The Diet of Worms (audio story): Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
(updating next story)
m (Standardising template spacing and order)
 
(117 intermediate revisions by 26 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox Other CDs|
{{title dab away}}
cd name= The Diet of Worms|
{{real world}}
image=[[Image:The Diet of Worms.png|250px]] Cover by [[Adrian Salmon]]|
{{Infobox Story SMW
series= [[Big Finish - Bernice Summerfield Series | Big Finish - Bernice Summerfield Audio Drama]] |
|image                 = The Diet of Worms.jpg
number= 44|
|series                 =''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' audio stories
main character= [[Bernice Summerfield]]|
|story number          = 44
featuring= |  
|range                  = BSSR
enemy= |
|series in range        = Series 9 (BFBS)
year=  |
|series number in range = 9
writer= [[Matthew Sweet]] |
|number in series      = 4
director= [[Lisa Bowerman]] |
|number                = 4
producer= [[David Darlington]]|
|main character         = [[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]]
publisher= [[Big Finish]] |
|featuring             = [[Peter Summerfield|Peter]]
release date= September 2008 |
|enemy                 =  
format= 1 CD |
|setting                = [[The Depository]], [[27th century]]
production code= BFPCD44 |
|writer                = Matthew Sweet
isbn= 978-1-84435-329-3 |
|director               = [[Toby Longworth]]
previous story= [[The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel]] |
|producer              = [[Eddie Robson]]
next story=}}
|music                  = [[David Darlington]]
|sound                  = David Darlington
|cover                  = [[Adrian Salmon]]
|publisher              = Big Finish Productions
|release date           = 31 October 2008
|format                 = 1 CD
|production code       = BFPCD44
|isbn                   = ISBN 978-1-84435-329-3
|prev                  = The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel (audio story)
|next                  = Glory Days (audio story)
|series2                = ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]''
|prev2                  = The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel (audio story)
|next2                  = The Vampire Curse
|epcount                = 1
}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the forty-fourth ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' audio story released by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was the fourth story of the ninth season.


==Publisher's Summary==
== Publisher's summary ==
The Depository is a vast store of the literary remains of Earth’s cultural greats: Charles Darwin, Martin Luther, Wilkie Collins, Barbara Cartland.
[[The Depository]] is a vast store of the literary remains of [[Earth]]'s cultural greats: [[Charles Darwin]], [[Martin Luther]], [[Wilkie Collins]], [[Barbara Cartland]].


Benny’s heard that there’s a job going, and thinks that it might offer just the kind of stable environment that her son requires. It has friendly bars, a reliable atmosphere shield, a fantastic patisserie run by a robot called Mrs Tishpishti - and no history of alien invasion.
[[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]]'s heard that there's a job going, and thinks that it might offer just the kind of stable environment that her [[Peter Summerfield|son]] requires. It has friendly bars, a reliable atmosphere shield, a fantastic patisserie run by a robot called [[Tishpishti|Mrs Tishpishti]] — and no history of [[alien invasion]].


But you know where you are with an alien invasion. Or you do, at least, if you’re Bernice Summerfield. And even she has never encountered a monster whose main objective is to tell her that she doesn’t look very good in trousers.
But you know where you are with an alien invasion. Or you do, at least, if you're Bernice Summerfield. And even she has never encountered a monster whose main objective is to tell her that she doesn't look very good in trousers.


== Plot ==
[[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]] arrives at [[the Depository]] for a job interview, but [[Myrtle Bunnage|Mrs Bunnage]] informs her that the post she applied for has been abolished due to cuts and gives her a compensatory [[voucher]] for a [[coffee]] and a [[pastry]] at [[the Buttery]], a [[café]] where [[Peter Summerfield|Peter]] is being looked after by the [[robot]] [[baker]] [[Tishpishti|Mrs Tishpishti]]. The café is briefly visited by [[Panthea Vyne]] before she heads to the Depository to read ''[[Beauty or Brains]]'' by [[Barbara Cartland]], previously thought lost after the [[Dalek Wars]], into a [[dictaphone]]. As she does so, she hears a [[voice]] which continues reading for her and which seems to come from a creature which chews its way out of a [[box]] before she can find it.


