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The Fourth Doctor at Nest Cottage #1-5
Doctor Who: Hornets' Nest
Tom Baker reprises the role of the Fourth Doctor in five thrilling brand new exclusive audio adventures, with Richard Franklin as Mike Yates. Episodes include: The Stuff of Nightmares—The Doctor and Mike are again on the brink of an enormous adventure. As the Doctor relates his recent escapades, it becomes clear to Mike that they - and the Earth at large - are facing an enemy of unimaginable power and horrific intent. The nightmare is only just beginning. Features Susan Jameson as Mrs. Wibbsey and Daniel Hill as Percy Noggins. The Dead Shoes—Visiting the English seaside town of Cromer in the summer of 1932, the Doctor happens upon the strange world of the Cromer Palace of Curios. The young Ernestina Scott is unusually beguiled by one of the museum's exhibits, and when the Doctor befriends her, they unwittingly embark upon a terrifying escapade. Circus of Doom—In Blandford, 1832, ringmaster Antonio exerts a strange influence on the townsfolk. When the Doctor steps into the ring, he discovers that Antonio has some familiar demons of his own. Sting in the Tale—In a bleak midwinter, an order of nuns protect their Mother Superior from ravaging dogs. But something is very wrong here indeed - and the Doctor is about to get badly stung. Hive of Horror—The Doctor and Mike must face their enemy in a final battle. They have an unwilling accomplice - and loyalties are about to be tested to the limit.
This attractive set comes in five jewel cases, with full liner notes and a sturdy slipcase.
This attractive set comes in five jewel cases, with full liner notes and a sturdy slipcase.
4 pages, Audio CD
First published December 3, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 4, 2021
Not great
October 27, 2023
Mikey baby ily but you are the most boring member of UNIT. You even went mad in a boring manner.
I was surprised by the insensitivity of so much of this writing. It would have been right at home in the 70s, and easier to excuse in that time, but this was released in 2009!
I was surprised by the insensitivity of so much of this writing. It would have been right at home in the 70s, and easier to excuse in that time, but this was released in 2009!
August 24, 2012
As part of my ongoing project to educate myself on the entire Classic Who saga, I recently finished Season 15, roughly the middle of the Fourth Doctor’s run. Given that the BBC audio productions are firmly set directly after the concluding serial of Season 15, “The Invasion of Time”, it made sense to segue into these stories before resuming the televised adventures.
The story itself is an interesting oddity. On the one hand, the most beloved seasons for the Fourth Doctor came towards the beginning, when Sarah Jane was his Companion and the series had its infamous “gothic horror” period. Those stories tended to emphasize “body horror”, among other things, and that is a big part of this particular story. More than that, Peter Magrs’ script is laced with a style that lends itself to the gothic feel.
Yet if one were to mention the name Mike Yates to a Classic Who fan, they would immediately think of the Third Doctor, not the Fourth. And the “gothic horror” period had long since given way to a less consistent and sillier tone by the end of Season 15. So it is not what one would expect of a story taking place at this point in the timeline, so to speak.
It turns out that this unusual mix is actually a strength of the format; what never happened in the actual show is more than possible in an audiodrama, and feels more substantially convincing than some of the novels that attempt similar convergences. And the presence of Mike Yates is explained relatively well in the story itself, covering the question of why the Doctor, long since moved on from his time with UNIT, would call so specifically on his old sometime ally.
What can be off-putting is the nature of the production. Big Finish is better known for its Doctor Who audio productions, and the majority of them are true audiodramas: events play out with relatively little narration. They do have the Companion Chronicles line, however, that was essentially a series of reflective recollections by the Doctor’s Companions, told from their perspectives, with perhaps one or two guest cast members.
“Hornet’s Nest” is much closer in format and style to the Companion Chronicles than a traditional audiodrama, which can result in a few somewhat awkward transitions, as the narration shifts from the Doctor to Yates and so forth. But it also means that Tom Baker is very much the star of the production, and he gets long stretches of monologues that are simply a pleasure to experience. His enthusiasm for the telling of the tale is palpable!
