...And They All Lived Happily Ever After!

Getting over the disappointment that the dramatic ending of A Sting In The Tale doesn't pan out in Hive Of Horrors, the concluding episode of Paul Magrs audio adventure for the Fourth Doctor, the adventure continues with The Doctor (Tom Baker), his housekeeper Mrs Wibbsey (Susan Jameson) and Mike Yates (Richard Franklin) facing off against the Hornet Queen (Rula Lenska).

The Doctor shrinks himself - and his two companions - down so they can invade the hornets' nest, which is tucked away inside the head of a stuffed zebra in the study of his Sussex cottage.

Mike had already discovered that The Doctor didn't place the advert that originally summoned him - back in The Stuff Of Nightmares - but here they deduce not only how it came about, but what the Hornet Queen's interest is in the ex-UNIT officer.

As befits a Classic Doctor Who story, this final episode is dominated with the climatic confrontation between The Doctor and his nemesis and, having wondered where this was all going, his ultimate non-violent triumph was a stroke of foreshadowed genius that genuinely surprised me and yet felt so perfectly right for the character and the scenario.

With this episode the narration shifted back to a split focus between Mike and The Doctor, with the balance going to the former UNIT captain as he and The Doctor dissect their latest escapade.

As wild and colourful as the previous episodes, I had some nagging doubts (after the slight wobble with A Sting In The Tale) that Magrs would be able to wrap everything up satisfactorily in Hive Of Horror - but as is often the case I was delighted to be proved wrong.

Initially I was slightly concerned that the last two discs of this five-CD story were released simultaneously, but now I realise that The Doctor wanted to tie up his tale by December 25 so he could wish everyone a Happy Christmas (how long until that particular sound bite is doing the rounds on the Internet and on people's mobile phones?).

The whole run of this story has been literate, quirky genius dipped in a honey-coating of extreme Britishness; I really hope that this "experiment" for the BBC has proved such a success that they commission further original Doctor Who stories in this format.