The Sixth Doctor and Evelyn

This section takes us back close to the beginning of Big Finish history, where Professor Evelyn Smythe became the first proper “Big Finish companion.” She’s a fascinating choice, being both a professor of history and an older woman, rather different than the Doctor’s normal companions. But she’s what the Sixth Doctor needed, because she has plenty of relevant expertise, so he can’t railroad her with his superior knowledge, and having taught students for decades, she’s not willing to put up with the Doctor’s bluster. Maggie Stables is a fantastic actress in her own right, fully able to keep up with Colin Baker and humanize his Doctor. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2014, and Evelyn’s story was closed out, so there are unlikely to be many further stories with her. Unlike most of the Big-Finish-created companions, the stories in this era don’t match up well with their release order, at least, not in this project. Craig Brawley has created an entirely separate Evelyn timeline to explain the logic.