The Five Doctors was a novelisation based on the 1983 television serial The Five Doctors.
This was the first Peter Davison-era novelisation cover to use artwork rather than a photograph, and was the only release of its kind during the Davison era to depict the Fifth Doctor in an illustration rather than a photo.
Publisher's summary[]
1983 Target Books edition[]
A twentieth anniversary special featuring the Doctor in all five of his regenerations.
Why are all five Doctors being removed from their separate time-streams? Who is the enemy they will have to unite against? What will become of the Doctors when the battle is over?
We have travelled a long way with Doctor Who. The Five Doctors gives us a chance to turn the clock back and meet some old friends — and some old enemies.
1991 Target Books edition[]
THE PLAYER PUT THE LITTLE FIGURE OF THE FIRST DOCTOR ON THE BOARD, PUSHING IT WOWARDS THE CENTRE WITH A LONG RAKE. THE FIRST PIECE WAS ON THE BOARD.
But this is not a game. One by one, the five Doctors are removed from their respective time-streams and dumped in the Death Zone on Gallifrey.
But who is manipulating them in this way? And why has the Master been sent to help them?
And what exactly is inside Rassilon's tomb?
The Five Doctors was originally broadcast on 25th November 1983 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the series. It was written by Terrance Dicks who was script editor of the series for five years and who has written more than sixty novelizations of Doctor Who television stories.
Chapter titles[]
- The Game Begins
- Pawns in the Game
- Death Zone
- Unexpected Meeting
- Two Doctors
- Above, Between, Below!
- The Doctor Disappears
- Condemned
- The Dark Tower
- Deadly Companions
- Rassilon's Secret
- The Game of Rassilon
Deviations from televised story[]
- A number of deleted scenes from the televised version of The Five Doctors are restored for the novelisation.
- Dicks adds a segment accounting for Susan Foreman's abduction by the Timescoop, set in the era after The Dalek Invasion of Earth. She's on her way to the markets in New London. A smaller city than the original, it's populated by gleaming new buildings, motorised walkways and far more greenery. David Campbell is noted to be part of the provisional Reconstruction Government and both now have a family of three children.
- The First Doctor is stated to be nearing his first regeneration, having come to the rose garden in semi-retirement to prepare himself for the process ahead. There, he prunes his roses and tends to his bees. He senses the time scoop as "something evil" before actually spotting it.
- The Second Doctor and the Brigadier are captured by the Timescoop in an architectural dead end, rather than UNIT H.Q.'s open grounds.
- The Third Doctor is testing new modifications to Bessie on a privately-owned race track. The car is noted to have been modified by the Doctor to such an extent as to leave most racing vehicles in the dust.
- The Dalek in pursuit of the First Doctor and Susan is initially disorientated by the funhouse mirrors of the time-travellers' arrival point.
- Distinctively, the narrator refers to Romana as "Lady Romana".
- Unlike the televised version (but similar to the Special Edition), the Fourth Doctor and Romana are relocated to the canal. The Doctor briefly registers the temporal dislocation, but dismisses it, continuing his lecture to Romana.
- Susan's line of "Grandfather" is returned to its script version, "Doctor". During shooting of the original episode, Carole Ann Ford had refused to say the line, as in her era she would never have called him "Doctor". An explanation is given that Susan was thinking of how others called him "Doctor" except for her.
- The chessboard's defence mechanism, rather than some kind of oscillating green laser (as in the Televised Version), is a series of thunderbolts that targets intruders directly. The Cybermen end up killing each other in friendly fire as much as by the death-trap. The Master survives the encounter by diving for the fallen Cyber-Lieutenant's Cyber-gun and blasting away at the Cyber Leader. He keeps firing until he's driven the Cyberman onto the chessboard, row after row, blast after blast, until the Leader is cut down by the board's defence mechanisms.
- The Brigadier's punch only stuns the Master who is poised to use his Tissue Compression Eliminator on his assailant, whereas in the televised version he is subdued with a single blow simultaneously as the Third Doctor kicks the weapon from his grasp. In this novelisation, the Doctor is still able to do so, and the Master is ultimately subdued when the Doctors pile atop him.
- The ghosts that take the appearance of Liz and Mike are white and waxen with fanatically burning eyes. Their voices raise to an unearthly screech when the Third Doctor defies them.
- The chamber to access the Timescoop and the Game Table is identified as Game Control.
- The Third Doctor's comeback to the Second Doctor's insult (where he calls him a "scarecrow") is removed.
- The Fifth Doctor explicitly explains to Tegan and Turlough that he expects Flavia to fulfil the position of Deputy President in his absence as Lord President. He expects her to be the longest-serving in the role in Gallifreyan history.
- The First Doctor discusses with the Fifth Doctor the possibility of the Dark Tower as the ultimate death-trap for those who sought immortality. The dangerous madmen who would seek out Rassilon's gift to become tyrants. It was his way to detect, lure and ultimately imprison them in the Tower.
- The abrupt nature of Sarah Jane's departure from the TARDIS is said to have left her "more than a little resentful," and considers K9 as something of a consolation prize from the Doctor. Upon their reunion, the Third Doctor notes, fondly, that she never accepted the role of the damsel in distress in their travels together.
- At one point the Cyber-Lieutenant is referred to as "Cyberleader" while in the presence of the Cyber-Leader, although a separate party of Cybermen is also stated as having a "Cyberleader" and "Cyberlieutenant" implying assigned ranks.
Writing and publishing notes[]
- Written by Terrance Dicks to tie in with the Anniversary TV broadcast, this was the quickest novelisation Dicks wrote.
- After several unsuccessful attempts to release titles simultaneous with broadcast, there was general disapproval that the book was available in some areas as much as two weeks before transmission. According to a featurette on the 25th anniversary DVD, it is believed that the release before broadcast was an error.
- The usual cover price of £1.35 (UK) was raised significantly for this title's release, to a special price of £1.50 (UK), before being lowered again for subsequent releases.
- This was the first title to be seen through by Nigel Robinson, the new range editor, who took over from Christine Donohoe who had already commissioned a number of titles that Nigel inherited.
- The 1983 release features a Foil cover with a lower corner flash reading "A TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL FIRST EDITION". A reprint changes this, for obvious reasons, to "A TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL SECOND EDITION".
- The inside front of the book included a single page advert for Fantastic Doctor Who Poster Offer! (Featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor in front of a background of a host of Target novelisation covers.)
Additional cover images[]
Cover by Alister Pearson
British publication history[]
First publication:
- Hardback
- W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. UK
- Paperback
- Target
Audiobook[]
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 2 November 2017 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Jon Culshaw with Dalek and Cyberman voices by Nicholas Briggs.
The cover blurb and thumbnail illustrations were retained in the accompanying booklet with sleevenotes by David J. Howe. Music and sound effects by Simon Power.
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