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{{Infobox Story SMW
{{Infobox Story
|name            = The Scorchies
|image          = Scorchies, The cover.jpg
|image          = Scorchies, The cover.jpg
|series          = [[The Companion Chronicles]]
|range          = The Companion Chronicles
|series in range = Series 7 (CC)
|series number in range = 7
|number in series = 9
|series          = ''[[The Companion Chronicles]]''
|number          = 7.09
|number          = 7.09
|doctor          = Third Doctor
|doctor          =  
|companions     = [[Jo Grant|Jo]]
|companions =  
|featuring      = [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brig]]
|enemy          = [[Scorchie]]s
|enemy          = The [[Scorchie]]s
|setting        = [[England]], the [[1970s]]
|setting        = [[England]], the [[1970s]]
|writer          = [[James Goss]]
|writer          = James Goss
|director        = [[Ken Bentley]]
|director        = [[Ken Bentley]]
|read by        = [[Katy Manning]], [[Melvyn Hayes]]
|read by        =  
|music          = [[Richard Fox]] & [[Lauren Yason]]
|music          = [[Richard Fox]] & [[Lauren Yason]]
|sound          = [[Richard Fox]] & [[Lauren Yason]]
|sound          = [[Richard Fox]] & [[Lauren Yason]]
|cover          = [[Alex Mallinson]]
|publisher      = Big Finish Productions
|publisher      = Big Finish Productions
|release date    = [[March (releases)|March]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]]
|release date    = 7 March 2013
|format          = 1 CD, 2 Parts
|format          = 1 CD<br/>Download
|production code =  
|production code =BFPDWCC65
|isbn            = ISBN 978-1-78178-064-0
|isbn            = ISBN 978-1-78178-064-0 (physical)<br/>ISBN 978-1-78575-850-8 (digital)
|prev  = House of Cards (audio story)
|prev  = House of Cards (audio story)
|next  = The Library of Alexandria (audio story)
|next  = The Library of Alexandria (audio story)
}}'''''The Scorchies''''' was the sixty-fifth release in [[the Companion Chronicles]] audio range. It was the ninth story of season 7. It was written by [[James Goss]] and featured [[Jo Grant]].
|soundcloudtrailer = https://soundcloud.com/big-finish/doctor-who-the-scorchies
|producer = [[David Richardson]]|team = [[Jo Grant]]|featuring = Third Doctor|featuring2 = Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|epcount = 2}}
'''''The Scorchies''''' was the ninth story of the [[Series 7 (CC)|seventh series]] in ''[[The Companion Chronicles]]'' audio range. It was produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was written by [[James Goss]] and featured [[Jo Grant]]. [[Writer's Notes (short story)|An in-universe version]] of the regular writer's notes was printed in the interior booklet of the CD.


== Publisher's summary ==
== Publisher's summary ==
[[Third Doctor|The Doctor]], his companion [[Jo Grant]] and the [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier]] face their strangest case yet — a Saturday night TV show that has been invaded by aliens that look like puppets!
[[Third Doctor|The Doctor]], his companion [[Jo Grant]] and the [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier]] face their strangest case yet — a [[The Scorchies Show|Saturday night TV show]] that has been invaded by [[Scorchie|aliens]] that look like [[puppet]]s!


The Scorchies want to take over the world. They want to kill the Doctor. And they want to perform some outstanding showtunes. Though not necessarily in that order…
The Scorchies want to take over the world. They want to kill the Doctor. And they want to perform some outstanding showtunes. Though not necessarily in that order...


With Jo caught inside ''The Scorchies Show'', can she save the day before the planet [[Earth]] falls victim to the dark side of light entertainment?
With Jo caught inside ''The Scorchies Show'', can she save the day before the planet [[Earth]] falls victim to the dark side of light entertainment?


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
=== Part One ===
=== Part one ===
Jo is within the Scorchies show, and she is told she needs to complete three tasks on the show, tell a story, make a thing, and sing a song. She begins by telling the story of how she came to be on the show. One day the Doctor was working on his TARDIS, when the Scorchies show caught his eye. He tells Jo how he has seen the show before, and how it takes over the entire adult population of a planet, before burning it, the Scorchies then say how this is how they earned their name. The Scorchies then take a break from the story to make Jo begin the second task, to make a thing, with help from Amble the Ugly Doll, they begin to make an anti-Scorchie gun, but Mr Grizzfizzle sees through this and kills Amble. Jo then wants to know what they have done with the Doctor, as he came to investigate but never returned, Mr Grizzfizzle then claims to have killed him.  
Jo is within the Scorchies show, and she is told she needs to complete three tasks on the show: tell a story, make a thing, and sing a song. She begins by telling the story of how she came to be on the show. One day the Doctor was working on his TARDIS, when the Scorchies show caught his eye. He tells Jo how he has seen the show before, and how it takes over the entire adult population of a planet, before burning it, the Scorchies then say how this is how they earned their name. The Scorchies then take a break from the story to make Jo begin the second task, to make a thing, with help from Amble the Ugly Doll, they begin to make an anti-Scorchie gun, but Mr Grizzfizzle sees through this and kills Amble. Jo reveals that she followed the Doctor to the studios when he failed to return. She then wants to know what they have done with him, and is horrified when Mr Grizzfizzle claims in song to have killed him.


