The Clockwise Man (novel)

The Clockwise Man was the first BBC New Series Adventures novel released. It was written by Justin Richards and featured the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

Publisher's summary
In 1920s London, the Doctor and Rose find themselves caught up in the hunt for a mysterious murderer. But not everything is what it seems. Secrets lie behind locked doors and inhuman killers roam the streets.

Who is the Painted Lady and why is she so interested in the Doctor? How can a cat return from the dead? Can anyone be trusted to tell -- or even to know -- the truth?

With the faceless killers closing in, the Doctor and Rose must solve the mystery of the Clockwise Man before London itself is destroyed...

Plot
Peter Dickson can see the cat from where his standing and watches it as it disappears. He is heading back to where he works.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor explains that they are heading for 1924, England. Rose is worried about her choice of clothes as she prepares for the new sights outside.

Dickson is sure he can here something now, coming from all around him. A mystery figure pounces on him and he begins to choke.

Appearing from inside the TARDIS, Rose sees the Doctor trying to open a locked gate, which blocks their way out of an enclosed space. They can hear a man struggling for life, choking and shouting in terror. After opening the gate, they find two figures locked in attack. The Doctor charges at the attacker, but is winded by the collision. When Rose arrives, the assailant decides to leave before he is found out. Dickson thanks them for their quick arrival and with the help of the newcomers, leads them to his work place.

Two figures watch from the shadows as they walk down a street.

Sir George Harding and his wife, Lady Anna are preparing themselves for their party tonight. The master is having trouble with his clothes. His wife just laughs. The maid arrives, flustered, and explains that Dickson has been hurt.

The Doctor and Rose help Dickson into the house and escort him to the drawing room. There he explains to them and his master, George Harding about the assailant. He was apparently asking questions about the guests arriving this evening. His master orders him to gain some rest, but he is stubborn and wishes to help Rose find the lavatory to was her hands after falling onto the pavement and drawing blood. All the guests are apparently here, except for the Painted Lady.

After leaving the lavatory, Rose loses her way in the corridors and finds a small boy called Freddie to help her find her way to the library. He takes her to a gallery and explains who all the guests are. There's Colonel Oblonsky, a regular visitor; Uncle Alex and Auntie  Nadia; and a Lord Chitterington who works for the government. There are also two other characters, whom Freddie didn't know. They are Major Aske and Repple.

After returning Freddie to his room, Rose finds her way to the library and explains to the Doctor about all the people Freddie had named. Feeling that they were a bit different from everyone, they decide to leave and they head back to the TARDIS. Upon arriving at the same spot where they'd left it, they are shocked to find that it has disappeared.

The Doctor and the Doctor are searching for the TARDIS, when the Doctor realises that it was probably stolen. He decides that they should return to the house and agree to their invitation for dinner. Upon their arrival, a black car arrives and Dickson appears on the threshold of the house with an umbrella. He holds it up for the woman who appears from the car. She is obviously the Painted Lady. They enter the house once more.

more to be added

Characters

 * Ninth Doctor
 * Rose Tyler
 * Sir George Harding
 * Peter Dickson
 * Lady Anna
 * Freddie
 * Repple
 * Major Aske
 * Melissa Heart
 * Lord Wyse
 * Crowther
 * Beth
 * Matty Black
 * Ronald Cheshunt
 * Wensleydale
 * Ranskill
 * Coleridge

Bad Wolf

 * The Doctor and Rose are accused of turning up "Like A Bad Wolf"

Others

 * Katurian

Story notes

 * As Book 1 of the BBC New Series Adventures line, this book ushered in a new publication format for BBC Books. It released exclusively this and all future New Series Adventures featuring the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, as well as BBC Torchwood novels in hardcover format. The Quick Reads novellas were paperback releases and some limited-edition promotional paperback issues of Ninth and Tenth Doctor books would occur outside the UK. The Clockwise Man is the first Doctor Who novel to be released in hardcover since Target Books discontinued phardcover editions of its novelisations in the 1980s. It is the first original Doctor Who novel ever issued in the format.
 * Later reprints of this book removed the image of Billie Piper from the cover, presumably due to use-of-likeness issues after she had left the programme.
 * This story was also released as an ebook available from the Amazon Kindle store.

Continuity

 * Clockwork men also appear with the Tenth Doctor DW: The Girl in the Fireplace, the Eighth Doctor in EDA: Anachrophobia and the Second Doctor in DW: The Mind Robber.


 * There is a mention of Rose 'dressing up' while the Doctor only has a 'new shirt'. (DW: The Unquiet Dead)


 * Rose has a conversation with one of the servants in the Imperial Club, who makes her think of Gwyneth in DW: The Unquiet Dead.


 * In the club, the Doctor looks at a painting of the French Revolution and says "That's not right". In the first episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child, the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan Foreman, reads a book about the French Revolution and says the same words.


 * The Doctor mentions to Rose at the end of the Season 2 episode DW: Tooth and Claw that Queen Victoria's descendants suffered from a condition called Haemophilia. This was also mentioned when The Doctor and Rose visit the British Empire Exhibition.


 * The Doctor mentions his second regeneration and his exile to Earth. (DW: The War Games, DW: Spearhead from Space)

Timeline

 * The Clockwise Man occurs after: DWAN: Mr Nobody
 * The Clockwise Man occurs before: NSA: The Monsters Inside

Audio release

 * The story was released as an audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs.
 * The audiobook only available as a download from the AudioGo website.