What do you think?
Rate this book
Big Finish: Monthly Range #51
Doctor Who: The Wormery
There's one place in creation where the truth really can be found in the bottom of a glass: Bianca's, a very special and very exclusive little club.
The Doctor, careworn and seeking quiet distraction, gains admission. But his rest and relaxation is soon shattered by the wobbly arrival of louche trans-temporal adventuress Iris Wildthyme. She claims she's on a secret mission of vital importance, the success of which hinges on her getting paralytic. When she's drunk, she can hear the whispering voices in her head!
The Doctor soon learns that Bianca's airs and graces cover not just one malevolent power lurking in the shadows, but several. And a wriggling, writhing presence has designs on the clientele just as Bianca herself has designs on the Doctor. At last, after so many centuries, the weary Time Lord is dragged by the heels into that darkest of undiscovered countries - love.
The Doctor, careworn and seeking quiet distraction, gains admission. But his rest and relaxation is soon shattered by the wobbly arrival of louche trans-temporal adventuress Iris Wildthyme. She claims she's on a secret mission of vital importance, the success of which hinges on her getting paralytic. When she's drunk, she can hear the whispering voices in her head!
The Doctor soon learns that Bianca's airs and graces cover not just one malevolent power lurking in the shadows, but several. And a wriggling, writhing presence has designs on the clientele just as Bianca herself has designs on the Doctor. At last, after so many centuries, the weary Time Lord is dragged by the heels into that darkest of undiscovered countries - love.
2 pages, Audio CD
First published November 1, 2003
1 person is currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Cole
229 books146 followersSee also: Steve Cole.
Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audiobooks and acting as executive producer on the Big Finish Productions range of Doctor Who audio dramas.
Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audiobooks and acting as executive producer on the Big Finish Productions range of Doctor Who audio dramas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 3, 2013
Iris singing destroys the universe. You have to love Iris.
July 29, 2016
This is a sixth Doctor story without a regular companion, but featuring the first appearance of Iris Wildthyme in the Big Finish main range. Iris is a renegade time lady who has a long history in Doctor Who spinoffs in novels, short stories and audio. In audio she's played by Katy Manning who was the third Doctor's companion Jo Grant. This is #51 in the Big Finish main range.
The Doctor and Iris independently arrive at a night club, Little Bianca's, ostensibly in pre-WWII Germany, but actually in outer space on a time vortex nexus point. There's strange things happening at the club, both with the proprietor Bianca and the club's manager Henry. Many of the club patrons have multiple shadows and there seems to be something strangely addictive with the house tequila.
This is a fun piece, although over-long and a bit confusing in places. The antagonists in this story make absolutely no sense in any of several forms in which they go through, but the character of Bianca is an interesting one, particularly given that this is a sixth Doctor story. The story-telling conceit of the young waitress describing the story to a mysterious Mr Ashworth is clever. Katy Manning and Colin Baker give great performances and bounce off each other really well.
Not too bad and a nice light one after the last few very weighty stories.
The Doctor and Iris independently arrive at a night club, Little Bianca's, ostensibly in pre-WWII Germany, but actually in outer space on a time vortex nexus point. There's strange things happening at the club, both with the proprietor Bianca and the club's manager Henry. Many of the club patrons have multiple shadows and there seems to be something strangely addictive with the house tequila.
This is a fun piece, although over-long and a bit confusing in places. The antagonists in this story make absolutely no sense in any of several forms in which they go through, but the character of Bianca is an interesting one, particularly given that this is a sixth Doctor story. The story-telling conceit of the young waitress describing the story to a mysterious Mr Ashworth is clever. Katy Manning and Colin Baker give great performances and bounce off each other really well.
Not too bad and a nice light one after the last few very weighty stories.
March 25, 2024
Annoying but enjoyable. Features some new Timelords at least.
August 22, 2023
Who up playing with they Wormery?
November 7, 2017
Ah, Iris Wildthyme... Let's face it, you love her or you really don't. And if you really don't I'm not sure we're going to see eye to eye on much of this. I adore her and I think Katy Manning is really brilliant here. She's funny, brash, ridiculous and occasionally quite vulnerable. She is also a perfect partner with Colin Baker who is a sensitive enough performer to realize that he should be lofting a few in for Ms. Manning to hit out of the park. And he does. And she does.
