Welcome to an extra long episode of Doctor Who Literature, but one of the deepest and most rewarding ones we've ever produced.

The subject is the February 1966 Doctor Who episode The Massacre, a troubled production where the original author tried to disclaim credit, the video is lost and only a few publicity photos survived, and the surviving audio is hard to untangle as William Hartnell only appears in a small handful of scenes.

We have three guests this week to help unravel the story:

--Repeat DWLit guest Denise Sutton joins Jason for a specially-recorded live introduction in Central London.

--Repeat DWLit guest Ian Potter, a Black Archives writer, helps Jason try to unravel the troubled production (and troubled production team!) at the heart of the TV serial.

--The Rev. Jerrod Hugenot, an American Baptist minister and Doctor Who fan, whose surname ties into this story, helps us understand the historical and religious context of August 1572.

And although he doesn't appear in this episode, we could not have produced this week without James Cooray Smith, who ⁠literally wrote the book on The Massacre⁠.

We'll be back next week to cover another William Hartnell adventure, with a much shorter episode!

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us!

Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels.

"Doctor Who – The Massacre" features cover art by Tony Masero.

Doctor Who Literature is a member of the ⁠Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network⁠.

Please e-mail the pod at ⁠DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com⁠.

You can catch all past episodes at ⁠https://⁠⁠podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/⁠⁠doctorwholit⁠.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels "Doctor Who – The Macra Terror" features cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the https://directionpoint.org/. Please e-mail the pod at mailto:DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

The Mind Robber is one of Jason's Top 60 Doctor Who episodes, and the 1987 novelization by Peter Ling more than does it justice. This week Jason is joined on Doctor Who Literature by Adam Clegg from The Real McCoy podcast to discuss the TV story, the novelization, the two New Adventures sequel novels involving the Land of Fiction... and brief discussions of the new Celestial Toymaker animation, and (as of this release date), Doctor Who's most recent TV broadcast, The Legend of Ruby Sunday.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us!

Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels

"Doctor Who – The Mind Robber" features cover art by David McAllister.

Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.

You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit

Several program notes this week. We're a big hit in France. The fabulous novelization cover by Roy Knipe generates much talk on Twitter. A major change to the show coming next week -- tune in and find out --

-- but before you do that, stick around this week. The always funny and ever-unpredictable Bill Evenson (of The Frankenstein Minute Podcast and Reality Bomb!) is back. We discuss Frankenstein, his Doctor Who humor book (co-written with repeat Doctor Who Literature guest Stacey Smith?), which is the better show: Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, and... occasionally, just very occasionally, we talk about "Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment".

Bill has a memorably rough time with "20 Questions". Will he finish? Will he be the first person in the history of the show to NOT get the answer?

Jason breaks down what CultBox calls his "forensic look" at the text. Who's the better narrator -- Jason, or Jon Culshaw?

Links this week:
We're thrilled to make CultBox's September podcast roundup.
Bill and Stacey Smith? wrote a very funny book.
Jason previously interviewed Bill and Stacey about it on Trap One.
Jason returns to Trap One to discuss The Celestial Toymaker this week.
And Bill can be  heard weekly on The Frankenstein Minute.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

There comes a time in every Doctor Who podcast's life -- and I'm sure I'll have plenty of them -- where the episode under discussion just isn't that good. This is one of those weeks, but it's a tribute to Doctor Who in general that it took 44 weeks' worth of books to get to this point.

Jason opens up with several anecdotes meant to delay the inevitable. Talking about dorm room decorations, Brooklyn geography, Winona Ryder, off-Broadway musicals, and knitting.

A mystery guest speaks to us, via an excerpt from a forthcoming Doctor Who Literature episode, about "The Android Invasion" on TV. Listen on to find out who!

Ross Aitken (@traitken) from Gallifrey's Most Wanted (@GallifreysMWPod) joins Jason this week for an all-encompassing and unpredictable discussion about the entirety of Doctor Who -- we literally chat about 1963 and 2022 and most stops in between -- while taking a few minutes to scowl at the TV episode and book in question this week.

Jason then reads a more sarcastic than usual breakdown of the Terrance Dicks novelization -- but Terrance himself has some thoughts on this story, it seems, and they're not too dissimilar to Jason's and Ross's.

Links to other podcasts mentioned in the episode:
Trap One: Galaxy 4
Gallifrey's Most Wanted: The 3rd Doctor
Gallifrey's Most Wanted: The 4th Doctor
Trap One: Doctor Who - Flux Trailer Breakdown

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

This week in September 2022 saw the announcement of the title of the next Doctor Who episode ("The Power of the Doctor"), although not the release date. This week also saw "Cobra Kai" Season 5 drop on Netflix, though that's of slightly less importance to fandom.

