Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1966 television serial The Tenth Planet.

1976 edition
The Sergeant blinked again. Three lights were moving towards him through the murk of the blizzard. Even as he looked, the lights changed into three tall, straight figures, clad in silver-armoured suits, advancing across the ice with a slow deliberate step. Horror-struck, the Sergeant reached for his gun, and a stream of bullets sprayed across the marching figures. BUT THEY CONTINUED MARCHING…

The CYBERMEN have arrived. The first invasion of Earth by this invincible, fearless race-and the last thrilling adventure of the first DOCTOR WHO.

Chapter Titles

 * The Creation of the Cybermen
 * 1) The Space Tracking Station
 * 2) Disaster in Space
 * 3) The New Planet
 * 4) Mondas!
 * 5) The Cyberman Invasion
 * 6) Ben into Action
 * 7) Battle in the Projection Room
 * 8) Two Hundred and Fifty Spaceships
 * 9) Z-Bomb Alert!
 * 10) Prepare to Blast Off
 * 11) Cybermen in Control
 * 12) Resistance in the Radiation Room
 * 13) The Destruction of Mondas!

Illustrations

 * Contains illustrated pages

Deviations from televised story

 * Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet takes place in 2000 rather than 1986.
 * The Doctor shows some more signs of being ill such as deliriously calling Ben and Polly, Ian and Barbara
 * The language in general is much stronger than in the televised version.
 * The fight sequence where the soldiers first meet the Cybermen outside the base contains a stronger description of the outcome of the battle.
 * An unknown seen in the original turns into a James Bond film starring.
 * At the end, rather than collapsing by the TARDIS console, the First Doctor goes into a TARDIS room near the console and uses a machine (said to be used for 'compressing sleep') to become the Second Doctor.
 * The Second Doctor receives some lines.
 * Cutler attempts to shoot Ben on catching him sabotaging the Z-Bomb and is stopped by Barclay.
 * Ben and Polly are implied to come from the 1970s rather than the 1960s.

Writing and publishing notes

 * Title page includes: “THE CHANGING FACE OF DOCTOR WHO: The cover illustration of this book portrays the first DOCTOR WHO whose physical appearance was later transformed when he discarded his worn-out body in favour of a new one.”
 * The cover for the original Target Books edition featured the artwork of Chris Achilleos. The back cover included a small illustrated vignette also drawn by Achilleos.

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


 * Paperback
 * Target
 * Paperback (February 1993)


 * Target / Virgin Publishing New cover artwork by Alister Pearson, priced £2.99 (UK).

Editions published outside Britain
To be added