==Cast & Characters==
Panthea tells Benny and Mrs Tishpishti about what happened and plays them her recording, getting the reluctant Benny to agree to help by pointing out how it could help her get a job. Unbeknownst to them, Mrs Bunnage and [[Examiner (The Diet of Worms)|Examiner Quick]] are looking into the destruction of various [[book]]s and documents at the Depository. Benny and Panthea find and chase a [[bookworm]] in the upper [[reading room]], but are kicked out of the Depository by robots for being there without a [[ticket]] before they can capture it and discover why it speaks in random quotations. This leaves them separated from Peter, who is read a [[bedtime story]] by Mrs Tishpishti.
*[[Bernice Summerfield]] - [[Lisa Bowerman]]
*[[Peter Summerfield]] - [[Thomas Grant]]
*[[Panthea Vyse]] - [[Catherine Harvey]]
*[[Myrtle Bunnage]] / [[Mrs Tishpishti]] / Robots - [[Beth Chalmers]]
*Examiner - [[Matthew Sweet]]
*Robots - [[Ralf Collie]]


==References==
Looking at what seem to be the shredded remains of ''Beauty or Brains'', Panthea spills [[Lambrusco]] as she refills Benny's [[glass]] and the shreds react to it. They return to the Buttery in the morning and find that Mrs Tishpishti has captured two bookworms, one of which asks to be called [[Barbara (The Diet of Worms)|Barbara]] and can recite Cartland's ''[[Etiquette for Love and Romance]]''. Benny realises that the bookworms are eating and absorbing manuscripts and Peter gives [[Bernice Summerfield's diaries|her diary]] to one of them, embarrassing her with private information but giving the bookworm the right vocabulary to answer their questions. When it is unable to give an answer, they write down words on paper for it to eat and use, but they are unable to learn much from it.
''to be added''


==Notes==
Whilst Benny and Panthea head into the reading rooms with the Benny bookworm, Peter and Mrs Tishpishti try to smuggle Barbara into Mrs Bunnage's [[study]] in a [[birthday cake]] to stop her and the Examiner, but they find that it has disappeared and are kicked out. The bookworm [[Charles Darwin (The Diet of Worms)|Charles Darwin]] informs Benny that his partner, [[Martin Luther (The Diet of Worms)|Martin Luther]], is soon to give birth and that the entire Depository will be devoured by his young within half an hour. Benny, Panthea and the bookworms are sealed inside as Mrs Bunnage and the Examiner begin the fumigation, unaware of the two [[human]]s' presence there.
''to be added''


==Continuity==
Barbara, having devoured Mrs Bunnage's correspondence, exposes Mrs Bunnage as the one responsible for ordering and setting loose the bookworms to ensure increased funding for the Depository, unaware that they would be changed by eating [[alien]] [[paper]]. Peter gets into the study with Mrs Tishpishti's help and tries to stop the fumigation, but the process is automatic and Mrs Bunnage's only consolation is to allow Peter to speak to Benny over the [[intercom]]. Panthea remembers the alien paper reacting to the Lambrusco and she and Benny tell the others about it, leading them to blow up the pipe releasing the gas. To protect the bookworms and keep the [[egg]]s from spreading, Panthea swallows them.
''to be added''


==Timeline==
Mrs Bunnage is dismissed as [[Bibliotaph]] of the Depository and Mrs Tishpishti suggests that Panthea succeed her, with Benny declining on account of Peter's wishes and having had enough of the place. Benny receives a [[data-pod]] which, after confirming her identity, tells her that it contains a message from [[Bev Tarrant]]. Peter remarks that this means that the fun is over.
* The Diet of Worms occurs after: [[The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel]]
* The Diet of Worms Damsel occurs before: [[Glory Days]]


==External Links==
== Cast ==
* [http://www.bigfinish.com/93-Bernice-Summerfield-The-Adventure-of-the-Diogenes-Damsel Big Finish '''The Diet of Worms''' page]
* [[Bernice Summerfield]] - [[Lisa Bowerman]]
* [[Peter Summerfield]] - [[Thomas Grant]]
* [[Panthea Vyne]] - [[Catherine Harvey]]
* [[Myrtle Bunnage]] / [[Tishpishti|Mrs Tishpishti]] / Robots - [[Beth Chalmers]]
* [[Examiner (The Diet of Worms)|Examiner]] - [[Matthew Sweet]]
* Robots - [[Ralf Collie]]