My guest this week is Paul Simpson (@scifibulletin), who has several terrific stories to tell about the early years of the Target Books publishing office and some amazing details about the early writers (Malcolm Hulke and his graph paper!). Paul is currently managing editor of Sci-Fi Bulletin.

Release information and a link to "Doctor Who and the Daleks: The Illustrated Edition" can be found here.

Stick around for the second half of the program, when Jason discusses the "Death to the Daleks" novelization -- a perfect example of how Terrance adds value and insight and depth to the TV serial even in a very short book. There's lots to break down today.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

It's been a busy week in world news, especially in England, with the selection of a new Prime Minister, the passing of the Queen, and the accession of a new King.

Here on Doctor Who Literature, we tackle the novelization of "The Time Warrior", a book with sole writing credit to Terrance Dicks, but actually the work of two men: Terrance, and Robert Holmes.

We spend some considerable time on the book's Prologue, written by Holmes. This week's guest, Conrad (@HairOfTheHound_), lays down one of the great guest-readings of all time. Jason and Conrad have a long chat about the state of Doctor Who in 2022, "The Time Warrior" on TV, that prologue, and all the other wonderful material in the book.

Conrad takes a run at becoming Champion of "20 Questions". Will he succeed?

Finally, Jason goes through the rest of the book chapter by chapter. What happens to Eric the Squire in the book vs. on TV? Who is Professor Dingle? Who is Professor Crabshaw? Who has the upper hand in their alliance -- Linx, or Irongron? The answers to all these might surprise you...

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

Steven B. (@steedstylin) from the excellent New To Who podcast is a first-time guest this week. We have much to discuss about "Tomb of the Cybermen", which premiered 55 years ago this week. We take a look at some of the TV story's more questionable choices on race and ethnicity, and discuss what it was like to watch this story in 1967 when it first aired, versus 1992 when it was recovered after being thought lost, versus today. Steven also enthuses over the novel's cover art, and we discuss the great work of Jeff Cummins and other titans of the Target cover-painting range.

Here you can find New To Who's Ratings Matrix, a nifty way of ranking all the Doctor Who episodes from worst to best. What are some of our choices for best?

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

Jason is on vacation this week, so here is a pre-recorded episode. We did not discuss the book cover, but this is one of the all-time great Target covers, so take an extra minute to drink that in. Jeff Cummins, everyone. Such a haunting, moody painting.

Jason is joined this week by Steve Alexander (@stealexanderuk), a very familiar voice to listeners of the Trap One and the "Hamster with a Blunt Penknife" podcasts. Steve brings terrific intensity as we discuss not only "Horror of Fang Rock", both TV episode and novelization -- but also the long line of Target novelization audiobook adaptations. Steve brings with him a Top Ten list of audiobooks and his revelation of the top spot is not to be missed.

Jason then reviews the novelization, in terms so glowing that the review itself could serve as a lighthouse.

Also discussed this week is the fascinating 2018 Scottish film The Vanishing, based on the original Flannan Isle Lighthouse mystery.

And don't forget to read the Wilfrid Gibson poem based on the same subject.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

In 2022, it may be mid-August, traditionally a slow season for media, but there's been a lot going on this week. Jason takes a look at the series finale of "Better Call Saul" -- is it the greatest US TV series finale ever? And there's a new trailer out for the Doctor Who Blu-ray Collection -- it's Season 2, and Maureen O'Brien is back on screen as Vicki! We also have listener mail, and a plug for two new Black Archives releases.

Back to January 1978, Jason is joined by Lelon Stoldt (@LelonStoldt), creator and co-host of the InDOCtrination podcast -- catch its latest episode, which dropped after we recorded.

There's much to discuss about the novelization of "The Face of Evil". How does Terrance handle the TV characters. Is Chris Boucher's script flawless, and, if not, what does Terrance do, or not do, to salvage some of the flaws? How do you introduce your young daughters to "Doctor Who"? We also look at "Better Call Sault", and the current Star Wars spinoffs -- the latest of which has a name very, very familiar to longtime fans of "The Face of Evil". And how will Lelon fare at a game of 20 Questions?

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

Jason pauses the read-through in between the 1977 and 1978 books, and gives the episode over to Jim Sangster, a long-time Doctor Who fan who you know from pretty much everywhere, but most recently from his pandemic-inspired read-through of the Target novelizations in publication order (does that project sound familiar?), the wonderful Escape to Danger blog.

You can also find Jim on Twitter and I highly recommend his Target-inspired Redbubble shop.

We also have listener mail; Jason is left completely speechless by some of Jim's stories; and Jason digresses to discuss his all-time favorite Albert Brooks movie.

We will be back next week and will embark for the next few months on our journey, this time through the 1978 and 1979 books.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

We close out the 1977 Target novelizations with the longest-ever episode of Doctor Who Literature.

This is largely because we have two interviews this week. First, former Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe rejoins Jason to discuss his work on 1970s Doctor Who, specifically the TV production and the novelization of "The Masque of Mandragora".

