The Celestial Toymaker (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1966 television serial The Celestial Toymaker.

1986 Target Books edition
Somewhere outside space and time there waits the Celestial Toymaker, an enigmatic being who ensnares unwary travellers in his domain to play out his dark and deadly games.

Separated from the security of the TARDIS, the Doctor is forced to play the complex trilogic game with the evil magician. Meanwhile, Dodo and Steven must enter into a series of tests with, among others, the schoolboy Cyril and the King and Queen of Hearts.

If they lose, they are condemned to become the Toymaker's playthings for all eternity. For in the malevolent wonderland that is the Celestial Toyroom, nothing is just for fun...

1992 Target Books edition
THE TOYMAKER NODDED SLOWLY. 'I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU FOR SUCH A LONG TIME, DOCTOR...'

Somewhere outside space and time there waits the Celestial Toymaker, an enigmatic being who ensnares unwary travellers in his domain to play out his dark and deadly games.

Separated from the security of the TARDIS, the Doctor is forced to play the complex trilogic game with the evil magician. Meanwhile, Dodo and Steven must enter into a series of tests with, among others, the schoolboy Cyril and the King and Queen of Hearts. For in the malevolent wonderland that is the Celestial Toyroom, nothing is just for fun...

Written by Who veteran Brian Hayles, The Celestial Toymaker featured William Hartnell in the role of the Doctor; this novelisation contains a foreword by Gerry Davis which tells of some of the difficulties which faced the cast and crew while making this story.

Chapter titles

 * 1) Trapped
 * 2) Bring On The Clowns
 * 3) Snakes and Ladders
 * 4) The Hall of Dolls
 * 5) Siege Perilous
 * 6) The Last Deadly Sister
 * 7) Enter Mrs Wiggs and Sergeant Rugg
 * 8) The Ballroom
 * 9) The Final Test
 * 10) Stalemate

Deviations from televised story

 * The Toymaker's backstory is expanded upon; the Doctor describes him as native to the universe, and as having created the Celestial Toyroom himself as "a universe entirely in his own vision". He and his games have allegedly become "notorious" in the universe. He is seen to use a sapphire ring to control his creations, similar to the Doctor's signet ring.
 * The cliffhanger leading into The Gunfighters is omitted, with the novel ending on the Doctor's statement that they will encounter the Toymaker again.
 * Additional scenes compare the toys to nuclear weapons.

Writing and publishing notes

 * A foreword by Gerry Davis (Los Angeles, 1985) explains that “for this book version we were able to resurrect some extra material which had to be cut from the TV serial” which he also explains was written hurriedly in an emergency.
 * Writer Gerry Davis was very keen to get the commission for this, eagerly awaited novelisation, which he then gave to Alison Bingeman.
 * Bingeman's credit makes this the first novel in the history of the Target Books series to be written (or, in this case, co-written) by someone who had not either written scripts for Doctor Who or had been part of its production team. In the next few years several other novels by such "third parties" would be published by Nigel Robinson and John Peel.
 * The back cover includes colour details of Fantastic Doctor Who Poster Offers!
 * The cover for the original Target Books edition features the artwork of Graham Potts.

British publication history
First publication:
 * Hardback
 * W.H.Allen & Co. Ltd. UK


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * Paperback: Target / Virgin Publishing Ltd. UK December 1992 Cover by Alistair Pearson (£2.50 UK)