Beyond the Vortex
Beyond the Vortex was a series of audio documentaries broadcast on BBC7. They followed the BBC Radio broadcast of the first and second series of The Eighth Doctor Adventures. The behind-the-scenes programme was essentially the audio equivalent of Doctor Who Confidential, the show which accompanied BBC Wales televised episodes.
A standard episode of the Eighth Doctor Adventures did not completely fill an hour-long programming block. Beyond the Vortex thus filled in the remaining few minutes of the hour. Because the related stories did not have a standard run time and the impetus for Vortex was to offer a complete hour to BBC7, Vortex ran between five and ten minutes. Each episode of the first series was accompanied by its own episode of Vortex, but BBC7 only requested six episodes for the second series, which they broadcast between 19 October and 23 November 2008. Because BBC7 didn't transmit Sisters of the Flame and The Vengeance of Morbius, no Vortex was made for those episodes.
As a production of the BBC – rather than of Big Finish – Vortex did not appear on CD releases of the stories from the New Eighth Doctor Adventures range. However, the Big Finish-made behind-the-scenes interviews that appeared on the CD releases covered much of the same material, and were longer.
The series was produced by Martin Montague, who had commissioned the Eighth Doctor Adventures for BBC7.
Episodes
Series 1
| # | Title | Associated story | Broadcast date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | "Return of the Mac" | Blood of the Daleks, Part 1 | 27 September 2007 | 7:54 |
| 1.2 | "Talk Like a Dalek" | Blood of the Daleks, Part 2 | 28 September 2007 | 8:05 |
| 1.3 | "On the Casting Couch" | Horror of Glam Rock | 1 October 2007 | 8:06 |
| 1.4 | "Myths and Legends" | Immortal Beloved | 2 October 2007 | 7:27 |
| 1.5 | "Who Is Lucie Miller?" | Phobos | 3 October 2007 | 7:21 |
| 1.6 | "Truth and Lies" | No More Lies | 4 October 2007 | 8:08 |
| 1.7 | "Cyber Conversations" | Human Resources, Part 1 | 5 October 2007 | 8:13 |
| 1.8 | "Looking Forward, Looking Back" | Human Resources, Part 2 | 8 October 2007 | 7:51 |
Series 2
| # | Title | Associated story | Broadcast date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | "Look Lively, London" | Dead London | 19 October 2008 | 9:14 |
| 2.2 | "Full Throttle" | Max Warp | 26 October 2008 | 5:29 |
| 2.3 | "Everyday Is Like Sunday" | Brave New Town | 2 November 2008 | 8:01 |
| 2.4 | "Rock Around the Croc" | The Skull of Sobek | 9 November 2008 | 5:30 |
| 2.5 | "Cosmic Capers" | Grand Theft Cosmos | 16 November 2008 | 8:21 |
| 2.6 | "Trevor of the Zygons" | The Zygon Who Fell to Earth | 23 November 2008 | 6:09 |
