Sock Pig

Short Trips #2.5

Released: 28 February 2011

Listened: 4/11/20

The wiki says this story comes between “Kinda” and “The Visitation,” but there’s no gap there, and the Doctor is alone, so I’m placing it here. This is one of those stories like “Cuddlesome,” where something odd is happening to a perfectly ordinary English household, the Doctor bursts in and takes charge through a combination of charm, bluster, and not listening to anyone who objects, solves the problem, and goes. In this case, there’s a force animating objects in the house of an unnamed woman who lost her infant son recently, including a stuffed pig she knitted for him. The Doctor banishes the invading force, but leaves the pig animated, at least for a while, so the woman can heal. The bluster feels rather new-series, but the kindness is appropriate from the Fifth Doctor. This is one of the more memorable short trips.