Past Doctor Adventures Explained

The Past Doctor Adventures (sometimes known by the abbreviation PDA or PDAs) were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures. The novels regularly featured the First through Seventh Doctors. The Infinity Doctors had an ambiguous place in continuity and featured an unidentified incarnation of the Doctor. The Eighth Doctor co-starred with the Fourth Doctor in one novel (Wolfsbane) and, after the Eighth Doctor Adventures had ceased publication, a novel (Fear Itself) featuring the Eighth Doctor and set between two earlier Eighth Doctor Adventures (EarthWorld and Vanishing Point) was published within the Past Doctor series.

Publication history

Between 1991 and 1997, Virgin Publishing produced successful spin-off novels under the New Adventures and Missing Adventures ranges. However, following the Doctor Who television movie in 1996, the BBC did not renew Virgin Publishing's license to continue publishing Doctor Who material. Instead, they opted to publish their own range beginning in 1997 with The Devil Goblins from Neptune by Martin Day and Keith Topping. The range continued to be published through to 2005.

Virgin had distinguished the New and Missing Adventures with different cover designs. BBC Books, however, did not differentiate their novels featuring the current and past Doctors in this way, although they were listed separately within the books. Fans, however, continued to distinguish the ongoing story of the Eighth Doctor from the more stand-alone adventures of past Doctors.

Despite moving to the BBC, the writers (many of whom wrote for the Virgin series) have broadly attempted to maintain continuity with the New and Missing Adventures and many elements from these series have appeared in the Past Doctor Adventures (which replaced the Missing Adventures). Indeed, one of the novels - Millennium Shock by Justin Richards - was a direct sequel to System Shock, a Missing Adventure published by Virgin. Another notable release was Scream of the Shalka, a novelisation of the webcast of the same title and the only release in the Past Doctor range that did not feature an "official" incarnation of the Doctor. The Infinity Doctors, written by Lance Parkin, featured an unidentified Doctor.

In addition to the Past Doctor Adventures and the Eighth Doctor Adventures, the BBC also published three short story collections under the title of Short Trips, which feature all eight (at the time of publication) Doctors. These were also inherited from Virgin, a version of their Decalog short story collections, and when the BBC ceased publishing them, a licence to continue was sought by Big Finish Productions, who continued to publish their own range of Short Trips collections until 2009.

The range has ceased publication. In the spring of 2005, BBC Books began publishing a series of hardcover books, the New Series Adventures. The BBC Past Doctor paperback series continued for the remainder of 2005, but no titles were announced after Andrew Cartmel's Atom Bomb Blues, which was released in November 2005. In a talk in July 2006, commissioning editor Justin Richards said that BBC Books have plans for the future of the Past Doctor Adventures, but that decisions had not yet been taken.

Beginning in 2012, hardback books featuring past Doctors are being published, though at a much reduced rate compared with the pre-2005 output. The books are longer, in a larger format, and written by (or in once case, adapted from earlier work by) prominent science fiction authors. As of the mid-2014, the titles published are Shada by Gareth Roberts (a novelisation of the unbroadcast television story by Douglas Adams), The Wheel of Ice by Stephen Baxter and Harvest of Time by Alastair Reynolds.

List of Past Doctor Adventures

Including books featuring two of the Doctors, the numbers of books each appears in are as follows:

