Past Doctor Adventures

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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.

Contents

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)DoctorFeaturingPublished
1The Devil Goblins from Neptune Martin Day and Keith Topping 3rd Liz Shaw, UNIT June 1997
2The Murder Game Steve Lyons 2nd Ben and Polly July 1997
3The Ultimate Treasure Christopher Bulis 5th Peri August 1997
4Business Unusual Gary Russell 6th Mel and The Brigadier September 1997
5Illegal Alien Mike Tucker and Robert Perry 7th Ace October 1997
6The Roundheads Mark Gatiss 2ndBen, Polly and Jamie November 1997
7The Face of the Enemy David A. McIntee 3rd The Master, UNIT, The Brigadier,
Ian, Barbara, and Harry
January 1998
8Eye of Heaven Jim Mortimore 4th Leela February 1998
9The Witch HuntersSteve Lyons 1st Susan, Ian and BarbaraMarch 1998
10The Hollow MenMartin Day and Keith Topping7thAce6 April 1998
11Catastrophea Terrance Dicks 3rd Jo May 1998
12Mission: ImpracticalDavid A. McIntee6th Frobisher June 1998
13Zeta Major Simon Messingham 5th Tegan and Nyssa July 1998
14Dreams of Empire Justin Richards 2ndJamie and Victoria August 1998
15Last Man Running Chris Boucher 4thLeelaSeptember 1998
16 Matrix Mike Tucker and Robert Perry7thAceOctober 1998
17 The Infinity Doctors Lance Parkin Unspecified NoneNovember 1998
18 Salvation Steve Lyons1st Steven and Dodo January 1999
19 The Wages of Sin David A. McIntee3rdJo and LizFebruary 1999
20 Deep Blue Mark Morris 5thTegan, Turlough and UNITMarch 1999
21 Players Terrance Dicks6th and 2nd 1 PeriApril 1999
22 Millennium Shock Justin Richards4th Harry May 1999
23 Storm Harvest Mike Tucker and Robert Perry7thAceJune 1999
24 The Final Sanction Steve Lyons2ndJamie and Zoe July 1999
25 City at World's End Christopher Bulis1stIan, Barbara and SusanSeptember 1999
26 Divided Loyalties Gary Russell5th Adric, Nyssa and TeganOctober 1999
27 Corpse Marker Chris Boucher4thLeelaNovember 1999
28 Last of the Gaderene Mark Gatiss3rdJo and UNITJanuary 2000
29 Tomb of Valdemar Simon Messingham4th Romana I and K-9 February 2000
30 Verdigris Paul Magrs 3rdJo3 April 2000
31 Grave Matter Justin Richards6thPeriMay 2000
32 Heart of TARDIS Dave Stone 2nd and 4th 2 Jamie, Victoria and Romana I 2 June 2000
33 Prime Time Mike Tucker7thAceJuly 2000
34 Imperial Moon Christopher Bulis5thTurlough and Kamelion August 2000
35 Festival of Death Jonathan Morris 4th Romana II and K-9 September 2000
36 Independence Day Peter Darvill-Evans 2nd and 7th 3 Jamie and Ace 3 October 2000
37 The King of Terror Keith Topping5thTegan, Turlough and The BrigadierNovember 2000
38 The Quantum Archangel Craig Hinton 6thMelJanuary 2001
39 Bunker Soldiers Martin Day1stSteven and DodoFebruary 2001
40 Rags Mick Lewis3rdJo and UNITMarch 2001
41 The Shadow in the Glass Justin Richards and Stephen Cole 6thThe Brigadier2 April 2001
42 Asylum Peter Darvill-Evans4thNyssaMay 2001
43 Superior Beings Nick Walters 5thPeriJune 2001
44 Byzantium! Keith Topping1stIan, Barbara and Vicki July 2001
45 Bullet Time David A. McIntee7th Sarah Jane Smith August 2001
46 Psi-ence Fiction Chris Boucher4thLeelaSeptember 2001
47 Dying in the Sun Jon de Burgh Miller 2ndBen and PollyOctober 2001
48 Instruments of Darkness Gary Russell6thMel and Evelyn Smythe November 2001
49 Relative Dementias Mark Michalowski 7thAceJanuary 2002
50Drift Simon A. Forward 4thLeelaFebruary 2002
51 Palace of the Red Sun Christopher Bulis6thPeriMarch 2002
52 Amorality Tale David Bishop 3rdSarahApril 2002
53 Warmonger Terrance Dicks5thPeriMay 2002
54 Ten Little Aliens Stephen Cole1stBen and PollyJune 2002
55 Combat Rock Mick Lewis2ndJamie and VictoriaJuly 2002
56 The Suns of Caresh Paul Saint3rdJoAugust 2002
57 Heritage Dale Smith 7th Ace October 2002
58 Fear of the Dark Trevor Baxendale 5thTegan and NyssaDecember 2002
59 Blue Box Kate Orman 6thPeriMarch 2003
60 Loving the Alien Mike Tucker and Robert Perry7thAceMay 2003
61 The Colony of Lies Colin Brake 2nd and 7th 4 Jamie, Zoe and Ace 4 July 2003
62 Wolfsbane Jacqueline Rayner 4th and 8th 5 Harry and Sarah 5 September 2003
63 Deadly Reunion Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts 3rdJo and UNITNovember 2003
64 Scream of the Shalka Paul Cornell Unofficial 9th Doctor Alison, The Master February 2004
65 Empire of Death David Bishop5thNyssaMarch 2004
66 The Eleventh Tiger David A. McIntee1stIan, Barbara and VickiMay 2004
67 Synthespians™ Craig Hinton6thPeriJuly 2004
68 The Algebra of Ice Lloyd Rose 7thAceSeptember 2004
69 The Indestructible Man Simon Messingham2ndJamie and ZoeNovember 2004
70 Match of the Day Chris Boucher4thLeelaFebruary 2005
71 Island of Death Barry Letts3rdSarahJuly 2005
72 Spiral Scratch Gary Russell6thMelAugust 2005
73 Fear Itself Nick Wallace 8th Fitz and Anji September 2005
74 World Game Terrance Dicks2nd Lady Serena October 2005
75 The Time Travellers Simon Guerrier 1stSusan, Ian and Barbara10 November 2005
76 Atom Bomb Blues Andrew Cartmel 7thAceDecember 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

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References

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