I've seen that some folks call this story confusing and, while it does have quite a few overlapping subplots, I didn't find it difficult. In fact, if I had any complaints, it might be that Iris and The Doctor seem to double up on the explanations of what's going on a few too many times. That said, I think the plot feels like one of your better Graham Williams-era Fourth Doctor stories. It starts at a slightly absurd point and then just keeps pushing, reaching a certain hysteria which, to my mind, holds together.
Worms, evolution, tequila, Nazis... I'm in.
I've seen that some folks call this story confusing and, while it does have quite a few overlapping subplots, I didn't find it difficult. In fact, if I had any complaints, it might be that Iris and The Doctor seem to double up on the explanations of what's going on a few too many times. That said, I think the plot feels like one of your better Graham Williams-era Fourth Doctor stories. It starts at a slightly absurd point and then just keeps pushing, reaching a certain hysteria which, to my mind, holds together.
Worms, evolution, tequila, Nazis... I'm in.
September 26, 2023
Starts off really strong. There's a reason Big Finish are regarded as some of the best in audio drama, it's not just the voice acting or scripts, any fucker with a microphone and a room with cardboard boxes stuck around the outside of it can do that. It's the sheer immersive, surround sound sound design that goes into it that makes them so wonderful. Try and listen, actually *listen* to the backgrounds of Big Finish audio dramas, they're astonishing feats of radio directing. Bianac's bar feels so alive, with chatter and music and sounds all buzzing around, making it feel like a real, living place. It's wonderful.
The plot has more ideas bursting out of it than Jodie Whitakker's last 3 seriese had combined. As far as I can tell, its got Iris Wildthyme (which alone would be enough, a northern, drunk, sex crazed time travelling time lady who rides around in a double decker bus (which is smaller on the inside than the outside), played to perfection by Katy Manning, who had me beaming with delight the second her earthy Northern drunken ramblings kicked in), Bianca, an evil version of Iris from the future, a bar set adrift in time and space existing as a tempro-spatial anomaly capable of being accesed by many points composed out of the remnants of Iris' TARDIS, psychic worm creatures divided into 2 camps between those who want to stop their evolution permanently and those who want to exist in a state of perpetual violent unrest, moving shadow creatures composed out of the ghostly half remnants of the bodies the worms would've evolved into - and that's a hell of a plot.
Unfortunately I don't think it's to the stories benefit, far too many ideas thrown at the plot with far too a blasé attitude, and quickly turns into a jumbled mess of nonsense. By the time the shadows turned out to be living I just switched off. It quickly becomes disorientating.
Still, it's a worthwhile listen, and a masterclass in tone and atmosphere, and the sheer dizzying sense of madness is testament to what writers genuinely committed to producing great ideas can produce.
The plot has more ideas bursting out of it than Jodie Whitakker's last 3 seriese had combined. As far as I can tell, its got Iris Wildthyme (which alone would be enough, a northern, drunk, sex crazed time travelling time lady who rides around in a double decker bus (which is smaller on the inside than the outside), played to perfection by Katy Manning, who had me beaming with delight the second her earthy Northern drunken ramblings kicked in), Bianca, an evil version of Iris from the future, a bar set adrift in time and space existing as a tempro-spatial anomaly capable of being accesed by many points composed out of the remnants of Iris' TARDIS, psychic worm creatures divided into 2 camps between those who want to stop their evolution permanently and those who want to exist in a state of perpetual violent unrest, moving shadow creatures composed out of the ghostly half remnants of the bodies the worms would've evolved into - and that's a hell of a plot.
Unfortunately I don't think it's to the stories benefit, far too many ideas thrown at the plot with far too a blasé attitude, and quickly turns into a jumbled mess of nonsense. By the time the shadows turned out to be living I just switched off. It quickly becomes disorientating.
Still, it's a worthwhile listen, and a masterclass in tone and atmosphere, and the sheer dizzying sense of madness is testament to what writers genuinely committed to producing great ideas can produce.
August 20, 2019
So although Colin Baker is my least favourite Doctor incarnation I love Paul Magrs, and horror based plots featuring insects so I thought I'd give this one a go.
Hmmmm - The story starts well. The Doctor ends up in a cabaret bar in the 1930's and I love the reveal that its actually in space and a nexus of wormholes. I also like the use of the worms in tequila and the menacing alien worms.
