The Dread of Night (audio story)
The Dread of Night was the fourth story in the audio anthology The Seventh Doctor: The New Adventures: Volume One. It was written by Tim Foley and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Yasmin Bannerman as Roz Forrester and Travis Oliver as Chris Cwej.
Publisher's summary
When a grieving household offers the TARDIS travellers shelter from the weather, the Doctor, Chris and Roz find themselves exposed to even less hospitable conditions. A sinister presence stalks the house, plaguing its inhabitants... and only the truth can free them.
Plot
On a rainy night in Northumberland in 1899, Isabel Price finds her sister Annabel with the windows open and closes them before Nurse Hooley puts her back to bed, but Annabel hears laughter and the windows open again. Isabel expresses concern about the medicine that Nurse Hooley has been giving Annabel for her insomnia since their mother's death, but Nurse Hooley insists that, if anything, she needs a stronger dose to keep her from writing notes saying "you don't belong here".
The Doctor, Roz and Chris arrive in the rain, the TARDIS having been drawn off-course once again. They head to the Prices' house two miles away and knock on the door, but the Doctor slips away before Isabel answers and invites Roz and Chris in to dry by the fire. Nurse Hooley, although deeming it unwise to invite strangers inside, provides Roz and Chris with clothes and tells the housekeeper, Mrs Willis, that she will have to make more food.
The Doctor comes in through the back door and meets Mrs Willis, presenting her with a book of Annabel's childish drawings which he found outside. She tells him that Annabel likely threw it outside during one of her "moments" and expresses her dislike of Nurse Hooley, whose arrival shortly before the mistress's death coincided with the majority of the staff leaving without explanation. Since the mistress died, Mrs Willis has heard what sounds like something roaming around the house at night.
Chris is getting changed when he and Nurse Hooley hear Annabel start screaming. Nurse Hooley gives her her medicine and Annabel hisses at Chris before telling them that something is walking amongst them and shouting out "Sandy".
Roz and Isabel hear noises in the supposedly locked nursery and investigate, finding the rocking horse moving by itself and something banging in the cupboard. Roz opens it and finds the Doctor inside, looking at Annabel's toys and noticing marks in the dust and blistering on the surface of a music box. Isabel explains that Annabel has tried to destroy her toys in the past. They find that the toy tea set is inexplicably warm.
Mrs Willis hears giggling and assumes that it is Annabel. She is wrong and screams when she sees what is actually making the noise. Chris and Nurse Hooley hear her and find her corpse lying on her back with her apron shredded, looking like she has died of fright. Isabel arrives with Roz and tells Chris that Sandy could not possibly be responsible, showing them Annabel's book and explaining that Sandy is Annabel's monstrous imaginary friend.
to be completed
Cast
- The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
- Roz Forrester - Yasmin Bannerman
- Chris Cwej - Travis Oliver
- Nurse Hooley - Melanie Kilburn
- Isabel - Rhian Blundell
- Annabel - Elaine Fellows
- Willis - Ellie Darvill
- Sandy - herself[1]
References
- Chris says that he and Roz are from Switzerland, believing it to be a far-away land.
- Mrs Willis is a housekeeper.
- Mrs Willis offers the Doctor tea.
- The Doctor offers Mrs Willis a Jammie Dodger.
- Mrs Willis says that Mr Patterson told her everything.
- Annabel once threw a china doll on the fire and tried to drown a jack-in-the-box.
Notes
to be added
Continuity
- When Roz is asked if she has a sister, she responds by saying “it’s been a long time”. (PROSE: So Vile a Sin)
External links
- Official The Dread of Night page at bigfinish.com
Footnotes
- ↑ The audio credits state that Sandy was voiced by "herself", the website provides no specific credit, whereas BFX: The Seventh Doctor: The New Adventures: Volume One credits the role to Elaine Fellows, the same actor who played Annabel Price.
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