Doctor Who: Scratchman: 4th Doctor Novel

Tom Baker

Jan 2019 · BBC Digital Audio · Narrated by Tom Baker

About this audiobook

In his first-ever Doctor Who novel, Tom Baker’s incredible imagination is given free rein. A story so epic it was originally intended for the big screen, Scratchman is a gripping, white-knuckle thriller almost forty years in the making.

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive at a remote Scottish island, when their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures – hideous scarecrows, who are preying on the local population. The islanders are living in fear, and the Doctor vows to save them all. But it doesn’t go to plan – the time travellers have fallen into a trap, and Scratchman is coming for them.

With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the Doctor must battle an ancient force from another dimension, one who claims to be the Devil. Scratchman wants to know what the Doctor is most afraid of. And the Doctor’s worst nightmares are coming out to play...

Tom Baker himself reads this legendary Doctor Who adventure, a spine-chilling thriller forty years in the making.

Duration: 8h 40m

Written by Tom Baker with James Goss Storyline by Tom Baker and Ian Marter Additional voices by Nicholas Briggs

Ratings and reviews

This actually feels like two separate and linked adventures, "Doctor Who and the Scarecrows" and "Doctor Who and Scratchman". It takes you right back to the 80s and Tom is in top form as both a reader and a writer. I imagine that you'd get so much more out of this audio book than you would out of the written version because Tom "acts" a lot and because he does his amazing laugh in all the right places. It felt like there was a little ad-libbing going on. The story is fairly good, slightly better than average for a Tom Baker story and there are some brilliant callbacks to his earlier adventures -- even those in earlier bodies. In fact, there's a few jokes in there pointing directly at previous and later doctors. The characterisation of Sarah and in particular, Harry is spot on and it makes me miss them both more than ever. If you're a fan of classic who, you'll be a fan of this.

I've followed Doctor Who since the early '80s. The old joke is that you never forget your first Doctor, and for me that Doctor is Tom Baker. I wasn't aware that he had written and produced an audiobook of the Doctor's adventures, since life tends to intrude, but having found this I have to truthfully say I'm pleased. If I close my eyes, I feel like a kid watching a madman with a long scarf, floppy hat and more hair that I've ever had in my life. Tom Baker doesn't just read the part - he literally is the Doctor. I'm enjoying this audiobook, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that others are (or will) too.

I'm only a portion through the audio book, but it is excellent so far. The audio book has the additional bonus of Tom Baker, himself reading it. It is quite wonderful to hear his voice and imagine the scenery as he vividly has written it. If you are fan of Doctor Who I strongly encourage you to give this a read....or listen.

About the author

Tom Baker (Author, Reader)
Tom Baker is an actor best known for his role as the Fourth Doctor in the BBC hit series Doctor Who from 1974-1981. After leaving the show, Tom continued to act and provide voiceover work for many popular British TV programmes including Black Adder, Agatha Christie’s Marple, Little Britain, and many more. He is the author of an autobiography, Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? and the darkly comic novel, The Boy Who Kicked Pigs.