An Historical Timeline of The Scarifyers
December 24th 1936 - January 1937
The Scarifyers: The Nazad Conspiracy
Ghost-story writer Professor Edward Dunning is drawn into a world stranger than any of his imaginings when a mysterious Russian enters his apartments on Christmas Eve and jumps through a window. Dunning assists Inspector Lionheart of Whitechapel Police in uncovering the sinister plans of a group of Russian emigres to harness the power of a reincarnated Rasputin to regain power in their motherland. They are helped along the way by the Satanist Aleister Crowley.
Impressed by their work, Colonel Black of Military Intelligence asks the pair to head up his new supernatural investigation department, MI-13.
January - February 1937
The Terror of Totleigh (unrecorded)
Lionheart and Dunning journey to the sedate village of Totleigh-in-the-Wold where they uncover a coven of witches with a sinister agenda, operating behind the cover of the Womens’ Institute. They apprehend the criminal mastermind responsible, Doreen Bradshaw, when she gives herself away during the ritual of Imbolc. Luckily, Dunning isn’t tempted by her Victoria sponge.
February 1937
The Scarifyers: The Devil of Denge Marsh
Lionheart and Dunning are called to Whitehall by Colonel Black's newly-appointed deputy, Alexander Chetwode Caulfield-Browne, and asked to investigate the mysterious death-by-melting of junior minister Barnaby Weir.
The investigation leads them to the isolated village of Denge Marsh on the south Kent coast, where an RAF project has taken a sinister turn. Soon they find themselves dragged into the murky world of the Cult of Shub-Niggurath, a terrifying interdimensional being from the dawn of time, and a group of her acolytes, lead by the sinister underworld figure Sebastian Malherbe.
March 1937
The British Museum Affair (unrecorded)
When a mummified Egyptian bull escapes from the British Museum, Lionheart and Dunning are called in to investigate. The affair takes a turn for the worse, not to say the farcial, when one-by-one the other mummified animals come to life, including a cat, a dog, a falcon, an eel, and several unidentified rodents. Through skill, judgement and a bit of luck the intrepid pair bring the infestation under control - but it is never discovered how the animals came to be reanimated...
May 1937
The Scarifyers: For King and Country
MI-13 take it upon themselves to investigate the supernaturalist ‘Sir’ Harry Price, who has constructed a remarkable machine to aid in his ghost-hunting. His "Price Ghost Captivator™" will enable him to capture the spirits of the dead - if he can make it work. But is there more to his invention than even Sir Harry knows?
Meanwhile, Londoners are being killed - in especially gruesome fashion - with their own electrical appliances. Inspector Natterjack of the Yard is puzzled by the Faraday Murderer’s habit of leaving cryptic messages in 17th century English at the scene - cryptic messages that mention a certain Harry Price…
May 12th 1937
BBC Television transmits King George VI’s Coronation procession, the first official outside broadcast and use of an OB van, and seen by 50,000 viewers. What they do not see, luckily, are Lionheart and Dunning doing battle with a hoard of Roundhead skeletons, lead by the reincarnated Oliver Cromwell and the spirit of Matthew Hopkins inhabiting the body of a dead policeman.
June 1937
The Scarifyers: Curse of the Black Comet
Renowned explorer and antiquarian Sir Basil Champion is pronounced missing, presumed dead.
July 1937
MI-13 are called in to investigate an outbreak of a particularly virulent strain of bubonic plague, which occurred during the reading of Sir Basil's will. The investigation leads them to the remote Scottish hideaway of the American billionaire D.D. Denham, and eventually to Egypt, the site of one of Sir Basil's least celebrated ventures. There they discover the true identity of the mysterious Mr Ravenscroft, and the terrible secret of the fabled Black Comet.
August 1937
The Scarifyers: The Secret Weapon of Doom
Dunning and his fellow scribblers, The Fantasists, are the main attraction at literary event "The Festival of the Fantastic", with the society's founder, Mr Jaspher Pleydell-Bouverie, the guest of honour. Unfortunately, the audience has been infiltrated by the egregious moral crusader Mrs Primula Manningtree and members of her National Readers and Listeners Association. Dunning's book reading goes down so badly that he is forced to flee the theatre, and during the ensuing melee he is caught up in an unfortunate accident involving a speeding car and a bathchair.
September 1937
Temporarily invalided out of service at MI-13, Professor Dunning returns to his first love - writing. He sets about an anthology of fantastical fiction in collaboration with his fellow Fantasists. In his absence, MI-13 chief Colonel Black pairs Lionheart up with a new sidekick: top spy, and housewives' favourite, Victor Bright. The new team must investigate the disappearance of a fabled super weapon - but they soon discover they aren't the only ones who want to find it...
October 31st 1937
The Curse of the Cult of Thoth
Dunning appears live on BBC Radio’s Picture Page with Leslie Mitchell, to read his latest short story, “The Curse of the Cult of Thoth”. The appearance goes down in broadcasting history, for all the wrong reasons.
December 24th 1937
The Yule Lads
Arthur Fright, Dickens fan and octogenarian, is disturbed from his Christmas Eve mutterings by an unearthly moaning from his chimney. He is more than a little put out when the boys from MI13 emerge, hot on the trail of some Icelandic trolls...
December 25th 1937
Mr Crowley's Christmas
With neither Lionheart or Dunning having much in the way of family to spend Christmas with, they decide instead to surprise their old friend Aleister Crowley. But, as the world's pre-eminent Satanist, Perdurabo isn't looking forward to the Yuletide festivities. Can they induce him to to enjoy Christmas Day? It's the Scarifyers' toughest challenge yet...
February 1938
The Magic Circle
A group of magicians with a sinister off-stage agenda, a second-rate music hall comedian, and an old lady in a lime-green headscarf. What can possibly link these disparate people? It's the job of MI-13 to find out, in a case that rapidly becomes more personal than it first appears...
April 1938
Our heroes return to Scotland - this time to follow up a report, intercepted by MI-13, of an unusual sighting in the vicinity of Loch Ness...
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