== Worldbuilding ==
* Benny is in possession of several unpublished ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'' stories, including ''[[The Cautionary Disappearance of Ludwig Cooray]]'' and ''[[The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel]]''.
* Peter bakes [[meringue]]s.
* Panthea reads ''[[Beauty or Brains]]'' by [[Barbara Cartland]]. Its plot begins with the arrival of the [[Marquis of Sherwood]] at the [[Gaiety Theatre]].
* Cartland also wrote:
** ''[[A Hazard of Hearts]]''
** ''[[A Kiss of Silk]]''
** ''[[A Halo for the Devil]]''
** ''[[A Miracle in Mexico]]''
** ''[[Love at the Helm]]''
** ''[[Love at First Sight]]''
** ''[[Love at the Ritz]]''
** ''[[Love Climbs In]]''
** ''[[Love and the Loathsome Leopard]]''
** ''[[A Virgin in Mayfair]]''
** ''[[A Virgin in Paris]]''
** ''[[The Peaks of Ecstacy]]''
** ''[[Punishment of a Vixen]]''
** ''[[The Lady and the Highwayman]]''
** ''[[Punished with Love]]''
** ''[[Flowers for the God of Love]]''
** ''[[Helga in Hiding]]''
** ''[[Diona and Dalmation]]''
** ''[[Ola and the Sea Wolf]]''
** ''[[Etiquette for Love and Romance]]''
* Panthea uses a [[dictaphone]].
* Mrs Bunnage is the [[Bibliotaph]].
* Mrs Tishpishti gives Panthea a [[baklava]].
* [[Hecate Hussain]] is a [[student]] who is always up to pranks.
* [[Martin Luther]] was the father of the [[Protestant Reformation]].
* [[Wilkie Collins]]'s letters have been eaten.
* Mrs Bunnage says that aliens never invade [[Hull]].
* Mrs Tishpishti rhetorically asks Peter if Benny has ever heard of [[shampoo]].
* Benny drinks [[Lambrusco]].
* Mrs Tishpishti makes [[cheese scone]]s.
* Mrs Bunnage offers the Examiner [[toast]].
* Mrs Bunnage drinks [[coffee]].
* [[Myrtle Bunnage's mother|Mrs Bunnage's mother]] is in [[hospital]]. She sent Mrs Bunnage cheap [[champagne]] and a [[birthday card]] signed by her [[nurse]]s.
* Barbara Cartland wrote on paper from [[McZygon of the Strand]] near [[Charing Cross]].


[[Category:2008 audio plays|Diet of Worms]]
== Notes ==
[[Category:Bernice Summerfield audio plays|Diet of Worms]]
* This audio drama was recorded on [[1 June (production)|1 June]] [[2008 (production)|2008]].
* The story's director, [[Toby Longworth]], is known for being one of Big Finish's regular actors.
* This story was originally released on CD on [[31 October (releases)|31 October]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081008221943/http://www.bigfinish.com:80/whatsnew.aspx LATEST AND UPCOMING RELEASES - Archived on 08-10-2010]</ref>
* A download version was released on [[23 May (releases)|23 May]] [[2022 (releases)|2022]].<ref>[https://twitter.com/bigfinish/status/1528664756529373186 Weekly Deal announcement for Bernice Summerfield Series 9-11 available on download]</ref>
 
== Continuity ==
* Benny comes to the depository to deliver some unpublished Sherlock Holmes books. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel (audio story)|The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel]]'')
* Benny's CV includes experience with [[Sea Devil]]s. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Poison Seas (audio story)|The Poison Seas]]'')
* Benny mentions that she has recently encountered [[zombie]]s ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Beyond the Sea (audio story)|Beyond the Sea]]'') and travelled through time. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Adolescence of Time (audio story)|The Adolescence of Time]]'', ''[[The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel (audio story)|The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel]]'')
 
== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}
 
== External links ==
{{bigfinish|releases/v/the-diet-of-worms-87|The Diet of Worms}}
{{dwrefguide|bs_a37.htm|The Diet of Worms}}
{{BFBS}}
{{TitleSort}}
 
[[Category:Bernice Summerfield sources]]
[[Category:Series 9 (BFBS) audio stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 27th century]]
[[Category:One part audio stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:11, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

The Diet of Worms was the forty-fourth Bernice Summerfield audio story released by Big Finish Productions. It was the fourth story of the ninth season.

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

The Depository is a vast store of the literary remains of Earth's cultural greats: Charles Darwin, Martin Luther, Wilkie Collins, Barbara Cartland.

Benny's heard that there's a job going, and thinks that it might offer just the kind of stable environment that her son requires. It has friendly bars, a reliable atmosphere shield, a fantastic patisserie run by a robot called Mrs Tishpishti — and no history of alien invasion.

