The Taking of Chelsea 426 (novel)

Published in September 2009, The Taking of Chelsea 426 was one of the last set of three original novels published featuring the Tenth Doctor in the standard BBC New Series Adventures line.

Publisher's summary
The Chelsea Flower Show - hardly the most exciting or dangerous event in the calendar, or so the Doctor thinks. But this is Chelsea 426, a city-sized future colony floating on the clouds of Saturn, and the flowers are much more than they seem.

As the Doctor investigates, he becomes more and more worried. Who is shopkeeper Mr Pemberton acting so strangely? And what is Professor Wilberforce's terrible secret?

They are close to finding the answers when a familiar foe arrives, and the stakes suddenly get much higher. The Sontarans have plans of their own, they're not here to arrange flowers..

Characters

 * The Doctor
 * Vienna Carstairs
 * Jake Carstairs
 * Wallace Fitch
 * Bess Carstairs
 * Brian Carstairs
 * Mr Pemberton
 * Professor Wilberforce
 * Alice Wendell
 * Zack
 * Jenny
 * Field Marshal Henry Whittington Smythe
 * Mr Smalls
 * Mr Sedgefield
 * General Kade
 * Colonel Sarg
 * Commander Strom

Continuity

 * The Sontarans last appeared on screen in DW: The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky and SJA: Enemy of the Bane. They last appeared in print in QR: The Sontaran Games.
 * The events of DW: The Two Doctors and The Time Warrior are mentioned.
 * Chelsea 426 was founded by the Interplanetary Mining Corporation (DW:Colony in Space.)
 * The Doctor mentions a Krynoid (p. 84)
 * While in the TARDIS Jake plays with the crate of items beginning with C, last seen in DW: The Unicorn and the Wasp. Its contents include an Agatha Christie novel, the Carrionite globe and a Cyberman's chest plate.
 * At the end of the novel, The Doctor looks around the empty TARDIS. he also did this before his second meeting with Donna Noble (DW: Partners in Crime)

Timeline

 * The Taking of Chelsea 426 occurs after: DWS: The Haldenmor Fugue
 * The Taking of Chelsea 426 occurs before: NSA: Autonomy

Audio release

 * The story was released as an audiobook on 4x CD read by Christopher Ryan.
 * The audiobook is also available as a download from the AudioGo website.