PLAYWRIGHT Gareth Preston is under Doctor's orders after joining an elite Who's Who of science fiction scribes.

The 31-year-old of Curzon Road, Heaton, has seen a lifelong ambition realised after one of his scripts was published and released as a radio-style play on cassette and CD.

Manchester Metropolitan University computer technician Mr Preston says he has seen his two passions -- writing and a lifelong love of Doctor Who -- come together in the epic, which is in the shops now.

He said: "I have been writing science fiction radio plays for years but only on an amateur basis.

"I attend a lot of conventions and another writer put me on to a company who produce Doctor Who-related videos and tapes.

"I sent them one of my scripts and they commissioned the cassette."

The hour long story -- Sontarans: Conduct Unbecoming -- was recorded in London earlier this year and includes the vocal talents of television character actor Tom Chadbon, among others.

It follows the exploits of one of the good Doctor's arch foes, the Sontarans, who gave Jon Pertwee no end of problems back in 1973.

Mr Preston said: "Although the story is linked to Doctor Who, it doesn't actually involve him.

"The Sontarans were a warlike race who looked a little like very angry boiled eggs.

"I have expanded on the television programme by looking at other aspects of their culture and society."

As a taster, Mr Preston's tale centres on the Sontarans' endless war with the Rutans in which two humans become inextricably linked.

Sontaran hero Bestok is sent to track them down but unearths more about his own race than he would like to.

Mr Preston said: "One of the problems I had was coming up with convincing names for the characters.

"They either didn't sound right or the company would reject them. I got my inspiration from lots of things but I liked the theme of things not being what they seemed."

Mr Preston hopes the cassette will lead to more writing work.

But he has one goal that would be out of this world -- to pen a piece about the Doctor himself.

He said: "The company which produced the tape also do cassettes about the Doctor and it would be amazing if I was given the chance to put my own slant on his character."

Sontarans: Conduct Unbecoming is available on mail order from Southampton-based producers BBV or from specialist science fiction shops like Manchester's Forbidden Planet.