The Doctor and Mike Yates follow the Demon back to its home planet in an attempt to rescue the kidnapped Mrs. Wibbsey. Once there, they discover in whose stead the Demon has been acting all along: the alien swarm of hornets that the Doctor defeated a year ago has rebuilt itself, and wants its queen freed. To find where the Doctor stranded the Queen, the hornets – through the Demon and the possessed Mrs. Wibbsey – have created a sepulchre, loaded with neural interfaces, into which the Doctor will be placed to create an Atlas of All Time from his memories. Since he is considered helpless, Mike Yates is left unguarded, but how can he save both of his friends and defeat what seems to be an enemy who has anticipated every move?
written by Paul Magrs
directed by Kate Thomas
music by Simon PowerCast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Susan Jameson (Mrs. Wibbsey), Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Nigel Anthony (The Host), Carole Boyd (The Old Friend)
Timeline: after Starfall and moments before Tsar Wars; prior to The Ribos Operation
LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green
Review: The thrilling conclusion to Demon Quest is a further step away from the original conception of the BBC’s Tom Baker audios; at this point, the ratio is roughly 15% narration to 85% full-cast drama (though the cast is, in this case, exceedingly small).
If there’s a single drawback to it, it’s the revelation that the Doctor and friends have been fighting, all along, against the same enemy as they fought in the Hornets’ Nest cycle. There are welcome callbacks to that previous five-part story (a vital clue provided by Ernestina Stott), but it’s a slight disappointment.
The disappointment is only a very slight one, though, as Sepulchre is still still a good listen, and Demon Quest is still a worthwhile mad chase to have gone on – and it simply doesn’t let up, leaping straight into the events of the Serpent Crest story cycle.