Waiting for Gadot (audio story)

Waiting for Gadot was the fifteenth Subscriber Short Trips audio story. It was released as a subscriber-only download, available to subscribers who purchased Mask of Tragedy and Signs and Wonders. It was read by Hugh Ross. It was later released as part of Big Finish's Short Trips Rarities series.

Summary
"A roaming alien doctor — I can smell a series in this!"

EarthCom cameraman Marsh is a man on a mission: to film some incredibly rare wildlife on a remote world. But life on this planet is both busier and quieter than expected: and it holds Marsh's future in its grasp...

Plot
Marsh, a cameraman for EarthCom's Natural History Unit, Interplanetary Division, has been sent to Erindra to capture footage of the elusive mating ritual of the Gadot. One night, five months into his stay, acid rain destroys the generator powering his living quarters, shutting off the heat. He crosses the surface of the planet and makes the repairs, and returns to his living quarters. Later on, he's woken up by the arrival of a strange blue box and a mysterious man with a long scarf and dark, bushy hair. Startled, Marsh falls down the hill and is knocked unconscious.

Marsh wakes up to find the Doctor making him tea, having been unconscious for several hours. Marsh explains his purpose on the planet Erindra, and the Doctor indicates some knowledge of the Gadot. The Doctor explains to Marsh that the Gadot have been extinct for over forty years, too shy to emerge to the planet's surface following the arrival of humans, leading to their extinction. Marsh is horrified and breaks down, explaining that he failed in a previous assignment, and was given one last chance by taking a "punishment job". The Doctor tells Marsh that he shall see what he can do to help.

Having told Marsh to stand at the top of a hill overlooking the holes where the Gadot used to live, the Doctor has disappeared. As Marsh stands on the hill, the blue box from earlier reappears and the Doctor exits, followed by a Gadot. The Doctor explains that he used pheromones to attract it into his TARDIS, and brought it for Marsh to film. Marsh excitedly films the mating ritual of the Gadot, while the Doctor explains that he will have to bring it back to its proper time afterwards.

Back at EarthCom headquarters, Marsh sits in the office with his boss, Scullup, examining the footage. Worried that the footage isn't what his boss will want, his boss is instead enamoured with the Doctor and his appearance in the footage, wishing to make an entire reality show about that man. Scallup sends a dismayed Marsh back to Erindra to await the return of the Doctor to the planet, in order to get footage of him.

Through a series of recorded diary entries, Marsh reveals the existence of a woman named Anna, and discusses missing her birthday, and missing various holidays, such as Christmas and the New Year. Later on, Marsh reveals that the TARDIS did come back, only with an older man with white hair and a young, blonde woman exiting the TARDIS. Marsh states that one day, he knows the Doctor will return, and that Marsh will get the footage his boss wants, and then he'll kill the Doctor in revenge for losing his life with Anna.

Characters

 * Fourth Doctor
 * Marsh
 * Gadot
 * Scullup
 * Third Doctor
 * Jo Grant
 * Fifth Doctor
 * Sixth Doctor

Worldbuilding

 * While Marsh waits for The Doctor to return, he sees a number of people with boxes. Most recently "Some blonde girl" with "A white haired man with a young-old face". Having previously seen "One dressed for cricket." and "One in a clown suit.".

Story notes

 * The title of this story is a reference to the play by.
 * On 29 September 2017, this story was made available for general release as part of the Short Trips Rarities range, with a new cover by Tom Saunders.
 * This story was recorded at Ladbroke Audio.

Continuity
to be added