Tom Baker is turning his long-lost Doctor Who movie script into a novel

Actor Tom Baker is best known for his long-running stint as The Doctor in the British TV series Doctor Who, and will soon be returning to the franchise with a new novel, Doctor Who: Scratchman, based on a script that he and a co-star wrote while acting in the show.

The book will hit stores on January 24th, 2019, according to RadioTimes (via io9), which says that Baker began writing down ideas with co-star Ian Marter between scenes while filming the series in the 1970s. He later turned them into a script for a possible film, Doctor Who Meets the Scratchman, but was ultimately left to languish in an archive.

Image: BBC Books

The story follows The Doctor, Harry, and Sarah Jane as they arrive on a Scottish island, discovering that it’s been overrun by scarecrows that threaten local residents. As The Doctor promises to save them, it becomes clear that the entire setup is a trap by the Scratchman, who may or may not be the devil.

Baker is now resurrecting the concept for the book, which he co-wrote the novel with author James Goss. The story has been the stuff of fan lore for years, and it’ll be a long-awaited treat for fans who have wanted to take in the story. As an added bonus, Baker will narrate the audiobook.