M052 - Scherzo

Scherzo starts the Divergent Universe arc, where the Eighth Doctor and Charley are lost in another dimension, and it does it in a very interesting way. This could be the essential audio story, and is reminiscent of the TV series' Midnight, where David Tennant spent the whole episode dealing with an invisible creature trying to steal his voice.

In a world with nothing, and their senses dulled, Charley and the Doctor realize they are being followed by a creature made purely of sound. And as it grows and evolves they are faced with the strange experience of being parents to a new form of life.

Since the world they have arrived in operates under different laws, it would have been inconceivable to tell this story in the TV show. The audio-only format gave the storytellers great freedom, and this story runs with it. In certain ways it loses its footing, by going too bizarre with some of the later stages of the creatures' evolution, but the story is so unique that it's worth it.

Although I didn't like the narration added in The Wormery, I think the opening story, where before the title music Paul McGann continues a tale about a power-mad king, adds great atmosphere to an already atmospheric episode. In fact, the story of the king is by itself one of the more interesting stories I've heard.