We meet a second Time Lord (Lady) Iris Wildtyme a drunk eccentric in love with the Doctor. Sadly I found her utterly annoying from the outset - Katy Manning does a superb performance but I just hated the character. To me the only other Timelord is The Master (and I have a huge soft spot for Torchwood's Time Agent Captain John Hart) but otherwise leave Timelording to the Doctor. I also hate romance plots involving the Doctor - One of the things that always made Who stand out in the genre was the lack of romantic melodrama (so yes you can guess I'm not a fan of either Amy Pond or River Song either) - But her affection for the Doctor annoyed me as well as her unnecessarily comical drunkenness.
The payoff of the plot also did nothing for me I think there's too much here. Bianca being a dark future self of Iris, the different factions of worms, the fact that the bar is made from a TARDIS - meh. I wanted something darker and more freaky and the majority of this is far too silly for my taste, for a Paul Magrs this is... disappointing.
Saying that it is entertaining and the cast do a wonderful job and kept my attention throughout. Hasn't really changed my opinion on Colin Baker being the least interesting Doctor mind and this is far from my favourite Who audio.
Hmmmm - The story starts well. The Doctor ends up in a cabaret bar in the 1930's and I love the reveal that its actually in space and a nexus of wormholes. I also like the use of the worms in tequila and the menacing alien worms.
We meet a second Time Lord (Lady) Iris Wildtyme a drunk eccentric in love with the Doctor. Sadly I found her utterly annoying from the outset - Katy Manning does a superb performance but I just hated the character. To me the only other Timelord is The Master (and I have a huge soft spot for Torchwood's Time Agent Captain John Hart) but otherwise leave Timelording to the Doctor. I also hate romance plots involving the Doctor - One of the things that always made Who stand out in the genre was the lack of romantic melodrama (so yes you can guess I'm not a fan of either Amy Pond or River Song either) - But her affection for the Doctor annoyed me as well as her unnecessarily comical drunkenness.
The payoff of the plot also did nothing for me I think there's too much here. Bianca being a dark future self of Iris, the different factions of worms, the fact that the bar is made from a TARDIS - meh. I wanted something darker and more freaky and the majority of this is far too silly for my taste, for a Paul Magrs this is... disappointing.
Saying that it is entertaining and the cast do a wonderful job and kept my attention throughout. Hasn't really changed my opinion on Colin Baker being the least interesting Doctor mind and this is far from my favourite Who audio.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2021
The Wormery was the 51st release in Big Finish's Monthly Adventures (formerly known as "The Main Range") and features a solo Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) teaming up with Iris Wildthyme (Katy Manning) shortly after the events of the "Trial of a Time Lord" season. The story is framed by a scottish barmaid Mickey telling a "Mr. Ashcroft" about the fall and destruction of Bianca's, a cabaret that sits at a dimensional nexus. The story's okay, it's not terrible. But, it's not something I'd return to very often. It works and is engaging, just not my cup of tea. Plus, while I don't hate Iris, she's not a favorite character of mine.
June 22, 2018
Funny little adventure with Iris Wildthyme and the 6th Doctor.
Nicely written comedy, even the villains are more of a comedic nature. Plus, great atmosphere.
I enjoyed this very much!
I can understand why Iris Wildthyme can be grating to some people, but I enjoyed her and thought Katy Manning was doing a great job with her. Her fight (brawl and shouting match) with Bianca for the love and attention of the Doctor were hilarious.
The Doctor is sad and very vulnerable is this, which of course is taken advantage of by Iris and the villains. Colin Baker absolutely nails it. We have his Doctor sad and beaten, angry, wisecracking, annoyed with Iris and her antics and trying to figure out the mystery. We even have him drunk and under the evil influence of the villains complete with deep growling voice and violence.
Very fun to listen to.
Recommended.
Nicely written comedy, even the villains are more of a comedic nature. Plus, great atmosphere.
I enjoyed this very much!
I can understand why Iris Wildthyme can be grating to some people, but I enjoyed her and thought Katy Manning was doing a great job with her. Her fight (brawl and shouting match) with Bianca for the love and attention of the Doctor were hilarious.