We take a moment to reflect on the passing of Nichelle Nichols and of Vin Scully, the latter of whom has a surprising connection to TV science fiction.

We're then rejoined by Graeme Burk (@GraemeBurk), co-producer and co-host of Reality Bomb. We discuss the differences between our two podcasts, share our love for the Philip Hinchcliffe era, and both the TV and book versions of "Masque of Mandragora", share some laughs... and then go deep into debate over "Talons of Weng-Chiang", subject of last week's episode. Was "Talons" controversial when it came out in 1977? When did public opinion start to shift? Was "Talons" really banned in Canada? And, after clearing the air, we discuss Graeme's soon-to-be-released Hinchcliffe biography.

Lastly, Jason goes deep into the "Masque" novelization, and wouldn't even say no... to a salami... sandwich.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

"The Talons of Weng-Chiang" is still, by popular acclaim, one of the greatest "Doctor Who" stories of all time. It's still in the top-10 -- out of both Classic and New series -- in the year-2014 DWM survey, and is even top-5 among Classic stories on that list.

"Talons" however also has major problems. One is the language; words that may (or may not) have been acceptable in 1977, are certainly not acceptable here in 2022. Two is the story's world-view, in which the immigrants (the Chinese, and other groups to be found in London's East End in the 1890s) are Other, alien, here solely to cause trouble -- described by various English characters within the story as "inscrutable", "pixilated", and "bloodsucker". "Doctor Who" -- both the TV show and the character -- has spent the better part of 60 years sticking up for the underdog, empowering the powerless and defending the oppressed. But for six weeks in the winter and early spring of 1977, the show took a break from that, and told a story instead about defending the Crown from... those other people.

Of course, "Talons" is NOT the only "Doctor Who" story with indefensible language and beliefs -- not the only Classic Series story to do that, and certainly there are New Series stories which also have problems. Does loving "Doctor Who" mean we have to accept its baggage?

Over the next two hours, join Jason -- and our first tandem guests, long-time Doctor Who novelists Kate Orman and Jon Blum -- as we take an unflinching look at this story, and then try to see if it's still possible to love this story in spite of its flaws, its many flaws.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

In lieu of a regularly scheduled Doctor Who Literature this week, Jason takes a moment to bid adieu to William Russell, who passed away this week at age 99, and explore the legacy of Ian Chesterton in Doctor Who.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us!

Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels

Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com
You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit

"The Deadly Assassin" is the first Season 14 story to be novelized, the first of four straight Season 14 books to come, and the start of a long consecutive run of adaptations of *many* truly excellent Doctor Who stories.

Helping me break the book down this week is returning guest Mark (@QuarkMcMalus) from The Trap One Podcast. We have much to discuss about Time Lord mythology, the population breakdown on Gallifrey, how this story doesn't (or does!) connect up with "The War Games", and who are the best actors to play Borusa and the Master. Mark is also challenged to a game of "Guess That Cliffhanger". Plus we have more Listener E-Mail from a surprising source.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

This week Denise Sutton (@CupOfTea69) is our guest. We discuss what it's like watching Doctor Who overseas, what it's like when "The Dominators" is your birth story, and what links "The Mutants" has to other Bob Baker & Dave Martin scripts. Denise can also be found at her blog and on several terrific episodes of Trap One, such as discussing the Audio Annuals or "The Pirate Planet".

Denise goes for the all-time record on "20 Questions", and we have our first listener e-mail (it's... interesting).

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.

You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

Back for a record-setting fourth appearance on Doctor Who Literature this week is Simon Hart (@Si_Hart). We both break down the TV version of "Planet of Evil" -- is this one of Doctor Who's most successful hours? How does the dialogue and plot logic measure up to the many other jewels in the Philip Hinchcliffe era crown? Then we get to the book -- is Terrance Dicks able to work his usual magic on a script that he seems to find less enjoyable than many others he's adapted in the past?

Si also tries to defend his crown as all-time DWL "20 Questions" champion. Can he break his own record this week?

Later on, Jason walks us through the text of the book and gets the impression that Terrance is rolling his eyes at the story a little more than usual.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.
You can catch all past episodes at https://anchor.fm/doctorwholit.

It's June 1977, and the release of the novelization of a Doctor Who story whose influence is still being felt in the New Series even 45 years later. It's "The Brain of Morbius".

My guest this week is Adam Clegg (@AdamJClegg) of the Real McCoy Podcast, and we both have thoughts about Morbius, and the New Adventures, and the current series, and many, many other topics.

Catch Jason and Adam together on past Trap One Podcast episodes such as this one.

You can also hear Jason this week on the newest episodes of Reality Bomb and Gallifrey's Most Wanted. And check out the night that Trap One took Times Square!

Check out all past episodes of Doctor Who Literature here.

