Trail of the White Worm (audio story)

Trail of the White Worm (audio story)

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Trail of the White Worm
Doctor:	[[doctor::Fourth Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Leela
Main enemy:	The Master
Main setting:	Derbyshire, 1976
Key crew
Publisher:	[[publisher::Big Finish Productions]]
Writer:	Alan Barnes
Director:	Nicholas Briggs
Release details
Release number:	1.05
Release date:	May 2012
Format:	1 CD - 1 part
Production code:	4S/E
ISBN:	ISBN 978-1-84435-616-4
The Fourth Doctor Adventures
← Previous	Energy of the Daleks
Next →	The Oseidon Adventure

Trail of the White Worm was the fifth story in the first series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures.

Synopsis

The legend dates back to Roman times, at least: a great White Worm, as wide as a man, slithers out of the rocks of the Dark Peak Gap to take animals, sometimes even children, for its food.

When the Doctor and Leela arrive in the wilds of Derbyshire, only to get caught up in the hunt for a missing girl, they soon discover that the legend of the Worm is very much alive – even now, in 1979.

Worse still, it seems that the Doctor isn't the only renegade Time Lord on the trail of this deadly and mysterious Worm…

Plot

Part 1

The Doctor and Leela arrive to their destination to meet a curious sight. Tracks lead into the forest, that appears to be made by some kind of long slithering-beast. Leela steps in mucus, which she realizes is from the large beast, which the Doctor accidentally steps in as well. Soon enough, men arrive with vicious dogs, which are hunting the scent of the beast now on the Doctor and Leela. They escape into the woods, after the tracks of the beast. The men try to hunt them down in order to interrogate them.

Part 2

to be added

Cast

• The Doctor - Tom Baker
• Leela - Louise Jameson
• The Master - Geoffrey Beevers
• Colonel Spindleton - Michael Cochrane
• Demesne Furze - Rachael Stirling
• Carswell/Mercenary - John Banks
• Julie - Becci Gemmell
• John - Mark Field

References

• James Callaghan is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1976.

Notes

• This is the first Big Finish audio drama to feature the Master since BFA: Master in October 2003.
• Geoffrey Beevers reprises his role as the Master from DW: The Keeper of Traken, BFA: Dust Breeding and BFA: Master.
• This is the first Fourth Doctor story in performed Doctor Who to feature the Master since DW: Logopolis in 1981.
• The Master stays true to form and initially adopts an alias. In this case, it is "Mwalimu," which is Swahili for "teacher" or "master."
• This audio drama was recorded on 18 August 2011.

Continuity

• Leela mentions that she has met Romans. (BFA: The Wrath of the Iceni)
• The Doctor notes that the Master has a slightly less "putrescant" appearance than when they last met on Gallifrey. This can most likely attributed to his own theory that the Master was able convert the energy from the Eye of Harmony and effectively heal himself, albeit partially. (DW: The Deadly Assassin)

Timeline

For the Doctor and Leela

• This story occurs after BFA: Energy of the Daleks
• This story occurs before BFA: The Oseidon Adventure

For the Master

• This story occurs after DW: The Deadly Assassin
• This story occurs before BFA: The Oseidon Adventure

External links

• Official Trail of the White Worm page at bigfinish.com