=== Part Two ===
=== Part two ===
Proffessor Baffle then tells the story of how the Scorchies came into existance, about how their world was burned by an invader through television, and the inventor of television found a way to transmit the population as an disembodied intelligence to other worlds. The Scorchies then decided to take revenge on the universe until either it was sorry, or everyone was dead. Professor Baffle then goes on to reveal how he did not actually kill the Doctor, and how he only damaged Bessie. The Brigadier then begins an attack on the studios, and Mr Grizzfizzle sends the Magic Mice to deal with the attack. In the meantime, the Scorchies believe that the Doctor has reversed their signal, and force Jo and Professor Baffle to make a device to reverse the polarity back again. Professor Baffle then reveals that he was in fact the inventor of the television back on their home world, and the Scorchies were punishing him by making him watch the terrible things that they were doing. Professor Baffle then activates the device, and the Scorchies begin to disintegrate, Baffle then reveals that the polarity was never reversed in the first place, and that he allowed the Doctor to infiltrate his personality long ago. The reversed signal then kills the Scorchies, the Doctor says that their bodies may be destroyed, but they continue to exist as an intelligence floating around in space.
Professor Baffle then tells the story of how the Scorchies came into existence, about how their world was burned by an invader through television, and the inventor of television found a way to transmit the population as an disembodied intelligence to other worlds. The Scorchies then decided to take revenge on the universe until either it was sorry, or everyone was dead. Professor Baffle then reveals that he was in fact the inventor of the television back on their home world, and the Scorchies were punishing him by making him watch the terrible things that they were doing. The Brigadier then begins an attack on the studios, and Mr Grizzfizzle sends the Magic Mice to deal with the attack. The Scorchies spot the Doctor in amongst the UNIT soldiers-he is alive after all. Suddenly, the Magic Mice are destroyed. The Scorchies believe that the Doctor has reversed their signal, and force Jo and Professor Baffle to make a device to reverse the polarity back again. Professor Baffle then activates the device, and the Scorchies begin to disintegrate, Baffle then reveals that the polarity was never reversed in the first place, and that he allowed the Doctor to infiltrate his personality long ago. The reversed signal then destroys the physical form of the Scorchies. The Doctor concedes that they continue to exist, as an intelligence floating in space.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Jo Grant]]/[[Scorchie|The Scorchies]] - [[Katy Manning]]
* [[Jo Grant]]/The [[Scorchie]]s ([[Cool Cat]], [[Amble the Ugly Doll]], the [[Magic Mice]]) - [[Katy Manning]]
* [[Scorchie|The Scorchies]] - [[Melvyn Hayes]]
* The [[Scorchie]]s ([[Mr Grizzfizzle]] & [[Professor Baffle]]) - [[Melvyn Hayes]]


== References ==
== Crew ==
* The Scorchies include Mr Grizzfizzle, Professor Baffle, Cool Cat, the Magic Mice and Amble the Ugly Dolly.
 
* The Doctor and Jo were watching ''The Scorchies Show'' on the [[BBC]] on the previous [[Saturday]] before going ballroom dancing with [[John Benton|Sgt. John Benton]].
* Cover Art - [[Alex Mallinson]]
* Jo refers to {{wi|Pebble Mill at One}} and {{wi|Space: 1999}}. She did not have a high opinion of the latter series.
* Director - [[Ken Bentley]]
* Executive Producers - Nicholas Briggs and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]
* Music and Sound Design - [[Richard Fox]] and [[Lauren Yason]] @ FoxYason Studios
* Producer - [[David Richardson]]
* Script Editor - [[Jacqueline Rayner]]
* Writer - [[James Goss]]
 
== Worldbuilding ==
* The Doctor and Jo were watching ''[[The Scorchies Show]]'' on the [[BBC]] on the previous [[Saturday]] before going ballroom dancing with [[John Benton|Sgt. John Benton]].
* [[Delia Smith]] appeared in an episode of ''The Scorchies Show'' and baked a [[soufflé]]. Jo particularly enjoyed that episode.
* [[Delia Smith]] appeared in an episode of ''The Scorchies Show'' and baked a [[soufflé]]. Jo particularly enjoyed that episode.
* The Scorchies refer in their songs to many of the Third Doctor's enemies who failed to kill him, including [[Ogrons]], [[Azal]], An [[Ice Lord]], [[Dalek]]s, [[Axon|Axons]],  [[Autons]], {{delgado}} & "even the blasted [[Gell guard|Gell Guards]]"; they also refer to the planets [[Solos]] and [[Metebelis III]] in their songs.
* [[Angela Rippon]] once tried to teach Cool Cat the [[foxtrot]].
* [[Angela Rippon]] once tried to teach Cool Cat the [[foxtrot]].
* [[Bernie Winters]] appeared in an episode of ''The Scorchies Show''.
* The Scorchies refer in their songs to many of the Third Doctor's enemies who failed to kill him, including [[Ogron]]s, [[Azal]], an [[Ice Lord]], [[Dalek]]s, [[Axos|Axons]], [[Auton]]s, {{Delgado}} and "even the blasted [[Gell guard|Gell Guards]]"; they also refer to the planets [[Solos]] and [[Metebelis III]] in their songs.
* Jo remarked that even ''[[Space: 1999]]'' was better than ''The Scorchies Show''.