Jason is joined this week by three-time Doctor Who Literature guest Stacey Smith?, to break down Ian Marter's first novelization, "The Ark in Space". Stacey, who continues to be prolific, recently edited the Outside In volume on Twin Peaks, and, of course, Stacey being Stacey, has several other books in the work. All at once. Other passionate and controversial opinions are exchanged.

Jason then does his close reading of Ian Marter's text of the Ark in Space book. What does Marter do differently from Terrance Books? How do the scenes in the book stack up to those on television? And how much are we looking forward to Marter's next book after this one?

You can check out the full Doctor Who Literature archives here.

It's April 1977, and "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" has just finished its controversial run on TV, but in the books, we are back in the height of the Pertwee era, reading the novelization of 1971's "The Claws of Axos".

My conversation this week is with Jan Fennick, a New York-based Doctor Who fan and writer, and a long-time friend of Jason's. We cover lots of ground -- Long Island geography, stories about U.S. Who fandom in the '80s and '90s, and, of course, "Star Trek" and "Twin Peaks".

Jason then brings us home with a glowing discussion of the magic that Terrance Dicks works on the "Axos" novelization -- perhaps not the greatest episode but certainly one of the more fun and involved books. That makes two books in a row where Terrance is really enjoying himself.

You can find Jan's writing in many places, but especially recommended is Red, White and Who, the book on the history of American "Who" fandom, and the forthcoming Outside In Walks With Fire, in which Jan (but not Jason this time) helps analyze the entirety of "Twin Peaks".

We will be back next week with another episode, but in the meantime, don't forget to check out our full archive here.

Doctor Who Literature is delighted and overjoyed to bring you Jason's interview with Philip Hinchcliffe, the man who produced "The Seeds of Doom" for television and who then wrote the novelization. This half-hour was one of the high points of Jason's decades as a fan and we couldn't be happier to share it with you.

Our guest conversation this week is with Shannon Dohar (@SDohar), a Doctor Who fan in New York City, whose voice you can also hear on the musical podcasts Deeper Cuts and So Much to Sing About. What was it like reading the novelizations and New Adventures in the US before the New Series hit it big here? What are our thoughts on the Chris Chibnall era? How much does Philip Hinchcliffe and his era's stories mean to us today? Spoiler alert: Quite a bit. And how does Shannon fare on a game of "Twenty Questions"?

Lastly, Jason reviews the "Seeds of Doom" novelizations and talks about the different needs of a six-week TV serial versus a 120-page adaptation.

Special thanks to David Barsky for the production of this episode.

It's January 1977 and the start of another year of Target books. It's the third straight Terrance Dicks book, and the third Third Doctor book out of the past four. For a slim book, just 119 pages of text, Terrance manages to make a lot of changes from the TV serial.

My guest this week is a returning guest, Pete Lambert (@Prof_Quiteamess). We discuss the linguistics of Polari, the evolution of Jo Grant, and whether or not Drashigs are meant to scurry, or to slither.

In the second half of the program, Jason does a deep dive into the book's text compared to the TV episodes, and finds the changes good. What's the Third Doctor's favorite alcoholic beverage? What extra detail does Terrance add when describing the Doctor's nose? And, if it's 1926, what does that mean for the UNIT dating controversy?

And don't miss Jason's recent moderation of a Trap One episode on the Galaxy 4 DVD animation.

Don't forget to tune in next week for a non-Terrance Dicks, 4th Doctor novelization, in what may prove to be the biggest episode of Doctor Who literature to date!

Delighted to have Sadie Miller on as my first guest this week to discuss her Big Finish audios, her Doctor Who legacy, and this week's episode, Pyramids of Mars.

Joining me on the second half of the program is my good friend Mark from the Trap One Podcast as we discuss the TV story's December 1976 novelization, Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars. What's changed in the book from the TV episodes? How's Jason's grasp of Egyptian geography? How much did it cost Sutekh to ship the Osirian rocket parts from Valley of the Kings to Mick Jagger's estate, using 1911 freight charges? And will Mark be able to break the all-time "20 Questions" show record?

Jason then reviews the Pyramids novelization, and surveys his favorite shows about TV lawyer and judges.

It's Doctor Who Literature's biggest episode yet!

You can also catch Jason on the most recent episode of the Doctor Who Target Book Club Podcast. So much fun to record with Tony and Dalton and discussing another epic Terrance Dicks novelization of a Tom Baker classic.

...700 years later, we return to The Ark, an instant sequel to last week's episode. Jim Sangster rejoins Doctor Who Literature to break down the story's accents and Beatles wigs.

And Jason reviews the newest Ncuti Gatwa Doctor Who episode at the time of writing: Dot and Bubble.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us!

Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels

"Doctor Who – The Ark" features cover art by David McAllister.

Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.