TitleAuthor(s)DoctorFeaturingPublishedNotes
1 The Devil Goblins from NeptuneJune 1997
2 The Murder GameJuly 1997
3 The Ultimate Treasure August 1997
4 Business UnusualSeptember 1997
5 Illegal Alien October 1997
6 The Roundheads 2nd November 1997
7 The Face of the Enemy 3rd January 1998
8 Eye of HeavenFebruary 1998
9 The Witch Hunters Steve Lyons Susan, Ian and Barbara March 1998
10 The Hollow Men Martin Day and Keith Topping 7th Ace 6 April 1998
11 Catastrophea May 1998
12 Mission: Impractical David A. McIntee 6th June 1998
13 Zeta Major Simon Messingham 5th July 1998
14 Dreams of Empire 2nd August 1998
15 Last Man Running 4th Leela September 1998
16 Matrix Mike Tucker and Robert Perry 7th Ace October 1998
17 The Infinity Doctors None November 1998
18 Salvation Steve Lyons 1st January 1999
19 The Wages of Sin David A. McIntee 3rd Jo and Liz February 1999
20 Deep Blue 5th Tegan, Turlough and UNIT March 1999
21 Players Terrance Dicks 6th and 2nd Peri April 1999
22 Millennium Shock Justin Richards 4th May 1999
23 Storm Harvest Mike Tucker and Robert Perry 7th Ace June 1999
24 The Final Sanction Steve Lyons 2nd July 1999
25 City at World's End Christopher Bulis 1st Ian, Barbara and Susan September 1999
26 Divided Loyalties Gary Russell[1] [2] 5th October 1999 The book is divided into four rounds, each named after the title of an Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song, as well as all the chapters within each round. According to E.G. Wolverson of Doctor Who Reviews, many critiqued the portrayal of the Doctor's childhood on Gallifrey in the extended flashback. They state that they and Chadd Knueppe of Outpost Gallifrey are the only ones who enjoyed it.[3]
27 Corpse Marker Chris Boucher 4th Leela November 1999
28 Last of the Gaderene Mark Gatiss 3rd Jo and UNIT January 2000
29 Tomb of Valdemar Simon Messingham 4th February 2000
30 Verdigris 3rd Jo 3 April 2000
31 Grave Matter Justin Richards 6th Peri May 2000
32 Heart of TARDIS 2nd and 4th Jamie, Victoria and Romana I June 2000
33 Prime Time Mike Tucker 7th Ace July 2000
34 Imperial Moon Christopher Bulis 5th August 2000
35 Festival of Death 4th September 2000
36 Independence Day 2nd and 7th Jamie and Ace October 2000
37 The King of Terror Keith Topping 5th Tegan, Turlough and The Brigadier November 2000
38 The Quantum Archangel 6th Mel January 2001
39 Bunker Soldiers Martin Day 1st Steven and Dodo February 2001
40 Rags Mick Lewis 3rd Jo and UNIT March 2001
41 The Shadow in the Glass 6th The Brigadier 2 April 2001
42 Asylum Peter Darvill-Evans 4th Nyssa May 2001
43 Superior Beings 5th Peri June 2001
44 Byzantium! Keith Topping 1st July 2001
45 Bullet Time David A. McIntee 7th August 2001
46 Psi-ence Fiction Chris Boucher 4th Leela September 2001
47 Dying in the Sun 2nd Ben and Polly October 2001
48 Instruments of Darkness Gary Russell 6th November 2001
49 Relative Dementias 7th Ace January 2002
50 Drift Simon A. Forward[4] 4th[5] Leela February 2002 Set against winter in New Hampshire, the US military is pursuing a survivalist while battling a series of unnatural sexual pleasures. They are also holding a snow-blowing threat that could threaten the entire world if it is not stopped.[6]
51 Palace of the Red Sun Christopher Bulis 6th Peri March 2002
52 Amorality Tale 3rd Sarah April 2002
53 Warmonger Terrance Dicks 5th Peri May 2002
54 Ten Little Aliens Stephen Cole 1st Ben and Polly June 2002
55 Combat Rock Mick Lewis 2nd Jamie and Victoria July 2002
56 The Suns of Caresh Paul Saint 3rd Jo August 2002
57 Heritage October 2002
58 Fear of the Dark 5th Tegan and Nyssa December 2002
59 Blue Box 6th Peri March 2003
60 Loving the Alien Mike Tucker and Robert Perry 7th Ace May 2003
61 The Colony of Lies 2nd and 7th Jamie, Zoe and Ace July 2003
62 Wolfsbane 4th and 8th Harry and Sarah September 2003
63 Deadly Reunion 3rd Jo and UNIT November 2003
64 Scream of the Shalka February 2004
65 Empire of Death David Bishop[7] 5th Nyssa March 2004 In 1863, Queen Victoria is insensate with grief after losing her husband, Prince Albert. A secret seance is planned. Concurrently, The Doctor and Nyssa are dealing with the death of their good friend, Adric. They are surprised when they are seemingly visited by the ghost of their dead friend. Everything, plus the secrets of a guarded, drowned village come together.
66 The Eleventh Tiger David A. McIntee 1st Ian, Barbara and Vicki May 2004
67 Synthespians™Craig Hinton 6th Peri July 2004
68 The Algebra of Ice 7th Ace September 2004
69 The Indestructible Man Simon Messingham 2nd Jamie and Zoe November 2004
70 Match of the Day Chris Boucher 4th Leela February 2005
71 Island of Death Barry Letts 3rd Sarah July 2005
72 Spiral Scratch Gary Russell 6th Mel August 2005
73 Fear Itself September 2005
74 World Game Terrance Dicks 2nd October 2005
75 The Time Travellers 1st Susan, Ian and Barbara 10 November 2005
76 Atom Bomb Blues 7th Ace December 2005