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
* This audio drama was recorded on [[19 October (production)|19 October]] [[2012]].
* This audio drama was recorded on [[19 October (production)|19 October]] [[2012 (production)|2012]] at [[the Moat Studios]].
* This story is told from Jo Grant's perspective.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor and Jo build a reverse polarity polarity reverser using a wine bottle and several corks. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time Monster (TV story)|The Time Monster]]'')
* The Doctor and Jo build a reverse polarity polarity reverser using a wine bottle and several corks. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time Monster (TV story)|The Time Monster]]'')
* [[Henry Gordon Jago|Jago]] & [[George Litefoot|Litefoot]] encountered the Scorchies at the [[New Regency Theatre]] in the [[1890s]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Wax Princess (audio story)|The Wax Princess]]'', ''[[Encore of the Scorchies (audio story)|Encore of the Scorchies]]'')
* [[Iris Wildthyme]] also encountered the Scorchies in 2015 Margate ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Comeback of the Scorchies (audio story)|Comeback of the Scorchies]]'')


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{Bigfinish|releases/v/the-scorchies-748|The Scorchies}}
{{bigfinish|releases/v/the-scorchies-748|The Scorchies}}
{{CC}}
{{CC}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:Series 7 (CC) audio stories]]
[[Category:Third Doctor audio stories]]
[[Category:Third Doctor audio stories]]
[[Category:2013 audio stories]]
[[Category:2013 audio stories]]
[[Category:Companion Chronicles]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 1970s]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 1970s]]
[[Category:Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart audio stories]]
[[Category:Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart audio stories]]
[[Category:Pseudo-historical stories]]
[[Category:Musical stories]]
[[Category:UNIT audio stories]]
[[Category:Two part audio stories]]

Latest revision as of 22:49, 7 March 2024

RealWorld.png

The Scorchies was the ninth story of the seventh series in The Companion Chronicles audio range. It was produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by James Goss and featured Jo Grant. An in-universe version of the regular writer's notes was printed in the interior booklet of the CD.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor, his companion Jo Grant and the Brigadier face their strangest case yet — a Saturday night TV show that has been invaded by aliens that look like puppets!

The Scorchies want to take over the world. They want to kill the Doctor. And they want to perform some outstanding showtunes. Though not necessarily in that order...

With Jo caught inside The Scorchies Show, can she save the day before the planet Earth falls victim to the dark side of light entertainment?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

Jo is within the Scorchies show, and she is told she needs to complete three tasks on the show: tell a story, make a thing, and sing a song. She begins by telling the story of how she came to be on the show. One day the Doctor was working on his TARDIS, when the Scorchies show caught his eye. He tells Jo how he has seen the show before, and how it takes over the entire adult population of a planet, before burning it, the Scorchies then say how this is how they earned their name. The Scorchies then take a break from the story to make Jo begin the second task, to make a thing, with help from Amble the Ugly Doll, they begin to make an anti-Scorchie gun, but Mr Grizzfizzle sees through this and kills Amble. Jo reveals that she followed the Doctor to the studios when he failed to return. She then wants to know what they have done with him, and is horrified when Mr Grizzfizzle claims in song to have killed him.

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

Professor Baffle then tells the story of how the Scorchies came into existence, about how their world was burned by an invader through television, and the inventor of television found a way to transmit the population as an disembodied intelligence to other worlds. The Scorchies then decided to take revenge on the universe until either it was sorry, or everyone was dead. Professor Baffle then reveals that he was in fact the inventor of the television back on their home world, and the Scorchies were punishing him by making him watch the terrible things that they were doing. The Brigadier then begins an attack on the studios, and Mr Grizzfizzle sends the Magic Mice to deal with the attack. The Scorchies spot the Doctor in amongst the UNIT soldiers-he is alive after all. Suddenly, the Magic Mice are destroyed. The Scorchies believe that the Doctor has reversed their signal, and force Jo and Professor Baffle to make a device to reverse the polarity back again. Professor Baffle then activates the device, and the Scorchies begin to disintegrate, Baffle then reveals that the polarity was never reversed in the first place, and that he allowed the Doctor to infiltrate his personality long ago. The reversed signal then destroys the physical form of the Scorchies. The Doctor concedes that they continue to exist, as an intelligence floating in space.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]