The Doctor is sad and very vulnerable is this, which of course is taken advantage of by Iris and the villains. Colin Baker absolutely nails it. We have his Doctor sad and beaten, angry, wisecracking, annoyed with Iris and her antics and trying to figure out the mystery. We even have him drunk and under the evil influence of the villains complete with deep growling voice and violence.
Very fun to listen to.
Recommended.
July 26, 2025
This is my first ever encounter with the infamous Iris Wildthyme, and Katy Manning gives a hell of a performance. Colin Baker makes for an excellent pairing with her too.
Unfortunately, the main plot here is a tad too convoluted to really enjoy. I found myself struggling to keep up, yet I did enjoy the way that it was told, and how that led to a last-minute twist before the final credits rolled.
The most interesting thing here, which I wish had gotten more attention, was the emotional impact that the "Trial of a Time Lord" story had on the Doctor. I also love the hilarious twist that this culminated in, but after this twist this strand of character insight was never really tugged on again.
All in all, this has convinced me to possibly seek out some of Iris' adventures in the future.
Unfortunately, the main plot here is a tad too convoluted to really enjoy. I found myself struggling to keep up, yet I did enjoy the way that it was told, and how that led to a last-minute twist before the final credits rolled.
The most interesting thing here, which I wish had gotten more attention, was the emotional impact that the "Trial of a Time Lord" story had on the Doctor. I also love the hilarious twist that this culminated in, but after this twist this strand of character insight was never really tugged on again.
All in all, this has convinced me to possibly seek out some of Iris' adventures in the future.
July 15, 2023
This is classic Paul Magrs take on Doctor Who. It has some wonderfully camp and bonkers humour but also a great sci-fi story as well. The casting of Maria McErlane as Bianca is inspired, especially for those of us who remember her as the narrator of the filmed segments on "Eurotrash" back in the 90s :D Katy Manning and Colin Baker work really well together here and I don't recall if they've ever teamed up since... But they absolutely should. Again Colin's sixth Doctor is a much more palatable version than the one we got on TV. Still of pomp and bluster but kinder and more caring and less petulant. Top stuff if you like your Doctor Who with an extra topping of humour :D
August 3, 2022
The story is needlessly complicated. I never did figure out what the worms were, exactly. The shadows just added one too many details. The fighting worm factions makes just a little sense, but the shadows of what they might have been coming in to take over makes no sense at all. Another problem is the narrated presentation, with an old Scots woman being just a little bit too "poetic" in the wrong way about everything and dragging down the suspense. There are some funny bits, though. Iris Wildthyme fits into this story much better than in the dreadful Excelis Dawns.
December 29, 2017
Fantastic Character interplay. Come for the 6th Doctor and Iris, and stay for the convoluted plot that has some truly great ideas (like the transcendental, transdimensional engineering of a TARDIS) that are meant to be epic reveals thrown at you like lazy softballs... they come in so frustratingly slowly and obviously that by the time they land, you cant be bothered to swing at them. So maddening. For more, visit www.travelingthevortex.com
January 19, 2024
“Who ever heard of a diabolical denouement taking place in a pâtisserie?!”
More Nazis, eh? But this time they’re on the fringes of a story set in and around a cabaret that straddles Weimar Germany and the vastness of space and time. The MVP of the story is a delightful Katy Manning, performing as permanently tipsy Gallifreyan raconteur Iris Wildthyme. It’s inspired casting to let a former companion actor cut loose.
More Nazis, eh? But this time they’re on the fringes of a story set in and around a cabaret that straddles Weimar Germany and the vastness of space and time. The MVP of the story is a delightful Katy Manning, performing as permanently tipsy Gallifreyan raconteur Iris Wildthyme. It’s inspired casting to let a former companion actor cut loose.
March 1, 2023
Iris Wildthyme is a parallel parody to the doctor, a time lady who’s travelling the universe in her London-bus shaped TARDIS and matching her up with the pompous Sixth doctor is a brilliant conceit. This is one of the radio plays I was desperate to see on screen. There’s a sharp aesthetic, clever, mind-bending concepts and some passionate performances.
January 16, 2019
Another great 6th Doctor story. Colin Baker is so underrated! This was my first encounter with the nefarious, deliciously naughty Iris Wildthyme, and I absolutely loved her! Katy Manning is incredible as Jo, but is even better as Iris. Absolutely stupendous!
