Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks (novelisation)

Originally published in 1964 as Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks and later retitled Doctor Who and the Daleks and Doctor Who - The Daleks, this novel by David Whitaker was the first Doctor Who novelisation and indeed, the first Doctor Who novel of any kind. When republished by Target Books in 1973, along with two other mid-60s novelisations, strong sales resulted in Target launching its extensive series of novelisations. It was based on the 1963 television serial The Daleks.

1965 Armada edition
The story from the beginning! Here is the exciting adventure of Dr. Who, Susan, Barbara, Ian, from the moment they meet one foggy autumn night on a lonely common beside a Police Box (Ah, but what a curious Police Box!) to the time they encounter the weird Daleks.

It is a thrilling story, and we know this book will be one of the most popular published in the Armada series. Can you wait any longer? Start reading!

1967 Avon edition
THE DALEKS HAVE ARRIVED

Free...free... He thought when he woke in the strange machine that had whisked him away from despair on Earth. But the flight through space had ended and he and the hollow-eyed girl he found by his side were strangling in the poisoned air they swallowed with every breath. And around them lay a world in ashes controlled by a hidden city of monstrous machines.

To sleep on earth... and awaken to interplanetary horror!

1973 Target edition
This is DOCTOR WHO's first exciting adventure – with the DALEKS! Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright travel with the mysterious DOCTOR WHO and his grand-daughter, Susan, to the planet of Skaro in the space-time machine, Tardis. There they strive to save the peace-loving Thals from the evil intentions of the hideous DALEKS. Can they succeed? And what is more important, will they ever again see their native Earth?

2011 BBC edition
"The voice was all on one level, without any expression at all, a dull monotone that still managed to convey a terrible sense of evil..."

The mysterious Doctor and his granddaughter Susan are joined by unwilling adventurers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright in an epic struggle for survival on an alien planet.

In a vast metal city they discover the survivors of a terrible nuclear war - The Daleks. Held Captive in the deepest levels of the city, can the Doctor and his companions stop the Daleks' plan to totally exterminate their mortal enemies, the peace-loving Thals? More importantly, even if they can escape from the Daleks, will Ian and Barbara ever see their home planet Earth again?

This Novel is based on the second Doctor Who story which was originally broadcast from 21 December 1963-1 February 1964. This was the first ever Doctor Who Novel, originally published in 1964.

Featuring the First Doctor as played by William Hartnell, and his companions Susan, Ian and Barbara.

Chapter Titles

 * 1) A Meeting on the Common
 * 2) Prisoners in Space
 * 3) The Dead Planet
 * 4) The Power of the Daleks
 * 5) Escape into Danger
 * 6) The Will to Survive
 * 7) The Lake of Mutations
 * 8) The Last Despairing Try
 * 9) The End of the Power
 * 10) A New Life

Deviations from televised story

 * The book is told in first person by Ian.
 * The opening deviates greatly in that Ian and Barbara have never met each other, let alone the Doctor or Susan prior to the events of the story, thereby ignoring the events of An Unearthly Child. The novelisation of An Unearthly Child would not be published until 1981.
 * Barbara believes the Doctor regarding the TARDIS' dimensions (Ian still doesn't).
 * Susan is being personally tutored by Barbara.
 * A Dalek is described as having some emotion in its voice.
 * Susan Foreman is referred to by the name "Susan English".
 * Ian is not trapped inside the Dalek casing, and escapes with ease long before the Daleks can cut through the door to the lift.
 * A Dalek leader inside a transparent casing appears. An actual Glass Dalek appeared in the television story Revelation of the Daleks.
 * Gurna is Alydon's cousin. He accompanied the Doctor's group into the Dalek city. Salthyana is a female who says Kristas will propose to her the next day.
 * Ratanda is a drink made by the Thals.

Story notes

 * This novel established the practice, later followed for a time by Target Books, of assigning titles to novelisations that differed from the broadcast teleplays. (The title subsequently assigned to this story, The Daleks, is included as part of the book's original title; its use on editions from 1973 onwards led to it being subsequently used for the television story.)
 * Internal illustrations were by Arnold Schwartzman.
 * The 1965 paperback edition by Armada was the first Doctor Who paperback release. This edition uses the variant title Dr. Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks and is one of the only Doctor Who book releases to use the technically incorrect "Dr. Who" name abbreviation.
 * The 1967 edition by Avon Books was the first American edition of a Doctor Who book, predating a later series of American novelisation editions by nearly a decade.
 * For the first time in nearly twenty years, the book was re-released by BBC Books in 2011. An introduction by Neil Gaiman (the writer of TV: The Doctor's Wife and TV: Nightmare in Silver) was included and the title of the book reverted to Doctor Who and the Daleks.

Writing and publishing notes

 * Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks came out before any Doctor Who-based book, fiction or nonfiction. It was first published in hardback by Frederick Muller Ltd on 12 November 1964 at a price of 12s 6d. It quickly sold out of the first 20,000 copies and was reprinted in December 1964. The name Doctor Who appeared very prominently on the first printing, with the rest of the title more of an afterthought.
 * Since there was no conception that there would be so many more Doctor Who stories adapted, this first book has no continuity with An Unearthly Child (which would be adapted into novel form years later as Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child); the 1973 Target Books edition directly refers to it as the Doctor's first adventure. Even after An Unearthly Child was adapted, future editions of Whitaker's book made no attempt to explain the discrepancy.
 * A paperback edition was issued on 4 October 1965 by May Fair Books Ltd, under the "Armada Paperbacks for Boys & Girls" imprint (priced 2s 6d). This version did not use Schwartzman's artwork, instead having a cover and six illustrations by Peter Archer. This was the first Doctor Who novel to be published in paperback.
 * It was reprinted as the first title in the new range of Doctor Who novelisations planned by Target Books. It was published 2 May 1973 as Doctor Who and the Daleks with the subtitle "Based on the popular BBC television serial".
 * The hardback edition illustrations were retained.
 * Chris Achilleos reused Ron Turner's Dalek artwork on his cover. The Daleks were from COMIC: The Rogue Planet and the title graphic of The Dalek Chronicles from COMIC: Legacy of Yesteryear onward.
 * Several different colour variants were used for the cover of the original Muller edition.

Audio release
This story was initially released as an audiobook in a single mp3-CD format, read by William Russell (Ian). It was later released on 5 CDs in the limited edition Travels in Time and Space tin alongside the audio releases of Doctor Who and the Crusaders and Doctor Who and the Zarbi, which were also read by Russell. The audiobook was later broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, between 16th-17th November 2013.

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * Paperback
 * Virgin Publishing Ltd. UK January 1992 Cover by Alistair Pearson (£2.50 UK). Retitled Doctor Who - The Daleks.

Editions published outside Britain

 * Published in USA by Soccer Books in 1966 as a hardback edition.
 * Published the USA by Avon Books in 1967 as a paperback edition; this was the first and only Doctor Who novelisation to be published in a US paperback edition until Ballantine began reprinting Target novelisations in the late 1970s.


 * Published in Japan by Hayakawa Bunko in 1980, it was one of five Japanese novelisations.
 * Published in France by Éditions Garancière in 1987, published as Docteur Who Les Daleks.