Truant (audio story)

Truant was the third story in The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield box set Ruler of the Universe.

Publisher's summary
The President of the Universe has run away. Bernice has to hunt him down, but he's too busy having fun. Evil warlords! Impossible escapes! Sinister plans! The Doctor's on an adventure.

Plot
Having promised to find the Doctor, Benny follows his trail as he relives his glory days by saving Glorbo Minor from Maximillian, interrupting a swordfight between Sordo and King Slaygar and stopping the Holy Diode from taking over Dukas. He is disappointed that nobody puts up a fight due to his representation and is delighted when Benny catches up with him on Kellor and they are gassed with oxybromide.

Benny and the Doctor wake up in a cell and are condemned to death. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver on the captors' earpieces to make them collapse and finds a coin from the Bank of Silva, indicating that they are Silvans from the planet Silva. Whilst Benny looks into the Silvans, the Doctor goes to warn the authorities of the imminent invasion and meets Governor Lakis, who immediately confesses to being responsible for their capture.

Benny finds no record of the Silvans or their currency and finds that their biosignature is that of the people of Kellor, meaning that the invasion happened generations ago. She is chased by Agent Clovis and sends the coordinates of the last remaining native of Kellor to the Doctor. She gets there first and meets Morlick, but she does not let her or the Doctor in and is unaware of the invasion sixty years ago. When Lakis and the Silvans arrive, the Doctor demands that they cede control of the planet in order to be permitted into the safe zone of the Apocalypse Clock.

Lakis agrees to hand over the presidency to Morlick, but she has no interest in it and the frustrated Doctor leaves. Benny tells the Silvans that they will be safe and should do all they can to save other races. They return to Parliament where the Mother Superior informs the Doctor that articles of impeachment have been brought forth; the court is ready and the Doctor might no longer be Ruler of the Universe.

Cast

 * Bernice Summerfield - Lisa Bowerman
 * The Doctor - David Warner
 * Killian - Catrin Stewart
 * Lakis - Jonathan Bailey
 * Slaygar - Rhys Jennings
 * Sordo - Oliver Mason
 * Ebbis / Morlick - Hattie Hayridge
 * Mother Superior - Rowena Cooper

Crew

 * Cover Art - Tom Webster
 * Director Scott Handcock
 * Executive Producers - Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
 * Music and Sound Design - Steve Foxon
 * Producer & Script Editor - James Goss
 * Writer - Guy Adams

Worldbuilding

 * The Doctor saves the people of Globo Minor from Maximillian.
 * Maximillian has a pool of Galaxian piranha. Benny thinks that they are cute.
 * The Doctor uses a jetpack.
 * The Holy Diode prepare to use a treltium ray to take over Dukas.
 * Oxybromide is a knockout gas.
 * Kellon is always being invaded due to mineral deposits.
 * Benny mentions Christmas and Santa.
 * The cell has detanium bars.
 * Sonic crystal is an alternative to vinyl.
 * The Doctor's first stop was to the Abattoir of Grelthay to fight the Barbaric Butcher of Balthazar's Gate. He once ate a royal family but fainted when he saw the Doctor, putting and end to his plan to release a deadly virus.
 * The Doctor has a book by Dorothy Sayers.
 * Silva was destroyed 149 years ago. It was the home of the Silvans.
 * Benny has a Beans Beans Coffee loyalty card.
 * The Doctor gets a lift with Kabell. He is married to Sondra and has two daughters: Kiki and Lula.
 * Kabell's hot chocolate is made from beans from Catalania.
 * Benny steals Agent Clovis's ID.
 * Leonard had to take the Doctor's place and read a speech that the Doctor had apparently written.

Continuity

 * The Doctor interrupts an imminent swordfight by shouting, "There. Will. Be. No. Battle. Here." (TV: Battlefield)
 * Benny mentions the Doctor's therapist. (AUDIO: Asking for a Friend)