'London's Burning' by Jane McClarkey

Falling through Delta Time, Phil arrives in the tunnels under St. Paul’s Cathedral, during the Great Fire of London. Mistaken for the imp that supposedly started the conflagration, he is captured by the Lord Mayor, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, and his soldiers; however, when the real ‘imp’ – Belor’s lackey, Bram, wearing a hooded mask – runs past, the soldiers promptly release Phil and give chase. Phil then meets Lazlo; in this time zone the magician is Thomas Farriner, royal baker to King Charles II; however, Thomas is also under suspicion, as the inferno raging overhead somehow started in his bakery. After Phil reminds Thomas of their search for the Scarabeus, the baker recalls a clue to the object’s whereabouts, a puzzling rhyme he heard in a dream:

“Shielded well so it comes not loose,
Cheek of pig and feather of goose.”

Phil urges Thomas to look for the Scarabeus, but the cook is more concerned over the fate of his wife and son, who have mysteriously disappeared. Meanwhile, Belor – now disguised as an influential Countess – gleefully turns her captive, Thomas’ wife, Kate, into a living shadow. Searching the tunnels, Thomas rescues his son, Matthew, from Bram’s clutches, transforming the lackey into a rat. As Bram scurries away to find his mistress, Matthew tells of his mother’s capture, and then leads his father and Phil towards the Countess’ hideout. Elsewhere, the Mayor’s soldiers arrest the Countess for being a witch; however, when she is brought before Bloodworth, the Mayor gives the order for her release. It seems that the Mayor is in collusion with the Countess: she deliberately started the fire at his behest so that his brother and his workmen could build a new and better London. As the capitol continues to burn, Bloodworth happily looks over Christopher Wren’s designs for the improved St. Paul’s. Meanwhile, Phil, Thomas and Matthew make their way through the tunnels – until a restored Bram uses magic to bring the roof down on them…

Chris Harris (Lazlo / Thomas Farriner), Pamela Salem (Belor / The Countess), Simon Beal (Phil Church), Frank Windsor (Lord Mayor [Sir Thomas Bloodworth]), Howard Gooney (Bram), Jo Crawford (Kath Farriner), Phillip Manikum (Captain), Jason Lake (Matthew Farriner)

Directed by Peter Graham Scott
Produced by Peter Graham Scott
Executive Producer Patrick Dromgoole

TX (UK):
18th August 1982

Notes:
*Featuring Lazlo and Phil