You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit

Delighted to welcome to the show this week, for the first time, Conrad Westmaas. We discuss the ethics of adding illustrations to your own Target book copies, the unexpected career intersection between John Abineri and WInona Ryder, and what it's like to hear Paul McGann namecheck your own character on TV. Is Planet of the Daleks a good story?

Conrad also braves a game of "Guess That Cliffhanger!", with surprising results (spoiler: sadly, no cliffhangers involving John Abineri appear this week).

In the second half of the program, Jason discusses the surprisingly extensive differences between the TV story and the slim novelization.

Jason discussed the casting of Ncuti Ghatwa on this past week's episode of the Trap One Podcast. Please check that out as well!

BREAKING NEWS! Ncuti Gatwa is the new Doctor Who!! ... but this episode was recorded and edited before the announcement, so join me on Trap One later in the week for a deeper analysis.

Welcome to the 25th episode of Doctor Who Literature -- this week is the 49th anniversary of Target's first Doctor Who book releases, and now we're reading their 25th published novelization, "Doctor Who and the Space War", published in September 1976. My guest this week is Daniel Knight, and we discuss the history of TV production in the US, Star Trek, what makes the definitive Malcolm Hulke novelization, and what other Doctor Who podcasts might also be tackling "Frontier in Space" this week.

Daniel joins us for a game of "Guess That Cliffhanger". Can anything in the world stop him now?

In the second half, Jason does a close reading of the text. Is this an improvement on the TV story, or perhaps a slight diminution?

The episode features a brief musical cue from The Beastie Boys for Mothers' Day. No copyright infringement is intended.

When Bill Evenson is in the house, anything can happen on the podcast. Today we discuss The Web of Fear, the TV episodes (four of the six of which were famously rediscovered and released in 2013), and the 1976 Terrance Dicks novelization. But we also discuss Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, Mel Brooks, alcohol, the LAX Marriott and Doctor Who convention dealers' rooms, and... more alcohol. Also, one of us can't tell the difference between Rod Steiger and Roy Staiger, but both of us agree that baseball is no substitute for Doctor Who.

Bill is a prodigious talent. You can hear him on just about every episode of Reality Bomb, read him (with co-author, and friend of the program, Stacey Smith?) in Look At The Size of That Thing (never mind the cover art), and hear even more of him as co-host of the Frankenstein Minute podcast.

I previously interviewed Bill (and Stacey Smith?) on an episode of Trap One in 2021.

This episode features musical excerpts from the incredible vocal talents of Patti LuPone from the US TV series "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", and from the film soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof.

The new documentary Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen is still playing in Manhattan as this episode releases, and will be touring North America throughout spring 2022. I have no involvement with the film or filmmakers, and its relation to "The Web of Fear" is of course strictly tangential. At best.

This is the first episode of Doctor Who Literature recorded and aired after the April 2022 premiere of "Legend of the Sea Devils". Hear Jason's review at the top of this episode -- and, for a more balanced view, Jason recently joined a Trap One panel discussing the same episode.

This week, we have our first three-time guest, Mr. Si Hart. We break down, just how good is Genesis of the Daleks? How do you rank the four actors who portrayed Davros on TV? Who does the better dramatic reading from the novelization (hint, it's Si)? And, just how many copies of this novelization is too many to own (hint, that's a very large number)?

Si also joins us for a game of "Guess That Cliffhanger". The results will leave you in suspense.

The episode concludes with Jason's review of the "Genesis of the Daleks" novelization.

Featured throughout are selections from D'Oyly Carte productions of Gilbert & Sullivan's, HMS Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance.

May 1976 saw the release of "Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen". It's the third novelization of a Tom Baker episode -- all by Terrance Dicks so far -- and the third novelization of a Cybermen episode -- but this is the first one by Terrance and the first one NOT written by Gerry Davis. David Barsky joins us in the first half to talk about how he got into television, where his career has taken him, and where Doctor Who fits in. We both give contrarian takes on "Revenge of the Cybermen" the TV story, and have a lot of fun sharing our opinions on Christopher Robbie's controversial Cyberleader. We then discuss passages from the book, and marvel over how much it strays, at times, from the TV version. We're also debuting a new game here on Doctor Who Literature. How does Barsky fare on the premiere edition of "Guess That Cliffhanger"? We'll leave you in suspense until you listen... In the second half, Jason tackles the text of the novelization, and tries to figure out where this fits among Terrance's previous adaptations. And be sure to join us next week for another guest, another novelization, and another thrilling game.

This week Jason is joined by Lewis Baston, author of a forthcoming Obverse Books' Black Archive book on the Doctor Who serial "The Sun Makers", to talk about Malcolm Hulke's February 1976 novelization of "Invasion of the Dinosaurs"... but, fear not, we get plenty of talk in about "The Sun Makers", too.

Later on, Jason breaks down all the ways, plot-wise and dialogue-wise, and tone-wise, how the novelization differs so greatly from the TV serial.

