Catmachine

This is a piece of short Doctor Who fiction I submitted to Big Finish on two occasions for their Short Trips anthology range (collections of short stories in both audio and traditional format). Whilst it was not amongst the successful submissions, I think it is at least worth a little wider exposure, so am reproducing it here. The character of Wendi has gone on to a supporting role in my current work-in-progress novel. Doctor Who is © BBC This is the most important night of my life and I'm terrified. You probably think I'm exaggerating on both counts. True, my band's headlining the Camden Palace at the end of a successful major UK tour, but the most important night of my life ? Surely I have higher ambitions than that? Well maybe you're right, perhaps I do. The most important night of my life so far , happy now? And terrified ? Stage fright is one thing, but nerves are a healthy reaction. If I find performing so terrifying how come I've stuck it out for ...

Previously on DTC... At a time when, aside from the 1996 McGann TV movie, there had been no new Doctor Who for over ten years, I suddenly came across a double cassette in Borders - not an audio book, but a proper brand new, full-cast, audio-effects, four episodes, theme music and everything story starring the fifth Doctor and Nyssa. Well of course I bought it. It wasn't half bad either; neither Peter Davison 's nor Sarah Sutton 's voices seemed to have changed that much (unlike Steven Pacey who, in the brief audio Blake's Seven comeback of The Sevenfold Crown and The Syndleton Experiment seemed to have turned Tarrant into an unrecognisable gruff voiced old toff) and it being audio they were free to do stuff they'd never have attempted on TV. They were being produced by a company called Big Finish who seemed to have achieved the impossible by being granted a licence to produce official Doctor Who by the BBC (I was aware of previous unlicenced productions which ...