Hornet’s Nest #1: The Stuff of Nightmares
an audio adventure written by Paul Magrs
featuring Tom Baker as the Doctor
and Richard Franklin as Mike Yates

The script of this audio adventure feels like it was written as prime bait with which to hook Tom Baker into reprising the role of Tom Baker. It was released by the BBC and not Big Finish, and it shows – it’s a deeply nostalgic imagining of Tom Baker’s Doctor, with more old-fashioned storytelling techniques than we are used to from the recent audio plays. Indeed, it has a lot in common with the audiobooks released in the 1970′s which also featured the mighty tones of the man himself.

I’m still not sure if I like it or not.

It’s very narrative based, rather than being a full audio play. Most of the story is either narrated by the now-elderly Mike Yakes in his discovery that the Doctor has taken up residence in an old country cottage full of “living” works of taxidermy and alien insects, or the Doctor himself, telling Mike of his adventures. There’s a LOT of the Doctor talking, in a fairly high-minded and artificial way – just like the good old days! Which is just fine for the many people who would happily listen to Tom Baker recite the phone book (he does possess one of England’s best and most interesting voices to listen to) and indeed this story is more interesting than a phone book.

Hmm, that bit didn’t sound awfully complimentary, did it?

I do love Paul Magrs’ deft hand with surrealism – this is the man who created Iris WIldthyme, and who wrote the brilliantly spooky-and-yet-cozy novel Never The Bride (Frankenstein’s monster’s former bride solves mysteries in seaside town). His script and Tom Baker’s gloomy tones suggest a rather stylish marriage between the grim, weary Doctor of his final season, and the joyfully indulgent Victorian gothic era which is generally seen as one of the peaks of Classic Who.

The story itself is a good balance of baroque and grotesque, though I found myself actually – yes – tiring of the sound of Tom Baker’s voice eventually. The narrative style which started out so charmingly with Mike Yates serving as Watson to the Doctor’s Holmes feels like it bogs down, and the whole thing seems a lot longer than its hour and ten minutes.

That really sounds like I didn’t like it.

On the other hand… The Stuff of Nightmares is definitely successful in evoking the feel of 1970′s Doctor Who, and feels very much like a good example of that era. It is indulgent, particularly in its showcase of Tom Baker’s ability to still sound fairly Doctorish, but it will most likely be a pleasurable experience for those Classic Who fans whose love for Tom Baker knows no bounds.

I think on the whole it came down to: too much Tom Baker, not enough Mike Yates. The most interesting parts are the dialogue between the two of them on their first meeting, and I felt far less connected once the Doctor started telling his very lengthy tale of The Story So Far which takes up the rest of the episode. I can see why this story rather than the various pitches Big Finish have attempted over the years was the one to successfully catch Baker’s interest and convince him to bring the Fourth Doctor back. On the whole, though, I prefer my audio plays to have more dialogue and less narrative, and it feels a little like the whole production came down on the side of indulgence simply because they were all so very n awe of Tom Baker.

On the other hand, it’s FREAKING TOM BAKER. Being the Doctor, and doing it well. I do plan to continue listening to the series (I bought the whole set of 5 for my Mum for Christmas last year) and I hope to see it progress beyond two old men telling gothic tales of alien insects by the fireside. If it doesn’t, I will be quite disappointed.

Tags: doctor who, fourth doctor, listening, mike yates, tom baker