The Wormery

Main Range #51

Released: 31 October 2003

Listened: 5/23/20

This one is lengthy, and layered. Still needing a rest, the Doctor stops at Bianca’s, a cabaret in 1930s Berlin...which isn’t what it seems. Iris Wildthyme shows up, acting like her usual scattered, drunken self, but that’s not what it seems either. Describing any further would reveal the layers of spoilers, but there’s alien worms making wormholes, references to the Trial, and even a frame-story containing narration that isn’t what it seems either. It all unfolds rather slowly, so on a relisten it seems somewhat draggy. How much you enjoy the early parts depends a lot on how entertaining you find Iris, because she’s being extra Iris-y in this story. Katy Manning does a credible job, sounding a bit young for Iris, actually (although this came out in 2003). She even gets to sing, and the song is a bit of an earworm (pun intended). If you like your stories twisty, this one has you covered, unlike “Her Final Flight.”