Sepulchre

"Come into my realm"

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: December 2010

Printed in: Demon Quest 05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey, Mike Yates

Synopsis 

The TARDIS arrives on Sepulchre, and the Doctor and Mike find themselves in an old, dark house. Who awaits the two men there? What plans have been laid for their arrival?

They soon discover from their host – and his housekeeper – that this is the culmination of a terrible, grand plan – one with the Doctor at its very centre. One from which he may never escape...

As the Atlas of All Time unfolds, the odds seem stacked against the three old friends. Which of them will fall before the night is out?

Verdict

Sepulchre was a brilliant episode to conclude the Demon Quest anthology! I thought this was an impressive finale to what has been a really strong and consistent series, and I’m delighted that there is more to come yet! I thought the start was amusing with the Doctor and Yates at Nest Cottage and not exactly showing any urgency to get to Mrs Wibbsey after her kidnapping at the end of the last episode, but when call had gotten through from her the Doctor quickly shifted into gear. It appeared she had hidden away one final clue in the bag of artefacts that formed the puzzle we had been forming over this series, and it was actually the other half of the gold heart that Yates and the Doctor had found adorning the letters ‘Sepul’. When putting both halves together the expected word of Sepulchre was formed and coordinates were given for the TARDIS to follow. Sepulchre awaited and for Wibbsey she seemed noticeably different upon arrival. For her, it had been three weeks since sending the message and that was a result of some time slippage. I was really impressed with the eery feel of the story and it was so creepy in how Wibbsey took the Doctor and Yates to their rooms. The description of darkness was excellent and having the doors locked from the outside is never good! The Doctor was able to get them out with the sonic screwdriver though. It was nice to have Yates in the role of narrator and he filled it very well indeed. The only issue with that is that we know he’s then going to survive as he describes events retrospectively. I loved that Sepulchre was surrounded by a protective layer of nothingness and that really did seek that a very murky operation was in progress. The tense background music that accompanied the first half of the story in particular was excellent and really added to the atmosphere. The Doctor’s other phone message being a call from Stott regards the information on the Cromer building burning down was intriguing and I loved how it came into play later on. The Demon explaining that it was from a shadow pocket dimension was good stuff but I was surprised to find that it actually had masters. It was far from being the big villain we had built up to, and instead the Demon was working for the Hornets! I must admit that I didn’t see this coming but I really like the continuity. Wibbsey also having been in their thrall for a very long time was not something I anticipated, but it seems the Doctor has been suspicious ever since The Relics of Time with her acting as goddess Wibbsentia. The Hornets’ plan involving the Doctor’s mind to be the Atlas of All Time was fascinating and I liked how it was a multidimensional map of everywhere and everywhen. To able to navigate like that was obviously enviable! Wibbsey describing her encounter with the surviving Hornet was good and it seemed feasible as they then replicated within her after evading the Doctor’s trap in Hive of Horror. The Hornets trying to bring back their Queen was terrific and the Doctor’s description about her was fantastic. The use of the psychic field against the Hornsts and therefore Wibbsey as well given their connection was great and I liked how she was lychee onto. The description of her Atlas and how it was pretty minimal as she wasn’t very far travelled was really well done. The Doctor appealing to the Demon and them actually working together was intriguing and they did make a good pairing albeit briefly! I liked that after the Hornets were seemingly dealt with once and for all as the Doctor sent the sarcophagus into Cromer through Wibbsey’s atlas, the Demon was left with his freedom as promised. Will we hear more from him in the next series? I look forward to finding out that’s for sure! Wibbsey’s being saved thanks to having her DNA isolated was a fun way to end things, but there was still time for a cliffhanger as on Christmas Eve some unexpected guests were at the door! Overall though, an excellent conclusion to a really fun series!

Rating: 9/10