Scratchman (novelisation)
Scratchman was a novelisation of the unproduced movie Doctor Who Meets Scratchman, which was written by Tom Baker and James Goss, with early contributions from Ian Marter.
The novelisation was written by Tom Baker, and was the Fourth Doctor actor's first DWU writing credit. He initially planned this story during his first season playing the Doctor, with Ian Marter.
Publisher's summary
The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive at a remote Scottish island, when their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures — hideous scarecrows, who are preying on the local population. The islanders are living in fear, and the Doctor vows to save them all. But it doesn't go to plan — the time travellers have fallen into a trap, and Scratchman is coming for them.
With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the Doctor must battle an ancient force from another dimension, one who claims to be the Devil. Scratchman wants to know what the Doctor is most afraid of. And the Doctor’s worst nightmares are coming out to play...
Plot
to be added
Characters
- Fourth Doctor
- Sarah Jane Smith
- Harry Sullivan
- Scratchman
- Zero Nun
- Junior archivist
- First Doctor (as Scarecrow)
- Second Doctor (as Scarecrow)
- Third Doctor (as Scarecrow)
- Tenth Doctor
- Thirteenth Doctor
- Cybermen
- Cyber Leader
- Lord Bardakajak
- Lady Pralamandavarvar
References
- The Sword of Never is a weapon used to punish Time Lord criminals.
- The Doctor's Paradox Declension tutor is in the audience at his trial.
- The Doctor's TARDIS has a Jigsaw Room: a faulty device predicting its occupants entire future instead of its surrounding.
- Whilst searching for sugar in Mavis Tulloch's shop, Harry Sullivan is briefly distracted when he notices a copy of The Ensign on the shelf.
Notes
to be added
Continuity
- The Doctor had previously been put on trial before, and was sentenced to exile on Earth in that instance. (TV: The War Games) He would later be put on trial again. (TV: The Trial of a Time Lord)
- The Doctor uses the example of the Time Lords sending him to stop the Master and his Doomsday Weapon as a case of them endorsing his interference in the universe. (TV: Colony in Space)
- The TARDIS crew recently met professors, (TV: Robot) giant wasps, (TV: The Ark in Space) militant potatoes, (TV: The Sontaran Experiment) mad scientists, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) shapeshifters (TV: Terror of the Zygons) and androids (TV: The Android Invasion) tampering with humanity.
- In the TARDIS Jigsaw Room, Sarah sees herself with her aunt Lavinia Smith, (TV: The Time Warrior, A Girl's Best Friend) on a space station, (TV: The Ark in Space) on a minefield, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) with an Egyptian Mummy, (TV: Pyramids of Mars) with her android duplicate, (TV: The Android Invasion) with a stuffed owl, (TV: The Hand of Fear) at a garden centre, (TV: A Girl's Best Friend) running from an exploding school, (TV: School Reunion) and quarry, (TV: The Hand of Fear) and with a young boy. (TV: Invasion of the Bane et al.)
- The Doctor notes that Sarah has run from Daleks, (TV: Death to the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks) Sontarans, (TV: The Time Warrior, The Sontaran Experiment) and even the Loch Ness Monster. (TV: Terror of the Zygons)
- Among the enemies Scratchman recreated from the Doctor's memories are giant spiders, (TV: Planet of the Spiders) a crab (TV: The Macra Terror) and a giant robot (TV: Robot) covered with maggots. (TV: The Green Death)
Audiobook
This novel was released on 31 January 2019 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Tom Baker with Cybermen voices by Nicholas Briggs.
Audiobook cover
External links
- Official Scratchman page at Penguin Books