March 2, 2020
The experimental storytelling doesn’t always pay dividends, but at least the writers aren’t stuck on the bog-standard. Colin Baker holds himself in fine fettle (and is afforded an uncommon depth of character). Former Pertwee-era companion Katy Manning runs rampant as Iris Wildthyme.
September 21, 2020
Overly long - it’s a good hour before any real threat is established, but Colin Baker and Jo Manning bounce off each other very well.
And it had a “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow” type of ending, but the last sentence is brilliantly and surprisingly delivered.
And it had a “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow” type of ending, but the last sentence is brilliantly and surprisingly delivered.
March 1, 2021
I really, really liked this! I've only ever heard Iris in one other thing before that was just okay (Panda friend notwithstanding), but apparently I needed her paired with the Sixth Doctor. A proper DW story.
March 20, 2022
ビアンカというクラブでアイリスと再会したドクター。しかしいつもなら飛びついてくるアイリスの様子がどうもおかしい。そのうちドクターはクラブにいると自分の気持ちに落ち込んでくることに気が付く。
タイムロードのリジェネレーションエネルギーを吸い取って自分の命を長らえさせようとするヘンリーの企みやターディスとなっているクラブは面白かったけれども結局ヘンリーもタイムロードだったということなのかな？？？？アイリスとドクターの関係は可愛くて、このコンビはすごく好き。
タイムロードのリジェネレーションエネルギーを吸い取って自分の命を長らえさせようとするヘンリーの企みやターディスとなっているクラブは面白かったけれども結局ヘンリーもタイムロードだったということなのかな？？？？アイリスとドクターの関係は可愛くて、このコンビはすごく好き。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2024
Very good, lots of nods to stuff from the past
June 13, 2024
This was all kinds of weird, and consistently inconsistent in quality
May 5, 2025
I’m still not sure that I like Iris all that much, but this one was interesting in how it touched on Valeyard like stuff. Got pretty heady.
May 26, 2014
I've skipped quite a few of these because I just wasn't enjoying the ones I had on hand at the time. I'll backtrack at some point, especially the Zagreus timeline. Anyway, this is a very good re-entry to the series, lots of laughs as Six encounters a perpetually drunk Iris Wildthyme in a cabaret that seems to exist at the intersection of various places and times. There's a sinister diva, a bar-owner with secret plans and two factions of wormhole creatures to contend with, and of course the fate of the whole universe is at stake. Some cool ideas, some exciting sounding gobbledygook, lots of action, drama and melodrama - a very satisfactory episode in short and it gives us a look at the Doctor after his trial, and the impact it has had on him.
Read
April 8, 2009The Wormery had previously been recommended to me. It is indeed great; I'm not a big fan of Katy Manning or of her Iris Wildthyme character, but with Colin Baker's Doctor they work well, and I love the framing device of Jane McFarlane's dulcet Scottish lilt as Mickey - why isn't she doing more acting? - and the sting at the end as we find out who her listener is. The device of the bar between the worlds - isn't that Callahan's from Spider Robinson? (not that I've read any.) However this version seems a bit darker.
December 2, 2010
The sixth doctor and Iris's interaction was wonderful in this. It's the first time I've heard Iris in an audio adventure - although I'm familiar with the character from the books. Katy Manning does a great job bringing her to life, and I wouldn't have guessed she was the same actress who'd played Jo by listening to her if I hadn't known.
The plot twists were very well done, I guessed one but not the other, and it was an intriguing plot overall with interesting background characters too.
The plot twists were very well done, I guessed one but not the other, and it was an intriguing plot overall with interesting background characters too.
July 21, 2015
The Sixth Doctor investigates the mysterious bar known only as "Bianca's". Getting in his way is his old friend Iris Wildthyme, but this time she has a rival for the Doctor's affections — Bianca herself. With Iris getting drunk on Tequila, the Doctor must uncover Bianca's true identity and find out just who the voices are he and Iris keep hearing…
January 21, 2016
This is a very confusing story. Worms taking over people to try to live the lives they should have. Throw in Wormholes to different galaxies and it gets more confusing. All this taking place in a 1930's bar in Berlin with a singer who wants to live forever through another time lord. The Doctor has to fix this. Can he?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews