What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fourth Doctor at Nest Cottage #2
Doctor Who: Hornets' Nest, The Dead Shoes
Visiting the English seaside town of Cromer in the summer of 1932, the Doctor happens upon the strange world of the Cromer Palace of Curios. The young Ernestina Scott is unusually beguiled by one of the museum's exhibits, and when the Doctor befriends her, they unwittingly embark upon a terrifying escapade. Tom Baker reprises his role as the beloved fourth Doctor in this multi-voice production. This is #2 in a series of five stories.
Audio CD
First published October 15, 2009
48 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 6, 2023
"The Hornets and I are forming a foxtrot through time! A temporal tango! I am waltzing with the storm!"
February 1, 2017
Doctor Who: Hornets' Nest, Part 2 -The Dead Shoes was an excellent listen. The audio drama portrayed Doctor Who, played by Tom Baker, taking on the alien hornets again in the realm of ballet. The story was just a little creepy in places. Would I recommend the audio drama? Absolutely!
November 27, 2024
After really enjoying the first installment of this series, I became hooked and knew I wanted to continue this series as soon as possible. The Dead Shoes in particular is a story that's been on my radar for a while now, I love stories with creepy dolls.
The Doctor's fight against the Hornets takes him on a journey down through the timelines. He arrives in the seaside town of Cromer in 1932. A pair of shoes with feet still inside them have been stolen from the Cromer Palace of Curios and The Doctor must get them back before something awful happens to Ernestina Stott. Unfortunately for her, the Hornets have something terrible in mind.
Paul Magrs has written a fun seaside adventure with dangerous mind-parasitic hornets, possessed dancing shoes, and killer dolls. We finally learn how The Doctor and Miss Wibbsey met in this one and how important she is to the narrative. It's an enjoyable story with some very creepy moments.
Overall: It's a really good follow-up to The Stuff of Nightmares, admittedly it's not quite as strong or engaging but it's still a brilliant listen. 8/10
The Doctor's fight against the Hornets takes him on a journey down through the timelines. He arrives in the seaside town of Cromer in 1932. A pair of shoes with feet still inside them have been stolen from the Cromer Palace of Curios and The Doctor must get them back before something awful happens to Ernestina Stott. Unfortunately for her, the Hornets have something terrible in mind.
Paul Magrs has written a fun seaside adventure with dangerous mind-parasitic hornets, possessed dancing shoes, and killer dolls. We finally learn how The Doctor and Miss Wibbsey met in this one and how important she is to the narrative. It's an enjoyable story with some very creepy moments.
Overall: It's a really good follow-up to The Stuff of Nightmares, admittedly it's not quite as strong or engaging but it's still a brilliant listen. 8/10
October 28, 2021
Good performance by original cast members of this classic show. Good take on the red shoes story as well.
November 30, 2009
This is a bit more like it. The complaints about the sparseness of the sound design and the balance of narration versus dramatization that I made in my review of Hornets' Nest: The Stuff of Nightmares largely still apply to this next installment. However, laying those aside and taking this audio on its own terms, I think it succeeds better than the previous installment for a couple of reasons.
First, though the sound design remains sparse, I thought it was more effective than the previous story. While listening to The Stuff of Nightmares, I was constantly second-guessing the sound design, asking myself why they had chosen to add particular sound effects and not add others, why they hadn't used music at a particular point, and so on. I didn't have any such problem with The Dead Shoes, and thought the use of music in particular was quite effective in conveying atmosphere.
Second, the story is livelier and shows more of the wacky inventiveness that I usually expect from a Paul Magrs story. There are odd museums, old ballet shoes with the owner's feet rather gruesomely still inside them, and numerous clever tricks with the 4th Doctor's famous scarf.
Finally, Tom Baker's performance is more consistently lively and energetic than it was in the first installment. There's been a lot of discussion online about whether Tom Baker's performance in these audios is consistent with his TV persona. I think it is, although it's a performance slanted very much towards the amiable eccentric side of the 4th Doctor.
Actually, when you consider how much of Tom Baker's performance on TV was visual - the way he could transform in an instant from remote alien dignity to being all wide eyes and wider grin - it's possibly a bit amazing that the portrayal works well on audio at all. Possibly what I perceived as a flat performance in The Stuff of Nightmares was simply an attempt to convey the remote and alien side of the 4th Doctor's persona. Maybe that just doesn't work without the visuals to accompany it.
The Dead Shoes is still not an absolute home run of an audio, but it does make for pleasant relaxed listening while curled up with a cup of tea on a cold winter's night.