Along the way, we also discuss Von Daniken, play a game of 20 Questions, and give a look at the new trailer for Doctor Who: "Legend of the Sea Devils".

Happy April 1st to all our listeners. This week, our read-through of the Peter Cushing novelizations, by Observe Books, reaches "Escape to Danger", a short-story anthology adapting all six episodes from Cushing's wildly successful second radio series as Dr. Who. What happens when Robert Holmes turns his hand to the Cushing Universe characters?

You won't want to miss Jason's breakdown of the first two short stories in this collection.

You can find "Escape to Danger" (edited by Robin Bland) from the good people at Observe Books. The Cushing novelizations are no joke!

It's February 1976, and "Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet". The first Hartnell-episode novelization published in ten years, a novelization of the first Cyberman TV adventure... and William Hartnell's last full story.

Ross from "Gallifrey's Most Wanted" rejoins Jason to talk about how this book compares to childhood memories. We also take a grand tour through all of Doctor Who -- TV, books, Big Finish, and even some non-Doctor Who-related content. Ross really knows his stuff and it's always a thrill discussing the entirety of Doctor Who with him.

In the second half of the show, Jason (plagued by some really bad microphones and audio quality -- please bear with me!) works through the text of the novelization. What does Gerry Davis do with the by-now ten-year-old TV scripts? How do the Antarctic landscape, the Cybermen costume and voices, and the generation of the First Doctor into the Second, work in the book, compared to how we would have seen them on TV?

Program needs over the next two weeks has turned this look at The Ark, a 1966 episode from Doctor Who's third season, into a two-part episode of Doctor Who Literature.

This week, a conversation with Lelon Stoldt from the InDOCtrination podcast. Lelon and his daughters are not quite up to The Ark yet, but perhaps this conversation will reveal what at least one of them will think about the story/book.

And a review of 73 Yards, which at the time of release is the most recently broadcast episode of Doctor Who.

We take a break between Seasons 1 and 2 of the program -- as we're in between the 1975 and 1976 books -- and reflect on the passing of Lynda Baron, one of the great "Doctor Who" guest performers (1966, 1983, 2011). What are the best verses of "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon"? What happens when the Target novelization of "Enlightenment" is missing a key scene? And, worst of all, what happens when Jason lets Joe solo-host the show for a minute? I mean, what could possibly go wrong...

We also premiere an interview with Dale Santos, a prolific collector of Target novelizations and original cover art, who explores with us the roots of his collection. How many different cover variants of Target books are there? What happened to the original cover paintings?

Regular programming resumes with "Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster" next week, but this bonus content is not to be missed.

It's the last novelization of 1975, and the end of the first season of Doctor Who Literature. In a slight format change, Jason goes deep into the memory banks to explain a curious notation that he wrote on the inside cover of the book back in 1985.

We're joined then by Jason's good friend Mark from the Trap One Podcast to discuss what the novelization of "The Three Doctors" means to us. Plus many other stories of having met now-deceased Doctor Who greats at conventions over the years, and how has the language of fandom changed over the years, and what makes a multi-Doctor story tick, and, does "Twice Upon a Time" count as a multi-Doctor story?

And, after the interview with Mark, Jason goes deep to discuss what changes Terrance made between screen and script. Is this book better or worse than Jason remembered it from his last read-through? What is the significance of the words "purple" and "flute"? And where, oh, where is the First Doctor?

We open by paying tribute to two big names from the Doctor Who family who we lost this past week, an actor from the 1970s and a writer from the 1960s.

In the first part of the program, Jason -- having run out of blog posts to adapt, had to write half of this week's script from scratch -- takes us on a journey through Terrance Dicks' word-pictures, editorial additions and omissions, and lyrical evocation of the senses, in his novelization of "Planet of the Spiders", which is set half on a planet of the spiders, and half on a planet of the Buddhists.

In the second part of the program, Jason is joined by Graeme Burk from "Reality Bomb" to discuss the book, the origins of our Target collections, Graeme's memorable weekend with Terrance Dicks in the year 2000, whether or not the Eighth Doctor Adventures books stand the test of time... and Graeme joins me in a new segment, a game of Twenty Questions, before announcing his latest book.

Please listen to the special Terrance Dicks episode of Reality Bomb.

You can also find some of Graeme's acclaimed Doctor Who non-fiction here.

This week's episode features the vocal talents of Dooley Wilson.

Welcome to a special recorded-at-Gallifrey-One-in-Los-Angeles edition of Doctor Who Literature. While Jason the Brooklyn boy is somewhat out of his element in this big big city, he's joined long-distance by a fellow Brooklynite to discuss Malcolm Hulke's glorious August 1975 paean to the common man and laborer.

The first half of the book features Jason's breakdown of the text of the book, adapted from a three-part blog post originally published in February 2017.

The second half sees Hannah Long, a freelance writer and commentator, discuss "Doctor Who and the Green Death" from a different perspective to Jason's own, but they do find a lot of common ground to like about the book. You can find Hannah's writings about Doctor Who here and please look her up on Twitter as well.

This episode features musical selections from the legendary Woody Guthrie and the incomparable Mandy Patinkin.

It's May 1975, and Terrance Dicks' second book in three months. Will his increased writers' output affect his style, descriptive powers, wit, pizzazz? ... obviously not. This book is tremendous and actually an improvement over the TV serial in several spots.

In the first half of the episode, Jason breaks down why this novelization is such an upgrade from TV, and why the mere act of opening the book brings a lump to his throat.

In the second half, Jason is joined by a very old internet friend from the rec.arts.drwho days, Eric Gjovaag. Eric tells some wild stories about the old days of American Doctor Who fandom in the 1980s and '90s, and these are not to be missed.

You can find Erc's own Wizard of Oz book and other Oz writings, as well as his long-running Oz homepage, and his Doctor Who fan club's page.

Doctor Who Literature turns to Jason's first novelization, Doctor Who and the Cybermen, which Jason first read -- all in one day -- on Super Bowl Sunday 1985. Thirty-seven years later and the book's prose, vocabulary, and descriptive powers, are still unmatched.

In the first half of the episode, Jason breaks down what makes Gerry Davis' writing style so good, and fortunately there are many more Davis novelizations to come.

In the second half, we're joined by Pete Lambert, a good friend from the Trap One Podcast. We talk about how influential this book was to us as young readers, what other classic book series we moved away from once the Doctor entered our lives, and how the Target books would stack up against today's YA fiction. What is the significance of the word "radiophonic" to the text? Who exactly in the story as a "fetish", and what's it about? And why are there Welsh shepherds on the moon? A truly fun and relaxed conversation, and we can't wait to have Pete back on again soon.

Welcome to the double digits for the Doctor Who Literature podcast (excluding bonus episodes), and it's the last Target novelization of 1974, Terrance Dicks' third book, and the first novelization of a Patrick Troughton/2nd Doctor adventure.

The Abominable Snowmen has been in the news this week, or, at least, on the rumor mill, with stories that the forthcoming animation of the TV serial, co-funded by BBC America, will be the last such project... at least, co-funded by BBC America.

In the first half of the episode, we break down Terrance's book, and talk about how he works his magic in print, elevating or often improving on the visuals we saw on TV.

In the second half, we're joined by prolific Doctor Who novelist Jonathan Blum, who reveals a soft spot for Terrance Dicks. We discuss how Terrance actually adapted, rather than merely transcribed, the TV serial, and what objectionable bits he removed along the way. We take a tough look at the TV production, and examine why we enjoyed the book regardless.

Musical cues taken from the 1961 rendition of "Blue Moon" by The Marcels.

It's October 1974, and Malcolm Hulke's third novelization of the year. He'll never have another year this prolific, but what a trilogy of books he's left us. Doctor Who and the Sea-Devils is the shortest of the bunch, but don't let the length fool you; there's some terrific material here in terms of character insights and observational humor. Even if there aren't too many actual Sea-Devils.

In the first half of the episode, I break down Hulke's writing style in the book, and catalogue the many changes from screen to book.

In the second half, I'm joined by one of my favorite podcast guests, Frazer Gregory, who shares his memories of this novelization, and does some of the best dramatic readings from the book that you'll find, outside of the Target novelization audiobook range.

This may be the end of Doctor Who and the Sea-Devils, but the Sea Devils will return.

For this week we are going back to the Jazz Age, with Doctor Who-specific musical accompaniment by Jim Sangster.

Our Doctor Who Literature guest this week is Steven B., who you can find at the New To Who podcast, The Three-Handed Game: An Avengers Podcast, and Reimagining Doctor Who.

Among several other Doctor Who podcast episodes cited in this week's episode, you can find:

--Steven B.'s appearance on The Library of Impossible Things;

--Jason's Black Orchid appearance on the Doctor Who Target Book Club Podcast; and

--Jason's appearance on A Kettle and some String;

And please enjoy the following two linked articles, both relevant to this week's DWLit episode:

--James Cooray Smith discusses Paradise Towers and the casting of Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor; and

--A Nerdist interview with Steven Moffat on the writing of the newest Doctor Who episode at the time that this episode was released: Boom.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us!

Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels

"Doctor Who – Black Orchid" features cover art by Tony Masero.

Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.

You can catch all past episodes at htt s://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit

This week we're up to October 1974 and the first book of Target's last double-release month. The first of those two books is the novelization of "The Daemons", the Season 8 finale, and is written by the episode's producer and co-writer, Barry Letts. It's one of the longest novelizations Target will ever put out, and in the first half of this episode, we'll take a deep dive into just what Barry is able to do with all that extra space.

