Doctor Who: The Scorchies

Writer: James Goss
Director: Ken Bentley
Script Editor: Jacqueline Rayner
Cover Illustration: Alex Mallinson
Music & Sound Design: Richard Fox & Lauren Yason
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Katy Manning
Released March 2013

The Scorchies is a masterpiece. Deliriously fun from the outset, James Goss' story of homicidal glove puppets is one of the standout Doctor Who tales from any medium. The fact that it is brought to life by just two actors, Katy Manning and Melvyn Hayes, with considerable assistance from composers and sound designers Richard Fox and Lauren Yason, only makes it more impressive.

Goss likes to skip to the interesting bits of stories, and The Scorchies is no exception, as we open on Jo Grant being introduced to the latest episode of The Scorchie Show, live in the studio. It's an attention-grabbing opening and quickly sets the tone for the colourful cast of characters that will populate next hour of the listener's life. The most memorable are the loveable Professor Baffle, who Jo ends up spending a lot of the show with, and the Magic Mice, but there's also Cool Cat and ringleader Mr Grizzfizzle. This band of animated puppets have been going from world to world with their television show, burning each planet when they're done, which is how they earned their name. Another feature of many Goss stories is one of the characters having made a mistake long ago that has led to the current situation, and here it's Professor Baffle that is to blame. Manning and Hayes do an excellent job of not only bringing the troupe to life but keeping them all distinct and recognisable.

It's hard to go much further without mentioning the musical contribution to this story. Each of the pair of episodes features two songs, performed in character as part of the narrative, and it's safe to say they fit seamlessly into the unhinged world Goss has created. Cheerful on the surface but deadly on closer examination, they are a pitch-perfect reflection of the murderous puppets. The lyrics, performance and arrangements are flawless; the story would leave much less of an impression without them. A big round of applause for Fox and Yason, whose contribution throughout raises the bar for Big Finish.

Although this features, in a roundabout way, the third Doctor, this is very much Jo Grant's story, fitting given this was released as part of the Companion Chronicles series. The Scorchies takes the technicolor psychedelia of season eight and turns it up to 11, to brilliant effect - and this is from someone who thinks the action thriller-based season seven is the pinnacle of Doctor Who's original run. Small wonder that the Scorchies have since turned up in three other series. It's testament to James Goss' abilities as a writer that he was able to turn out this and The Last Post, another astonishing (but totally different) third Doctor story, in short succession.

In short, The Scorchies is an essential listen for any Doctor Who fan with a sense of humour (narrows it down). This is a much greater, and more exciting, justification for Big Finish acquiring the license to produce Doctor Who audio dramas than seeing how the first Doctor and Susan left Gallifrey or what happened when River Song turned up a bit early for The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The Scorchies expands the Doctor Who universe and is a delightful hour of escapism that I have come back to time and again. A sparkling addition to the embarrassment of riches that are the Companion Chronicles.