Target Books' Doctor Who output in 1994 was limited to the adaptation of a radio play featuring the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. Though it is considered "the last of the Target novelisations", it stands apart from all its predecessors in that it doesn't novelise a television script.
After 1994, stocks of Target novelisations were allowed to run out and the line ceased to exist as the catalogue eventually went entirely out of print. Interest in the novelisations would be rekindled by the onset of the BBC Wales version of Doctor Who. Although only a few have been brought back into print by BBC Books, many of the novelisations have been turned into a series of audio readings by key actors from the 1963 version of the programme.
Publishing history (1994)[]
The Paradise of Death, based upon a 1993 radio play, was the final release under the Target Books banner. The book is often mistaken for a release in the Virgin Missing Adventures line as it had a similar format to those books. After its release, Target was retired and future novelisations by Virgin Publishing would be issued either under the MA or New Adventures banners, although none of these would be based upon original-series episodes. Two more novelisations, based upon the 1996 TV movie and the webcast Scream of the Shalka, would be later published by BBC Books. Regular television-episode novelisations would not occur again until 2007 when Penguin Character Books began releasing novelisations based upon The Sarah Jane Adventures.
| Month | Title | Writer | Cover Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | Reissue: Doctor Who and the Robots of Death | Terrance Dicks | New cover: Alister Pearson |
| March | Reissue: Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang | Terrance Dicks | New cover: Alister Pearson |
| April | The Paradise of Death | Barry Letts | Alister Pearson |
Cover gallery[]
Publishing history (1994–2010)[]
By the end of the 1990s, all Target Books releases were considered out of print.
In 2007, BBC Audio began a series of complete and unabridged releases of the Target novelisations giving new life to these old favourites.
In the summer of 2008, an issue of Doctor Who Magazine came packaged with one of 27 Target Books releases; these were not reprinted copies, but left-over stock.
BBC Books reprints (2011–2016)[]
In 2011, BBC Books reprinted six Target novelisations with original cover art by Chris Achilleos and new introductions.
| Title | Writer | Cover Artist | Introduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who and the Daleks | David Whitaker | Chris Achilleos | Neil Gaiman |
| Doctor Who and the Crusaders | David Whitaker | Charlie Higson | |
| Doctor Who and the Cybermen | Gerry Davis | Gareth Roberts | |
| Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen | Terrance Dicks | Stephen Baxter | |
| Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion | Terrance Dicks | Russell T Davies | |
| Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters | Malcolm Hulke | Terrance Dicks |
Six more reprints followed in 2012:
| Title | Writer | Cover Artist | Introduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks | Terrance Dicks | Chris Achilleos | Gary Russell |
| Doctor Who and the Ark in Space | Ian Marter | Steven Moffat | |
| Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster | Terrance Dicks | Michael Moorcock | |
| Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet | Gerry Davis | Tom MacRae | |
| Doctor Who and the Ice Warriors | Brian Hayles | Mark Gatiss | |
| Doctor Who: The Three Doctors | Terrance Dicks | Alastair Reynolds |
Seven more reprints followed in 2016:
Cover gallery[]
Publishing history (2018–present)[]
In 2018, BBC Books released the first novelisations for the BBC Wales era of the programme. Abridged versions of some BBC Books novelisations were released with Target-style covers. Some direct-to-audio novelisations by AudioGO were printed in the Target format for the first time. New cover art was made by Anthony Dry.
.jpg "City of Death (Target Books).jpg (97 KB)")
.jpg "Dalek (novelisation).jpg (80 KB)")
.jpg "The Crimson Horror (novelisation).jpg (77 KB)")