The five individual “episodes” all comprise a single story arc, which is a nice nod to the Classic Who era, and each episode is roughly 70 minutes long. It amounts to nearly 6 hours of Fourth Doctor goodness that truly evokes the best of that period of Who history.
The story itself is an interesting oddity. On the one hand, the most beloved seasons for the Fourth Doctor came towards the beginning, when Sarah Jane was his Companion and the series had its infamous “gothic horror” period. Those stories tended to emphasize “body horror”, among other things, and that is a big part of this particular story. More than that, Peter Magrs’ script is laced with a style that lends itself to the gothic feel.
Yet if one were to mention the name Mike Yates to a Classic Who fan, they would immediately think of the Third Doctor, not the Fourth. And the “gothic horror” period had long since given way to a less consistent and sillier tone by the end of Season 15. So it is not what one would expect of a story taking place at this point in the timeline, so to speak.
It turns out that this unusual mix is actually a strength of the format; what never happened in the actual show is more than possible in an audiodrama, and feels more substantially convincing than some of the novels that attempt similar convergences. And the presence of Mike Yates is explained relatively well in the story itself, covering the question of why the Doctor, long since moved on from his time with UNIT, would call so specifically on his old sometime ally.
What can be off-putting is the nature of the production. Big Finish is better known for its Doctor Who audio productions, and the majority of them are true audiodramas: events play out with relatively little narration. They do have the Companion Chronicles line, however, that was essentially a series of reflective recollections by the Doctor’s Companions, told from their perspectives, with perhaps one or two guest cast members.
“Hornet’s Nest” is much closer in format and style to the Companion Chronicles than a traditional audiodrama, which can result in a few somewhat awkward transitions, as the narration shifts from the Doctor to Yates and so forth. But it also means that Tom Baker is very much the star of the production, and he gets long stretches of monologues that are simply a pleasure to experience. His enthusiasm for the telling of the tale is palpable!
The five individual “episodes” all comprise a single story arc, which is a nice nod to the Classic Who era, and each episode is roughly 70 minutes long. It amounts to nearly 6 hours of Fourth Doctor goodness that truly evokes the best of that period of Who history.
August 2, 2011
This audio book is a well executed dramatization of the adventures of Doctor Who. Read by multiple actors, this five disc set follows the Doctor as he endeavors to conquer an alien swarm of tiny hornets through the ages. A gripping sci-fi story, it is made even more so by the excellent audio rendition.
July 5, 2010
Does it get any better than this? Tom Baker, or any past Doctor, can make dozens of these and not screw up the cannon... :)
Radio drama with fine actors acting, sound effects and a good story! Hopefully I am not blinded by fandom, I just really have liked the Doctor Who stuff.
Radio drama with fine actors acting, sound effects and a good story! Hopefully I am not blinded by fandom, I just really have liked the Doctor Who stuff.
June 26, 2012
The performances by the voice actors were excellent. I liked the sound effects that went with the story as well. The plot was just OK, but the five-part tale blended well together.
September 17, 2012
great fix of sci fi / Dr. Who. This one was really enjoyable!
February 7, 2013
The beginning was not impressive, but by the end, it was certainly more entertaining than most of the Fourth Doctor audios from Big Finish, at least in their first Tom Baker series.
March 2, 2014
i couldn't even finish it, although i do find it a bit comforting to know that i don't love EVERYTHING doctor who
August 22, 2014
Listened to this twice now. Thoroughly enjoyable. Quite creepy. Definite keeper shelf.
October 31, 2014
Two star due to the ending.
April 28, 2017
A strange multi part story about the Doctor (who is more like a Tom Baker character) fighting evil space hornets. Some of the episodes are pretty scary. The ending goes on too long, but fun and my son listened to it with me and we had a great time in the car with these stories.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews