June 23, 2025
The Doctor and Ruby encounter the terrifying Shreek in this short story by Pete McTighe from the official 2026 Doctor Who Annual...
When Conrad Clark stumbled upon the TARDIS in Lucky Day, we met the Doctor and Ruby Sunday on a past adventure - as they attempted to evade and capture a fearsome creature known as the Shreek. Now, as featured in the official 2026 Doctor Who Annual, we can experience this hair-raising encounter in its own short story.
Written by Lucky Day writer Pete McTighe, Night of the Shreek tells the story from Ruby's point of view - as she and the Doctor encounter the Shreek, right up to the day that Ruby confronts Conrad and guests on his podcast.
Ahead of the annual's release in August 2026, you can read an exclusive preview of the short story below...
It was cold. And it was hungry.
The shock of interdimensional travel had stunned it for a moment, so it lay there on a cold, unfamiliar floor, breathing hard. Vulnerable for just a few seconds. Then it flipped quickly on to all fours, scanning its surroundings with a defensive glare. But it was alone.
Its instincts said that this place was a fertile hunting ground. But this was its first time out of its hive, away from its kin. Detached from everything it had ever known, in a strange new world. Breathing the bitterly cold, toxic air, surrounded by towering concrete buildings, it felt lost. And lonely. And scared.
And it really, really needed to eat.
***
It was four a.m. in the cavernous British shopping centre. Everything was quiet and empty. Until a vending machine exploded, and a blue Police Box thunked into existence in its place.
The door whipped open, and the Doctor strode out, brow furrowed in concentration as he used his sonic to scan the immediate area.
Ruby hurried out after him. ‘Okay,’ she muttered, her Mancunian accent tinged with sarcasm. ‘Spot of late-night shopping?’
‘Maybe.’
The Doctor’s tone told Ruby he wasn’t listening. She hadn’t known him long, but this habit already wound her up. So she snatched the sonic out of his hand, and said, ‘I’ve got questions.’
‘Always with the questions.’
‘Where are we? When are we? And why are we?’
‘Babe! Free chocolate!’ The Doctor was distracted by dozens of chocolate bars scattered all over the floor. He knelt down and opened the foil wrapping.
‘Yeah,’ replied Ruby. ‘I guess that’s what happens when you land on a vending machine.’ The Doctor looked confused, then followed Ruby’s gaze to the flattened, twisted metal under and around the TARDIS. He chewed on his bar of chocolate nonchalantly. ‘They put those machines in the weirdest places.’
Ruby examined some broken pieces of plastic marked with price tags and codes for the machine. ‘One pound fifty,’ she said. ‘We’re in the UK. Prices look pretty standard, so we’re back in my time, give or take.’
The sonic chirruped, and the Doctor passed his chocolate to Ruby, studying the device intently. ‘Readings are breaking up, so whatever it is, it’s on the move.’ Then he was gone in a flap of his leather coat, leaving Ruby to close the TARDIS door and hurry after him.
‘What kind of readings?’ she muttered. The Doctor abruptly changed direction, striding off past a row of closed shops, studying his sonic.
‘Quantum particles. Means someone or something has dimension-hopped. Which – trust me, hun – is never good.’
‘Why would an alien be hanging out in a shopping centre after hours?’ The most bizarre thoughts crossed Ruby’s mind. ‘Are we arresting an alien shoplifter?’
‘That’d be a first. And I love firsts!’
Ruby rolled her eyes. A few hours ago, they had defeated Maestro, a terrifying entity that fed on music. Ruby had sung with Cilla Black and jammed with the Beatles. Before that, she’d faced off against a snot monster in deep space, dangled from a rope ladder above London and been kidnapped by goblins. The last week – had it really only been that long? – had been mad and impossible. And the best time of her life. But being back here in the UK, in a shopping centre, in the middle of the night when she couldn’t even buy a new jacket? Bit of a comedown. She chewed the chocolate bar thoughtfully as they strode on. ‘You know, technically, you’re an alien shoplifter. You owe someone for this chocolate.’
Before the Doctor could quip a reply, the sound of breaking glass stopped him in his tracks. A distant alarm sounded. The Doctor ran towards the commotion, and Ruby sprinted after him. They rounded corner after corner of the labyrinthine shopping centre, until they reached the shattered glass doors of a butcher’s shop. The Doctor used his sonic to neutralise the alarm and stood frozen on the spot with his hand held up to Ruby – don’t speak – as he listened to the silence. Then, he carefully stepped across the threshold.
