The Christmas Invasion (novelisation)

The Christmas Invasion was a novelisation based on the 2005 television episode The Christmas Invasion and additionally incorporating the mini-episode Born Again. It was published simultaneously with Rose, The Day of the Doctor, and Twice Upon a Time in 2018 and thus was tied with those stories as the first release under the Target Books banner since The Paradise of Death in 1994.

Publisher's summary
Meet the new Doctor Who classics.

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?

Chapter titles

 * 1) Prologue
 * 2) Joy to the World
 * 3) What Child is This?
 * 4) Do You Hear What I Hear?
 * 5) Lonely This Christmas
 * 6) Here Comes Santa Claus
 * O, Christmas Tree
 * 1) It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
 * 2) I Saw Three Ships
 * 3) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
 * 4) In the Bleak Midwinter
 * 5) Walking in the Air
 * 6) Angels We Have Heard on High
 * 7) Silent Night
 * 8) Stop the Cavalry
 * 9) A Spaceman Came Travelling
 * 10) I Wonder as I Wander
 * 11) Ding Dong! Merrily on High
 * 12) Happy Xmas (War is Over)
 * 13) Follow the Star
 * 14) All I Want for Christmas is You
 * 15) Epilogue

Deviations from televised story

 * The scene set straight after the Ninth Doctor's regeneration is extended to include dialogue from the 2005 Children in Need Special and new dialogue is included as well.
 * A first chapter and epilogue both focus on the "British rocket-building programme" (not British Rocket Group), the building of UK Rocket Project 9.2, Guinevere One, and the original-to-book characters working there. For secrecy, they're based in Unit 42, Fanshield Industrial Park near Reading. Guinevere One is to be the first drone to land on Mars.
 * Guinevere programmer Matthew Nicolson turned down a job with John Lumic.
 * The Doctor had upgraded Mickey's laptop during the Slitheen Crisis with his sonic screwdriver, which allowed Mickey to gain access to the Military's website.
 * The idea of the Tenth Doctor getting his accent from Rose is brought up.
 * The Doctor realises that his eyesight is fuzzy up close and dons glasses.
 * The Doctor mentions not liking the move to Tower Hill as a UNIT base.
 * The novelisation adds a romantic attraction between Daniel Llewellyn and Sally Jacobs.
 * The Doctor's monologue of trying to find a new catchphrase, which was cut from the transmitted episode, is included.
 * Major Blake's first name is given as Thomas.
 * There is an epilogue detailing Jackie, Mickey and Sally's reaction to events and to the Doctor and Rose leaving again.
 * Further detail about the Doctor's encounters with Arthur Dent is given, explicitly confirming that the Doctor had actually met Arthur as well as Vogons and Ford Prefect.

Writing and publishing notes

 * Except for the prologue and epilogue, all of the chapter titles are taken from Christmas songs.
 * In 2016, Obverse Books previously released an unofficial novelisation of The Christmas Invasion called Doctor Who and the Invasion of Christmas. was written collaboratively by Paul Magrs, Andrew Hickey, Stuart Douglas, Nick Campbell, James Gent, Ira Lightman, Ian Potter, Phil Craggs, and Matthew Bright, and all proceeds went to the Cystic Foundation Trust.

Audiobook
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 5 May 2018 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Camille Coduri.