For the second half of the episode, we're joined by Simon Hart (@Si_Hart), a very prolific and very funny podcaster, who talks about how he first encountered this novelization, and how well it holds up today.

This week's outro music features two different versions of "Heart" from the Broadway musical "Damn Yankees", including selections from the 1958 movie adaptation and a 1969 episode of the Ed Sullivan Show.

March 1974 saw two Target novelization releases; Episode 6 covered one of those, Malcolm Hulke's Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon. This week we jump back in time from the 30th century to the 22nd and take a long look at Terrance Dicks' Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks. A remarkable book, one of Terrance's longest, this expands greatly on the troubled TV production, adding a prologue and epilogue not seen on TV, and giving us Terrance with some of his most evocative prose ever.

The first half of the episode features Jason's trademark deep dive into the book's prose.

For the second half, we're joined this week by Tony Whitt of the Doctor Who Target Book Club podcast (@DWTARGETBC). Tony's excellent Target podcast previously covered this book -- and paid tribute to Terrance Dicks in general -- in 2019, and you can find that episode here:

https://soundcloud.com/doctorwhotargetbc/ep-59-day-of-the-daleksdicks-tribute-wlarry-vanmersbergen

It's March 1974, and the third and fourth Target novelizations of Doctor Who episodes are released in the same month. Once again, the double release features one Malcolm Hulke book and one Terrance Dicks book. This week we're discussing the Hulke entry, the novelization of 1971's "Colony in Space".

In the first half of the episode, we'll break down this long and remarkable book. In the second half, we're joined by Mark (@QuarkMcMalus) from the Trap One Podcast (@trapone_), for a wide-ranging discussion about the book, and a few related topics.

Living on a hostile alien planet and being threatened by a capitalist world-state, has never been this entertaining or illuminating!

For the first time, Jason is joined by a guest, prolific Doctor Who non-fiction writer, longtime fan, epidemiologist, and a former profile subject on Morgan Freeman's "Through The Wormhole", the inimitable Stacey Smith? (the questionmark is part of her name).

In the first part of the episode, Jason goes in-depth on the text, prose, and themes of The Cave Monsters. Then, as Stacey joins in, together, we discuss and debate Malcolm Hulke's first novelization, "Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters". Stacey previous wrote about the parent TV story for the Black Archive series, which she and I previous discussed on Trap One, which you can listen to below.

This week we also pay tribute to Chris Achilleos, one of the great Doctor Who illustrators, who painted the cover and drew the internal illustrations for The Cave Monsters. Chris Achilleos passed away on Wednesday, December 9, 2021.

https://trapone.podbean.com/e/stacey-smith-on-the-black-archive-the-silurians/

After three episodes on the Frederick Muller books from the 1960s, it's now 1974, and the Target range -- which began with 1973 reprints of the Muller books -- begins properly with a twin January 1974 release of novelizations of "Spearhead From Space" and "Doctor Who and the Silurians". It's a very warm welcome to the Target line for Terrance Dicks -- they'll end up keeping him. Join us for a deep dive in Terrance's magnum opus, a 150-page book, one of his very best, if not THE best, books he wrote. What value does Terrance add to the TV scripts and direction? How does he describe the TARDIS materialization sound and the Third Doctor's face, in this, his first Doctor Who book? Join us, and find out ...

Chapter 5 of Doctor Who: Flux, Survivors of the Flux, contained a voice cameo hearkening back to UNIT's glory days, as well as a surprising if somewhat illogical revelation about that voice's military track record. Join us for a bonus episode looking back to November 2003's Past Doctor Adventure novel, "Deadly Reunion", Doctor Who's 40th anniversary story, and something of an autobiography for its co-author, one Barry Letts.

The third and final Frederick Muller-published Doctor Who novelization -- and its second by David Whitaker -- came out in February 1966. The book remains in print today and still generates many fresh topics for discussion. Are Ian and Barbara a couple? Are wars only waged between one good side and one evil side? Who are we supposed to root for in this book? When is it appropriate for an author to break the "show-don't-tell" rule? Is this a rote adaptation of the TV scripts for "The Crusade", or is David Whitaker using the book platform to tell a new story, one too broad and deep for the small screen? Join us as we discuss all these things.

Welcome to the first bonus episode of Doctor Who Literature. For this episode we're discussing not the books, but the TV series itself, on this, November 23, 2021, it's 58th anniversary. Tying in to Jason's recent Twitter watch-through of the Classic Series, #drwhopilgrimage, this episode will feature two randomly selected episodes of the classic series, with live and unscripted commentary over each one. Most of Doctor Who is made up not of all-time stone-cold classics or the worst turkeys, but just average workaday episodes. What can we learn about classic Doctor Who by not watching the all-time titans, but just two random ordinary episodes? Which episodes will the episode generator give us, and what larger lessons about Doctor Who can we gather from these random stories?