The upcoming Target novelisations of five Doctor Who serials are being adapted into audiobooks – read by original cast members!
The news that Target books of City of Death, Rose, The Christmas Invasion, The Day of the Doctor, and Twice Upon A Time will be released next month was very warmly received; it’s certainly got writers at the DWC excited! These will be followed by readings of each novel, released by BBC Audio.
Rose (written by Russell T. Davies) and The Christmas Invasion (Jenny Colgan) will be read by Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler, as if you didn’t know!), while The Day of the Doctor, adapted by Steven Moffat, will be read by Nicholas Briggs, voice of the Daleks. No readers have been announced for Twice Upon A Time (Paul Cornell) and City of Death (James Goss), although ideally (and realistically) David Bradley and Lalla Ward respectively would be great. Alternatively, they might just release an abridged version of this one, indeed read by Ward.
Here are the synopses for Rose, The Christmas Invasion, The Day of the Doctor, and Twice Upon A Time:
Rose
Camille Coduri reads this brand new novelisation of the Ninth Doctor’s debut TV adventure.
“Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!”
In a lair somewhere beneath central London, a malevolent alien intelligence is plotting the end of humanity. Shop window dummies that can move – and kill – are taking up key positions, ready to strike.
Rose Tyler, an ordinary Londoner, is working her shift in a department store, unaware that this is the most important day of her life. She’s about to meet the only man who understands the true nature of the threat facing Earth, a stranger who will open her eyes to all the wonder and terror of the universe – a traveller in time and space known as the Doctor. This is the story that relaunched Doctor Who for the 21st Century, novelised by showrunner Russell T Davies from his original script.
Running time: 3 hours 15 mins approx.
The Christmas Invasion
Camille Coduri reads this brand new novelisation of the Tenth Doctor’s first adventure. Earth is under attack by power-hungry aliens. This is no time for the Doctor to be out of action.
When a British space probe is intercepted by a sinister alien vessel on the eve of Christmas, it marks the beginning of an audacious invasion of the Earth by the Sycorax – horrifying marauders from beyond the stars. Within hours, a third of humanity stands on the brink of death with not a single shot fired.
Our planet needs a champion – but the Doctor is not fit for service. He’s just regenerated, delirious in a new body and a dressing gown. Forced into his battered shoes is his friend, Rose Tyler, a girl from a London council estate. Will she save the world from this nightmare before Christmas – or see it destroyed?
Running time: 3 hours 15 mins approx.
The Day of the Doctor
An unabridged reading of the brand new novelisation of the spectacular 50th anniversary TV episode. When the entire universe is at stake, three different Doctors will unite to save it.
The Tenth Doctor is hunting shape-shifting Zygons in Elizabethan England. The Eleventh is investigating a rift in space-time in the present day. And one other – the man they used to be but never speak of – is fighting the Daleks in the darkest days of the Time War. Driven by demons and despair, this battle-scarred Doctor is set to take a devastating decision that will threaten the survival of the entire universe… a decision that not even a Time Lord can take alone.
On this day, the Doctor’s different incarnations will come together to save the Earth… to save the universe… and to save his soul.
Running time: 3 hours 15 mins approx.
Twice Upon A Time
An unabridged reading of the brand new novelisation of the Twelfth Doctor’s dramatic final adventure. Still reeling from his encounter with the Cybermen, the First Doctor stumbles through the bitter Antarctic wind, resisting the approaching regeneration with all his strength. But as he fights his way through the snowdrifts, he comes across the familiar shape of a blue police box, and a mysterious figure who introduces himself as the Doctor…
Thrown together at their most vulnerable moments, the two Doctors must discover why the snowflakes are suspended in the sky, why a First World War Captain has been lifted from his time stream moments before his death, and who is the mysterious Glass Woman who knows their true name. The Doctor is reunited with Bill, but is she all she seems? And can he hold out against the coming regeneration?
Running time: 3 hours 15 mins approx.
Covers are by the wonderful Anthony Dry.
The audiobooks are expected to be released on 18th June 2018, with an RRP between £20 and £25.
