Girl in a Bubble (audio story)

The TARDIS arrives in Hebe's flat but it's not how the Doctor and Mel remember it - and neither is Hebe! In Purity's new timeline, Hebe Harrison lives in a grand penthouse with armed guards and a live-in factotum - Ron! - and if she ever leaves her sanctuary the world will end.

Are these strangers the ones who have been sending her messages? And can this reality be undone without losing Hebe forever?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

The Doctor and Mel learn that Ron is Hebe's bodyguard and butler, looking after her as she believes that it is unsafe for her to ever leave her flat, and are kicked out, but not before the Doctor can give Ron an SOS button for Hebe to use if she needs their help. The TARDIS remains in Hebe's bathroom as the Doctor believes that the ship has a fondness for Hebe and will help her gain the memories of her real self.

In recounting how Patricia came into possession of Vallon's time suit, the Doctor and Mel realise that this timeline is impossible as they would never have met her without Elise, whom Hebe and Ron have no knowledge of. They go to the Tudor Tea Rooms, where they are served bland mush based on their nutritional needs and offered black market condiments by Mick, and research the world and Patricia's laws on a PurePad, coming to realise that Patricia inherited a fortune from her great-grandparents, Patrick and Mary, thanks to the Doctor giving away information on Blair Athol.

Hebe starts remembering Elise and parts of her adventures, including the Sheega, after finding and touching the TARDIS. She also receives the latest of several cryptic poems from somebody who claims to have known her in the past and which she interprets as threats. When she feels the need to return to the TARDIS despite Ron's protests, she remembers the Doctor and calls out for him.

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

The Doctor and Mel return to the flat after Ron presses the SOS button and find that Hebe is remembering her real life thanks to the TARDIS, just as the Doctor had hoped. When she talks about her disability, he realises that the Tudor Tea Rooms, unlike the other establishments, had a wheelchair ramp. Ron learns about his real life and blames himself for Patricia's prejudices because of his relationship with Elise, but the Doctor assures him that he was not responsible and goes with him to Tudor Tea Rooms despite the curfew.

Mel theorises that Patricia has let Hebe live in the flat to ease her conscience and looks at the poems that Hebe has been receiving, deducing that they are a message from Elise trying to stir her memories and point her towards Evelyn. She notices that the envelope smells of spices and contacts Mick, who delivered the poems and helps her realise that the Purity Palace care homes are prisons and that Elise is being held at The Towers. When the authorities arrive, Hebe allows herself to be captured and Mel and Ron go to the Tudor Tea Rooms.

Beryl Tudor tells the Doctor and Ron how the late Evelyn showed her what was wrong with Purity's world and set up the Forty Martyrs, a group which helps people with faked results for physical and IQ tests and smuggles people to safety where necessary. In the morning, the Doctor bribes Fred into letting him, Mel and Ron into The Towers to find Elise, who was brought from the real world by Purity and serves as a connection between the two timelines. Purity has already worked out from Hebe, however, that the Doctor planned to rescue Elise and shoots at her, but Ron takes the shot for her. The Doctor tries to convince her to restore the timeline, but she instead imprisons him, Mel, Hebe and Elise.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Hebe has an eel named Elise which she received on her eighteenth birthday.
Ron considers contacting Purity Patrol.
The Doctor mentions poet Charles Churchill.
The Doctor gives Ron an SOS button for Hebe.
Hebe researches seaweed at the Development and Organisation Centre for Tidal/Ocean Research.
Mel suggests going to the Peacock Café.
Beryl Tudor runs Tudor Tea Rooms.
Beryl asks for the Doctor and Mel's Nutri-Need Dockets.
The Doctor asks for a glass of water.
PurePads are handheld computers.
The Purity Charter provides for three free meals a day.
Mick offers the Doctor and Mel ketchup, mustard and peri-peri.
Mel mentions Mrs Varley, who used to joke about all the old people living in Pease Pottage.
Birth licences are required.
Ron offers to make tea for Hebe.
Purity Palaces are for women who have contributed to society and been unable to return to full health after giving birth. The Lawns, The Elms, The Lodge, The Towers and The Willow Pond are five of the six near Sheffield.
Hebe makes coffee for herself and Mel.
Mel recognises poems by Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti and Oscar Wilde.
Evelyn Waugh is a poet.
The envelope smells of garlic, chillis and vinegar.
The Forty Martyrs were executed for their faith.
John Payne was accused of conspiring against Elizabeth I.
Nicholas Owen built priest holes.
Mel transcribes Ulysses, Lady Chatterley's Lover and The Tiger Who Came to Tea from memory.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Girl in a Bubble was recorded at the Soundhouse and remotely in January 2022.
The first story of Purity Unbound was originally to be written by Ian Potter. However, Potter, a resident of Sheffield, instead asked to write Time-Burst due to its setting. (BFX: Time-Burst)
Young Hebe was voiced by Jacqueline Rayner's niece, Connie Farrow, over a Zoom call. (BFX: Girl in a Bubble)

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor gives Ron an SOS button for Hebe. Evelyn previously gave SOS buttons to Hebe and Elise. (AUDIO: The Rotting Deep, Maelstrom)
Mel believes that Patricia is dead. (AUDIO: Time-Burst)
Mel recounts how Patricia took Tannus Vallon's time suit. (AUDIO: Chronomancer)
Hebe joined the Doctor and Mel after calling them to Albatross Alpha. (AUDIO: The Rotting Deep)
The Doctor remarks that Mel has a "somewhat tangled" timeline. (TV: The Ultimate Foe; AUDIO: The Wrong Doctors)
Hebe remembers the Sheega. (AUDIO: The Tides of the Moon)
The Doctor and Mel remember meeting Elizabeth Rodden. (AUDIO: Purification)
Elizabeth tells the story of Patrick and Mary McBride. (AUDIO: Time-Burst)
The Doctor knows that Evelyn had a heart condition. (AUDIO: Thicker Than Water)

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

Official Girl in a Bubble page at bigfinish.com