gobbleknoll-hall-artworkTom and Suzy come to the help of investigators looking into ghostly goings-on at Gobbleknoll Hall…

“Nice things” don’t happen to Tom Baker in this second account of extracts from his life in retirement. As totally insane as its predecessor, with a regard for the English language that swerves from Stanley Unwin to Mervyn Peake via Lewis Carroll, this second Baker’s End adventure is a delight from start to finish. Tom Baker is playing “Tom Baker”, toblerthwumping thespian and currently King of the Cats (hence the references to his tail, which may confuse anyone who didn’t hear the first story!) who lives at Baker’s End with his housekeeper Mrs Frimbly (Susan Jameson). They are visited by the actress who played Tom’s companion on television – who’s played by Katy Manning, setting aside her trademark ditziness for a more serious role that plays nicely against expectation. The village in which they live is descended upon by a ghost-hunting TV crew (Diane Morgan and Stephen Critchlow) who decide to make an episode of their series Manifest Yourself at Gobbleknoll Hall. But wouldn’t you know it? There really are ghosts there…

There are some fun links back to one of Bafflegab’s earlier audio series – the one-off Vince Cosmos – and a continuation of some of the plotlines from the first story. There’s also not so much a breaking of the fourth wall as its complete devastation by a maddened Hulk (just listen to the “subliminal” advertising at the end…!), and a chance for all the cast, including a manic sounding David Benson, to let loose. Beneath all the japes and wordmangling nonsense, there are serious moments in Paul Magrs’ script – listen to Tom’s monologue about halfway through which manages to invoke The Shining, T.S. Eliot and Basil Brush in the space of two minutes!

baker-manning-magrs-and-jamesonVerdict: Don’t fail to visit Gobbleknoll Hall or you may be gloriously fribblemangled! 9/10

Paul Simpson

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