But you know where you are with an alien invasion. Or you do, at least, if you're Bernice Summerfield. And even she has never encountered a monster whose main objective is to tell her that she doesn't look very good in trousers.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Benny arrives at the Depository for a job interview, but Mrs Bunnage informs her that the post she applied for has been abolished due to cuts and gives her a compensatory voucher for a coffee and a pastry at the Buttery, a café where Peter is being looked after by the robot baker Mrs Tishpishti. The café is briefly visited by Panthea Vyne before she heads to the Depository to read Beauty or Brains by Barbara Cartland, previously thought lost after the Dalek Wars, into a dictaphone. As she does so, she hears a voice which continues reading for her and which seems to come from a creature which chews its way out of a box before she can find it.

Panthea tells Benny and Mrs Tishpishti about what happened and plays them her recording, getting the reluctant Benny to agree to help by pointing out how it could help her get a job. Unbeknownst to them, Mrs Bunnage and Examiner Quick are looking into the destruction of various books and documents at the Depository. Benny and Panthea find and chase a bookworm in the upper reading room, but are kicked out of the Depository by robots for being there without a ticket before they can capture it and discover why it speaks in random quotations. This leaves them separated from Peter, who is read a bedtime story by Mrs Tishpishti.

Looking at what seem to be the shredded remains of Beauty or Brains, Panthea spills Lambrusco as she refills Benny's glass and the shreds react to it. They return to the Buttery in the morning and find that Mrs Tishpishti has captured two bookworms, one of which asks to be called Barbara and can recite Cartland's Etiquette for Love and Romance. Benny realises that the bookworms are eating and absorbing manuscripts and Peter gives her diary to one of them, embarrassing her with private information but giving the bookworm the right vocabulary to answer their questions. When it is unable to give an answer, they write down words on paper for it to eat and use, but they are unable to learn much from it.

Whilst Benny and Panthea head into the reading rooms with the Benny bookworm, Peter and Mrs Tishpishti try to smuggle Barbara into Mrs Bunnage's study in a birthday cake to stop her and the Examiner, but they find that it has disappeared and are kicked out. The bookworm Charles Darwin informs Benny that his partner, Martin Luther, is soon to give birth and that the entire Depository will be devoured by his young within half an hour. Benny, Panthea and the bookworms are sealed inside as Mrs Bunnage and the Examiner begin the fumigation, unaware of the two humans' presence there.

Barbara, having devoured Mrs Bunnage's correspondence, exposes Mrs Bunnage as the one responsible for ordering and setting loose the bookworms to ensure increased funding for the Depository, unaware that they would be changed by eating alien paper. Peter gets into the study with Mrs Tishpishti's help and tries to stop the fumigation, but the process is automatic and Mrs Bunnage's only consolation is to allow Peter to speak to Benny over the intercom. Panthea remembers the alien paper reacting to the Lambrusco and she and Benny tell the others about it, leading them to blow up the pipe releasing the gas. To protect the bookworms and keep the eggs from spreading, Panthea swallows them.

Mrs Bunnage is dismissed as Bibliotaph of the Depository and Mrs Tishpishti suggests that Panthea succeed her, with Benny declining on account of Peter's wishes and having had enough of the place. Benny receives a data-pod which, after confirming her identity, tells her that it contains a message from Bev Tarrant. Peter remarks that this means that the fun is over.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ LATEST AND UPCOMING RELEASES - Archived on 08-10-2010
  2. ↑ Weekly Deal announcement for Bernice Summerfield Series 9-11 available on download

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

v • e
Bernice Summerfield
 
Audio stories
The original series of Bernice Summerfield ran from 1998 to 2013, followed by The New Adventures.
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Series 4
Series 5
Series 6
Series 7
Series 8
Series 9
Series 10
Series 11
Epoch
Road Trip
Legion
New Frontiers
Missing Persons
The New
Adventures
of Bernice
Summerfield
The New Adventures of
Bernice Summerfield
The Triumph of Sutekh
The Unbound Universe
Ruler of the Universe
Buried Memories
Lost in Translation
Blood & Steel
The Eternity Club 1
The Eternity Club 2
The Eternity Club 3
The Story So Far
Volume One
Volume Two
The Christmas
Collection
Special releases
 
Prose
Anthologies
Novels
 
Webcasts
Retrieved from "https://tardis.wiki/w/index.php?title=The_Diet_of_Worms_(audio_story)&oldid=3889841"