First, though the sound design remains sparse, I thought it was more effective than the previous story. While listening to The Stuff of Nightmares, I was constantly second-guessing the sound design, asking myself why they had chosen to add particular sound effects and not add others, why they hadn't used music at a particular point, and so on. I didn't have any such problem with The Dead Shoes, and thought the use of music in particular was quite effective in conveying atmosphere.
Second, the story is livelier and shows more of the wacky inventiveness that I usually expect from a Paul Magrs story. There are odd museums, old ballet shoes with the owner's feet rather gruesomely still inside them, and numerous clever tricks with the 4th Doctor's famous scarf.
Finally, Tom Baker's performance is more consistently lively and energetic than it was in the first installment. There's been a lot of discussion online about whether Tom Baker's performance in these audios is consistent with his TV persona. I think it is, although it's a performance slanted very much towards the amiable eccentric side of the 4th Doctor.
Actually, when you consider how much of Tom Baker's performance on TV was visual - the way he could transform in an instant from remote alien dignity to being all wide eyes and wider grin - it's possibly a bit amazing that the portrayal works well on audio at all. Possibly what I perceived as a flat performance in The Stuff of Nightmares was simply an attempt to convey the remote and alien side of the 4th Doctor's persona. Maybe that just doesn't work without the visuals to accompany it.
The Dead Shoes is still not an absolute home run of an audio, but it does make for pleasant relaxed listening while curled up with a cup of tea on a cold winter's night.
Read
December 23, 2009"I'm baffled by the critism of The Hornet's Nest from some online commentators. Of course it's not like a Big Finish audio play, this is because it isn't a Big Finish audio play. Of course it's not like a Fourth Doctor television story, but it isn't a television story. I admit that Tom Baker is playing Tom Baker even more obviously than he did on screen in the 1970s; it's also true that this is the Doctor presented as earthbound paranormal investigator rather than traveller through all of space and time; but it seems to me entirely within the range of the Doctor we know (especially as supplemented by Baker's performance of himself as late). It's not blow-me-away brilliant, but very entertaining."
May 4, 2020
2nd of the 5 linked Dr Who stories in the Hornet's Nest series by Paul Magrs featuring Tom Baker.
We learn the origin of the Doctor's housekeeper Mrs. Wibbsey in this super creepy tale which begins in an old curiosity museum on Cromer pier in 1932. Demonically possessed ballet shoes, alien hornets, reanimated taxidermy and walking dolls all appear in this wonderfully sinister tale that remains one of my all time favourite Dr Who stories.
Taking inspiration from the red shoes, Alice in Wonderland and classic Who like Ark in Space this one's Freaky, weird and creepy, exactly what Dr Who is all about. Recommended.
We learn the origin of the Doctor's housekeeper Mrs. Wibbsey in this super creepy tale which begins in an old curiosity museum on Cromer pier in 1932. Demonically possessed ballet shoes, alien hornets, reanimated taxidermy and walking dolls all appear in this wonderfully sinister tale that remains one of my all time favourite Dr Who stories.
Taking inspiration from the red shoes, Alice in Wonderland and classic Who like Ark in Space this one's Freaky, weird and creepy, exactly what Dr Who is all about. Recommended.
January 25, 2017
The tale of Ms. Wibbsey's entrance into the life of the Doctor, and the progression of the saga of the Hornets.
The narrative is more strongly centered in Tom Baker's monologue which makes it feel much more like a book reading. His masterful voice acting is as enchanting as he can be in an ensemble cast.
A point to remember is the revelation that once touched by the Hornets, one cannot escape their contagion. The proof that the Doctor must occasionally hypnotize her to help keep the influence at bay.
The tension builds as now the living taxidermy waits at the door, and the mystery of the Hornets still buzzing in our ear.
The narrative is more strongly centered in Tom Baker's monologue which makes it feel much more like a book reading. His masterful voice acting is as enchanting as he can be in an ensemble cast.
A point to remember is the revelation that once touched by the Hornets, one cannot escape their contagion. The proof that the Doctor must occasionally hypnotize her to help keep the influence at bay.
The tension builds as now the living taxidermy waits at the door, and the mystery of the Hornets still buzzing in our ear.
June 16, 2010
Sinister goings on as Tom Baker makes a triumphant return to the show that made him a huge star.
August 12, 2013
The Doctor continues telling Mike his story where a woman becomes possessed after stealing a pair of mummified feet in ballet shoes and performs in them.
June 6, 2014
creepy, horrible, and humourous!
September 9, 2014
Well done!
January 22, 2015
A ridiculous story but Tom Baker pulls it off.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews