The Home Guard (audio story)

 was the first story of the sixth series of The Early Adventures, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Simon Guerrier, narrated by Anneke Wills and featured the Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Ben Jackson and Polly Wright. James Dreyfus also features as, returning after his encounter with the First Doctor in The Destination Wars.

Guerrier was inspired by Dominic Sandbrook's history of 1960s Britain, White Heat, and the BBC wartime sitcom, Dad's Army. Originally the story was a pastiche of Dad's Army but Guerrier was dissatisfied with it and rewrote it, incorporating a tone similar to the 1945 film .

A number of references remain to the sources of inspiration: the cover's Union Flag arrows are identical to those seen in the Dad's Army opening credits, the character of Robert Collins was based on, and the Doctor also calls Jamie. Additionally, Sandbrook lends his surname to the character Jill Sandbrook. (BFX: The Home Guard)

Publisher's summary
It’s the middle of the Second World War and Ben Jackson has returned to visit his married friends Polly and Jamie in their quiet English village. But they can't quite shake the feeling that something's not right...

Part 1
A battered and bruised soldier, with a broken arm, flees through a field of ruth. He finally reaches a bus stop, just as a bus is approaching; but as he is waving his healthy arm to tell the driver to stop, a dark figure reaches him and kills him with a cubic object he holds in his hand. From that same bus, Ben Jackson, a sailor from the Royal Navy, comes down just a second later, and goes off his way, without noticing the tiny, doll-size corpse of the soldier.

Ben reaches the cottage of two old friends, a married couple: Jamie McCrimmon and Polly Wright, finding them dressed in uniform, with a rifle, and ready to leave. They welcome him warmly, and offer to take him in with them, but they also tell him they must be leaving now, or they are going to be late. Jamie invites him to come along with them, and Ben accepts. They all go off together, oblivious to the presence of a little camera on the enclosure of the cottage, turning to follow them.

Polly, Jamie and Ben reach the village, seemingly ignoring the cameras following their steps. As they approach, they are seen from Jamie and Polly’s superior officer to the local Home Guard, Molly Hanson, to which they both belong. She moves to reach them.

Part 2
to be added

Part 3
to be added

Part 4
to be added

Cast

 * Polly / Narrator - Anneke Wills
 * Jamie / The Doctor - Frazer Hines
 * Ben Jackson - Elliot Chapman
 * - James Dreyfus
 * Jill Sandbrook - Molly Hanson
 * Robert Collins - Brian Murphy

Continuity

 * The Master uses the Tissue Compressor Eliminator for what is chronologically the first time in the continuity of the series. That weapon will become a significant part of his arsenal in later years. (TV: Terror of the Autons et al.)
 * The Doctor mentions the encounter with the Macra. Polly still has short hair. (TV: The Macra Terror)
 * The Doctor recalls facing the Master on Destination. He thought the Master was dead. (AUDIO: The Destination Wars)
 * The Doctor tries to remind Ben about past adventures, mentioning WOTAN, (TV: The War Machines) the Moon, (TV: The Moonbase) the Macra, who had previously used brainwashing on them, (TV: The Macra Terror) the fish people (TV: The Underwater Menace) and the Yes Men. (AUDIO: The Yes Men)
 * By the end of the story, the Master is put on trial for the first time in his life; he will later also be put on trial by the Daleks (TV: Doctor Who). He tries to appeal to an independent court, only for him to be answered that, if he wants, he can be judged by his own people, as it will eventually happen to the Doctor himself. (TV: The War Games)