The Taint (novel)

The Taint was the nineteenth novel in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Michael Collier, released 1 February 1999, featured the Eighth Doctor and Sam Jones and introduced Fitz Kreiner.

Publisher's summary
The TARDIS has finally brought the Doctor and Sam back to Earth — and straight into danger.

It is 1963. Six very different people have been gathered together for study by parapsychologist Charles Roley in his stately home outside London. All of them claim to have been possessed by the devil, and all have shared similar delusions — they describe the same bizarre "death cave" riddled with demons.

Roley's experiments are having a gradual yet terrifying effect on his subjects, and the Doctor and Sam discover the connections between those tainted with the madness are more disturbing than anyone could guess.

For the Doctor, too, has seen the cave they describe — on a dead world, billions of years ago.

Plot
to be added

Characters

 * Eighth Doctor
 * Sam Jones
 * Fitz Kreiner
 * Dr Charles Roley
 * Quentin Roley
 * Azoth
 * The Beast
 * Davydd Watson
 * Elijah Watson
 * Lucy Branch
 * Maria Bulwell
 * Muriel Kreiner
 * Neville Fitzwilliam Tarr
 * Oscar Austen
 * Peter Taylor
 * Russell Waller

Worldbuilding

 * The Doctor and Sam visit West Wycombe.

Botany

 * The Doctor meets Fitz while buying a dying begonia, tries to haggle for a lower price and eventually succeeds.

Culture

 * The Doctor plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on a recorder; Fitz responds by playing "Please, Please Me", which the Doctor calls "rubbish".
 * Fitz is a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien.
 * Sam mentions Scooby Doo.

Individuals

 * After regaining consciousness, Sam considers asking, "Anyone get the number of that Dalek?"
 * Fitz pretends to be French until he's called out by the Doctor.
 * Fitz plays guitar at Molly's.

Continuity

 * The Doctor says that he spent quite some time in 1963. (TV: An Unearthly Child)
 * The events of PROSE: Alien Bodies and Unnatural History are mentioned.
 * Sam worries that the Bel micro-organisms changed her in some way. (PROSE: Beltempest)
 * Sam recalls Janus Prime (PROSE: The Janus Conjunction) and Proxima II. (PROSE: The Face-Eater)
 * The Doctor mentions the 22nd century Dalek invasion of Earth. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
 * The Doctor mentions encountering the Waro. (PROSE: The Devil Goblins from Neptune)