Doctor Who: Vengeance on Varos
by Philip Martin; dir. Ron Jones (BBC, 1985)
A rare instance of a decent Sixth Doctor script. Colin Baker is still left with little to do but (a) run about and (b) look smugly unconcerned, but Varos at least gives a sign of how good his tenure could have been.
Horse Pie
by Dick King-Smith (Doubleday, 1993); audiobook read by Andrew Sachs (Bolinda, 2014)
Dick King-Smith knew his animals and knew how to write for children, crafting a gentle middle grade story of an old donkey whose morals save the day. Andrew Sachs pitches his reading nicely, bringing distinct personality to horses, donkey and humans alike.
The Navy Lark, Series Six, Volume 1
(BBC, 1963)
Though tending to hammer the same nails over and over, radio sitcom The Navy Lark (any episode) showcased all the ingredients necessary to sustain a long-running comedy. Familiarity brought the audience close, breeding contentedness. Starring Jon Pertwee and Ronnie Barker, among others.
Psmith in the City
by P. G. Wodehouse (A & C Black, 2010); audiobook read by Jonathan Cecil (Chivers, 1997)
Wodehouse’s glib paean to the banking profession exhibits some of the style but little of the intricate substance of his later works. The loquacious Psmith has his charms, yet the narrative voice is comparatively lacking, the plot rather straightforward in its weave.
The Professionals #5: Blind Run
by Ken Blake (Sphere, 1979)
Although not one of the best Professionals novelisations — a verdict that rests as much on the quality of the three episodes depicted as upon the writing — Blind Run nevertheless captures much of the on-screen action and the charisma of its three leads.
The Two Ronnies
(BBC Audiobooks, 1976/2010)
Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker were at their witty, rip-roaring, wordy best in this mid-1970s LP collection of Two Ronnies sketches, faux news items and assorted titbits – an uproarious comedy hodgepodge of what should have been said (‘and it’s goodnight from him’).
Deathhunter
by Ian Watson (Gollancz, 1981)
In attempting to cure his patient’s delusions, death guide Jim Todhunter must confront the possibility that Death is a creature to be captured and caged. Deathhunter combines slightly cumbersome world building with trippy existential ideas. It’s SF styled with a 1980s twist.
Doctor Who: The Time Monster
by Robert Sloman; dir. Paul Bernard (BBC, 1972)
Roger Delgado is a tour de force as the Master but once again a Pertwee-era story does his character no justice. The Time Monster is overlong and shambolic — its threat false, the scheme pea-brained — with bafflegab and deus ex machina to burn.
Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow
by Arthur Conan Doyle (John Murray, 1917); audiobook read by Derek Jacobi (BBC, 2010)
There are few more beguiling characters in literature than Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, the great detective here (as ever) charming with his interpretation of clues beyond the reader’s access, in narratives no writer today would dare submit. The feat is most singular.
Pigs Have Wings
by P. G. Wodehouse (Doubleday, 1952); audiobook read by Jeremy Sinden (AudioGO, 1994)
The era of Blandings Castle may be well and truly bygone, the language with which Wodehouse describes it may not endear modern writers to their prospective publishers, yet Wodehouse’s charm is undeniable and his weaving together of plot strands constitutes a masterclass.