Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons was a novelisation of the 1971 television serial Terror of the Autons.
Publisher's summary
1979 edition
The evil Master leered at the Doctor, and triumphantly pointed out of the cabin window. The many-tentacled Nestene monster – spearhead of the second Auton invasion of the Earth – crouched beside the radio tower!
Part crab, part spider, part octopus, its single huge eye blazed with alien intelligence and deadly hatred…
Can the Doctor outwit his rival Time lord, the Master, and save the Earth from the Nestene horror?
Chapter Titles
- The Terror Begins
- Sabotage at the Space Probe
- The Master Takes Over
- Death at the Plastics Factory
- The Killer Doll
- In the Hands of the Autons
- The Battle of the Forest
- The Killer Doll Attacks
- The Deadly Daffodils
- Prisoners of the Master
- The Final Assault
- The End of Round One
Deviations from televised story
- More background is given to Luigi Rossini and his circus.
- Rossini's real name is given in the novelisation as Lew Ross, instead of Lew Russell.
- A scene cut from the script is retained in the book. It sees the Master use the term “polynestene” to describe the material that the killer chair is made of.
- The scene with the Master donning a disguise mask to escape UNIT is dropped from the novelisation.
- At the climax of the story the Brigadier threatens to shoot the Master if he does not co-operate with The Doctor. The novelisation skips the Doctor's final remark about meeting the Master again, leaving him to tinker with the Master’s dematerialisation circuit.
- The Nestenes and Autons are led by a Council
- It uniquely names the Nestene planet as Polymos for the first time in Doctor Who history.
- The Doctor comforts Mrs. Farrell.
- The Doctor's identifies George Philips' weapon as a Sontaran fragmentation grenade. When Terror of the Autons aired, it was prior to the Sontarans' first on-screen appearance (in The Time Warrior).
- The Doctor reflects that if the Time Lords ever catch the Master they will reverse his timeline so he never existed.
- The Brigadier and Jo accompany Yates and the Director when they find the Doctor in the control room.
- It is the Brigadier and Yates, rather than Yates and Benton, who enter the laboratory as Jo is about to set off the bomb. Jo brings the bomb in herself rather than it being found in Phillips' car.
- Phillips' car is found at the circus. Phillips is dressed as a clown, with it being explained the Master kidnapped him to maintain his TARDIS and forces him to work as a clown the rest of the time.
- Rossini convinces the circus people to attack the Doctor and Jo by telling them they were trying to steal the takings.
- The Doctor recognises the Master's TARDIS because it is in better condition than the other circus vehicles. The Master drives it along on the coach tour.
- Benton is present for the battle with the Auton policemen and the briefing in the laboratory.
- The Master and Rex do not inform John Farrel of McDermott's death, instead saying he is away on business; Rex has been hypnotised to forget the incident.
- The character of Brownrose is omitted, with his part effectively going to the Brigadier.
- The Master killing a technician while taking control of the radio telescope is removed.
- The Nestene's arrival is signalled by the appearance of a creature similar to the one the Doctor destroyed at the climax of "Spearhead from Space". This was filmed but the effect was deemed unconvincing.
- The Brigadier suggests mass producing the machine the Doctor used to destroy the Autons before but the Doctor points out it has to be used at close range and the Autons may have evolved a defence.
Writing and publishing notes
- The Master and Jo Grant are introduced, as is the case in the original story. However an earlier Target books release, PROSE: Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon, also introduced the characters "for the first time".
Additional cover images
1979 edition; Cover by Alun Hood
British publication history
First publication:
- Hardback
- W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. UK
- Paperback
- Target
Re-issues:
- 60p (UK)
- 1979 Target Books with a new cover by Alun Hood priced 60p (UK)
Editions published outside Britain
To be added
Audiobook
This Target Book was released complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Geoffrey Beevers, who played the Master in various stories (though not Terror of the Autons).
The audio set of four CDs was released in July 2010 priced £13.99 (UK)
