & Ben Video|BBV]] (founded by Bill Baggs) or through [[Big Finish Productions]] (which in 1999 began producing licensed ''Doctor Who'' audio drama under the guidance of Gary Russell).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.doctorwho.co.uk/faq.htm |title=History of Big Finish Productions |access-date=9 April 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030409072005/http://www.doctorwho.co.uk/faq.htm |archive-date=9 April 2003 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Nicholas Briggs]] has worked for both BBV and Big Finish as an actor and as a writer; he also worked on additional ''Doctor Who''-related/inspired productions for [[Reeltime Pictures]] and, beginning in 2005, provided vocal work for the new ''Doctor Who'' series.

Several Audio Visuals scripts have been remade professionally, either by BBV (with the ''Doctor Who'' elements removed, as part of the video series ''[[The Stranger (video series)|The Stranger]]''), Big Finish (as licensed ''Doctor Who'' audios), or [[Arcbeatle Press]] (as licensed novels).  The [[List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish|Big Finish audios]] which were adapted from Audio Visuals plays are ''[[The Mutant Phase]]'', ''[[Sword of Orion]]'', ''[[Minuet in Hell]]'' and the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' special releases ''[[Last of the Titans]]'' and ''[[Cuddlesome]]''. Arcbeatle Press released an adaptation of ''Requiem'' as part of their ''Doctor Who'' spin-off ''[[Cwej: The Series]]''.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.arcbeatlepress.com/news-and-updates/chris-cwej-returns-with-a-full-adaptation-of-andy-lanes-audio-drama-requiem |title=Requiem Press Release |date=16 April 2024 |access-date=29 April 2024 }}</ref> 

Elements from various Audio Visuals plays also appear in Gary Russell's contributions to the licensed ''Doctor Who'' novel ranges published by [[Virgin New Adventures|Virgin]] and the BBC, most notably in ''Deadfall''. The Nicholas Briggs incarnation of the Doctor has also appeared in the ''DWM'' comic strip both as an unspecified future version, and the form taken by Shayde when posing as the Ninth Doctor.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Audio plays based on Doctor Who| ]]


{{DoctorWho-stub}}