Notes

  1. Via the TARDIS thought scanner, the Sixth Doctor shows Peri a six-chapter flashback to his second incarnation's encounter with Winston Churchill and the Players.
  2. Although both Doctors play crucial roles in the plot, and are even briefly simultaneously present in the TARDIS console room, the Second is unaware of the Fourth's presence; the Second Doctor unintentionally materializes in a dimensional anomaly while tinkering with the TARDIS, his presence causing the anomaly to become more unstable and the TARDIS losing its link to the interior dimensions, and the Time Lords are forced to make arrangements for the Fourth Doctor to travel to his past self's ship and restore its connection to the exterior, the Fourth Doctor and Romana hiding under the console at the opposite side from the younger Doctor and his companions after bringing interior and exterior back into alignment.
  3. The Second Doctor and Jamie appear briefly at the beginning of the novel visiting the planet Mendeb Two, but do not interact with the Seventh Doctor or Ace; their actions during this visit prompt the Seventh Doctor to return.
  4. The Seventh Doctor and Ace appear at the beginning and the conclusion of the novel, but Ace never meets the past Doctor and companions, and the Seventh's only contact with his other self occurs in an artificial reality simulation when the Second Doctor is attempting to access a ship's computer, the future Doctor providing his younger self with some discreet advice on how to deal with the current situation.
  5. Although both Doctors play important roles in solving the crisis, their involvement takes place a month apart, with the Eighth Doctor and Harry Sullivan tackling the problem in November while the Fourth Doctor and Sarah deal with the aftermath in December. Also, Harry is the only person to interact with both Doctors (although the Fourth Doctor and Sarah learn of the Eighth's presence, neither of them appear to realise that he is the Doctor) to be fully aware of the Doctor's nature as an alien time traveller, and the Eighth's current state of amnesia — in the aftermath of The Ancestor Cell — prevents either the Eighth Doctor or Harry from recognising each other.

See also

External links

Books

Book: Forward, Simon A. . Drift . 2002 . BBC . 0-563-53843-0 . London . 51439272.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BBC - Cult - Doctor Who - Books - Divided Loyalties . 2024-05-28 . www.bbc.co.uk.
  2. Web site: Doctor Who To Recreate Missing The Celestial Toymaker Episodes With Animation . Lovett . Jamie . 2023-12-11 . . 2024-05-28 . the Toymaker[...]'s appeared in several comic book stories (most recently Titan Comics' Doctor Who 2015 Holiday Special) and the Fifth Doctor novel Divided Loyalties by Gary Russell..
  3. Web site: Doctor Who - Divided Loyalties . 2024-02-12 . www.doctorwhoreviews.altervista.org.
  4. Book: Forward, Simon A. . Drift . 2002 . BBC . 0-563-53843-0 . London . 51439272.
  5. Web site: BBC - Cult - Doctor Who - Books - Drift . 2024-05-28 . www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. Book: Forward, Simon A. . Simon Forward . February 2002 . Drift . London . . 0-563-53843-0.
  7. Web site: BBC - Cult - Doctor Who - Books - Empire of Death . 2024-05-28 . www.bbc.co.uk.

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