The story so far.
Well, if you haven't been listening to Paul Magrs' exclusive second outing for BBC AUDIO then you've missed a real treat. Of course, you could read the reviews of the initial four episodes here or you could, and it's not a much of a risk, download (or buy) them.
DOCTOR WHO - DEMON QUEST series has been gradually building to a superfluous climax in SEPULCHRE and it has. Gloriously thrilling, superbly realised by sound designer, Simon Hunt, and so deviously performed that once the iconic theme tune had reverberated into nothingness that you have to press the "start" button again.
It's like having a McVities JAFFA CAKE; once is never enough. Gorge yourself on it again.
The action leads the TARDIS to an asteroid in a distant part of the universe where the Doctor and Mike Yates plan to rescue the abducted Mrs Wibbsey from the talons of the Demon. Not expecting to materialise in a musty, dust-laden Edwardian-style mansion where the Time Lord's housekeeper is engaged as a subservient "trolley-dolly" serving Battenberg Cake and over-stewed Darjeeling Tea, the Doctor patiently awaits the Demon's summons.
Having laid the bait for the Doctor across time, the Demon, on behalf of this "employer/s", aims to extract what could be described as an ultimate "organic GOOGLE Map" from the Time Lord, distilling his knowledge of the universe in to an "Atlas of All Time".
Will the Doctor succumb to the knowledge extraction chamber at the heart of Sepulchre? Who is the Demon in league with? What significance has answer phone message from an old friend of the Doctor's hold? Will Mike Yates ever get an opportunity to drink alcohol again? Will the wonky wheel on Mrs Wibbsey's "hostess trolley" be oiled and be squeak-free? All but one of these searching questions will be answered in SEPULCHRE.
Magrs' writing is, as you would expect, precise for the Fourth Doctor in the twilight of this time-travelling career; thoughtful (there's a fond reminder of his time with Sarah Jane Smith; "Yes, she was wonderful"), witty, and acutely demonstrative. And Baker duly delivers every line with aplomb.
Oh, and there's a reference to the CLASSIC SERIES story, PYRAMIDS OF MARS too.
Is there mileage in another exclusive audio featuring Tom Baker from BBC AUDIO in 2011?
Certainly, yes.
However, it would be interesting to hear how another writer would develop the "revisitation" to the Fourth Doctor, and to move the action away from the both the security of Nest Cottage (and Mike Yates) and from the "narration" format that has been a part of both this series and 2009's DOCTOR WHO - HORNETS' NEST.
