Scream of the Shalka (novelisation)

Scream of the Shalka by Paul Cornell, published by BBC Books, is a 2004 novelisation of the webcast of the same title. It featured the alternate Ninth Doctor of the webcast of the same name. He was rendered extra-continuous by the subsequent announcement of a new Doctor Who TV series. This book was the first novelisation of an officially licensed Doctor Who story since the 1996 novelisation of Doctor Who. As of 2011 it stands as the most recent novelisation of a Doctor Who story, although novelisations based upon the spinoff series The Sarah Jane Adventures were published beginning in 2007. It is the only novelisation to date based upon a webcast.

Publisher’s summary
''When the Doctor lands his TARDIS in the Lancashire town of Lannet, in the present day, he finds that something is terribly wrong. The people are scared. They don't like going out onto the streets at night, they don't like making too much noise, and they certainly don't like strangers asking too many questions.''

What alien force has invaded the town? Why is it watching barmaid Alison Cheney? And what plans does it have for the future of the planet Earth?

The Doctor is helped (and hindered) by his new military liaison Major Kennet and his Royal Green Jacket troop. His old enemy the Master also plays a small part. During the course of this adventure he encounters a brand new race of ferocious alien monsters, and strikes up a friendship with his latest companion, Alison.

While starting with a small community under threat, this old-fashioned, very traditional but very up to date Doctor Who adventure takes in the entire world, from New Zealand to India, Siberia to the USA, and cosmic expanses beyond.

This is the novelisation of BBCi's acclaimed Doctor Who adventure, first broadcast over the Internet in November 2003.

Deviations from the webcast

 * The line to the Doctor, "While you can, be eccentric and superior", is delivered in the webcast as a joke, while in the book it's a scathing put down.

Author, writing and publishing notes

 * Published in the same paperback format as the BBC's two ongoing novel ranges -- the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures and BBC Past Doctor Adventures lines -- it is generally considered to be part of the Past Doctor Adventures (PROSE) line.
 * The adaptation of the story itself runs 194 pages. This makes it one of the shortest Doctor Who novels published since the Virgin New Adventures line was launched in 1991. Later novellas published by BBC Books and Telos would be shorter.

The remainder of the book is taken up by "The Making of Scream of the Shalka", a behind-the-scenes chronicle also written by Cornell.

Publishing History (UK)

 * BBC Books, paperback, February 2004.