The Wormery (audio story)

Publisher's summary
There's one place in creation where the truth really can be found in the bottom of a glass -- Bianca's, a very special and very exclusive little club.

The Doctor, careworn and seeking quiet distraction, gains admission. But his rest and relaxation is soon shattered by the wobbly arrival of louche trans-temporal adventuress Iris Wildthyme. She claims she's on a secret mission of vital importance, the success of which hinges on her getting paralytic. When she's drunk, she can hear the whispering voices in her head..

The Doctor soon learns that Bianca's airs and graces cover not just one malevolent power lurking in the shadows, but several. And a wriggling, writhing presence has designs on the clientele -- just as Bianca herself has designs on the Doctor.

At last, after so many centuries, the weary Time Lord is dragged by the heels into that darkest of undiscovered countries... love...

Cast

 * The Doctor - Colin Baker
 * Iris Wildthyme - Katy Manning
 * Bianca - Maria McErlane
 * Mickey - Jane McFarlane
 * Henry - Paul Clayton
 * Allis and Ballis - James Campbell
 * Heinrich - Jason Loborik
 * Barman - Ian Brooker

Uncredited cast

 * Mr. Ashcroft - Sylvester McCoy

Continuity

 * The Seventh Doctor makes a cameo appearance as he has done in Thicker Than Water.
 * The Doctor refers to his trial (DW: The Trial of a Time Lord).

Timeline

 * The Wormery occurs shortly after The Ultimate Foe, when Mel was taken back to her proper time stream. In fact, it can quite easily be read as the Doctor's first adventure after returning Mel to her proper time, as the Doctor refers to the trial in every episode, like it's an open wound.
 * The Wormery occurs at some point before Time and the Rani. A more specific placement with respect to the Big Finish line may plausibly be "before The One Doctor", the first Sixth Doctor/Mel audio appearance. However, this isn't absolutely confirmed in either audio drama, Furthermore, Mel's complicated timeline with the Sixth Doctor, like that of River Song]'s with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, makes problematic any definitive statements about the placement of her adventures with that Doctor.