Ghost Light (novelisation): Difference between revisions

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{{title|''{{#sub:{{PAGENAME}}|(|-14}}'' (novelisation)}}
{{title dab away}}
{{Infobox Novel|
{{real world}}
novel name=Doctor Who – Ghost Light|
{{Infobox Story SMW
image=[[Image: Ghost_Light_novel.jpg|250px]]|
|novelisation of = Ghost Light (TV story)
series=[[Doctor Who]]-<br/>[[Target Novelisation]] |
|image= Ghost Light novel.jpg
number= 92 |
|number= 149
doctor=[[Seventh Doctor]] |
|doctor = Seventh Doctor
companions= [[Ace]] |
|companions= [[Ace]]
enemy= [[Light]], [[Josiah Samuel Smith|Josiah Smith]] |
|enemy= [[Light (Ghost Light)|Light]], [[Josiah Samuel Smith|Josiah Smith]]
year= [[Perivale]] / [[Earth]], 1883 |
|setting= [[Perivale]], [[1883]]
writer= [[Marc Platt]]|
|writer= Marc Platt
publisher= [[Target Books]], [[W.H. Allen & Co]]|
|read by = [[Ian Hogg]]
release date= September [[1990]]|
|publisher= Target Books
format= Paperback Book, 160 Pages|
|publisher2= W.H. Allen
isbn= ISBN 0-426-20351-8|
|cover= [[Alister Pearson]]
previous story=[[Battlefield (novelisation)|Doctor Who - Battlefield]] |
|release date= 20 September 1990
next story=[[The Curse of Fenric (novelisation)|Doctor Who – The Curse of Fenric]] }}
|format= Paperback Book; 12 Chapters, 160 Pages
==Novelisation==
|isbn= ISBN 0-426-20351-8
* This novelisation is based on the original television serial ([[DW]]): ''[[Ghost Light]]'' which was shown from 4th October 1989 and written by [[Marc Platt]]
|series = [[Target novelisation]]s
* The cover and information shown on the right is for the original Target novel and featured the artwork of [[Alister Pearson]]. (See below for information on other UK and international editions which published with a different cover).
|prev= Mission to Magnus (novelisation)
|next= Survival (novelisation)
|series2 = [[List of Doctor Who television stories|TV series order]]
|prev2 = Battlefield (novelisation)
|next2=The Curse of Fenric (novelisation)
}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was a novelisation based on the 1989 television serial ''[[Ghost Light (TV story)|Ghost Light]]''.


==Publisher's summary==
== Publisher's summary ==
[[Perivale]], [[1983]]<br /> A column of smoke rises from the blazing ruins of a forgotten, decaying mansion. Perivale, [[1883]]<br /> In the sleepy, rural parish of [[Greenford Parva]], [[Gabriel Chase]] is by far the most imposing edifice. The villagers shun the grim house, but the owner, the reclusive and controversial naturalist [[Josiah Samuel Smith]], receives occasional visitors. <br /> The Reverend [[Ernest Matthews|Ernest Mathews]], for instance, dean of Mortarhouse College, has travelled from [[Oxford]] to refute Smith’s blasphemous theories of evolution. <br /> And in a deserted upstairs room, [[Seventh Doctor|the Doctor]] and [[Ace]] venture from [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] to explore the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] mansion …<br /> Who – or what – is Josiah Smith? What terrible secrets does his house conceal? And why does Ace find everything so frightening familiar?
[[Perivale]], [[1983]]


==Illustrations==
A column of smoke rises from the blazing ruins of a forgotten, decaying mansion.
* None
 
Perivale, [[1883]]
 
In the sleepy, rural parish of Greenford Parva, [[Gabriel Chase]] is by far the most imposing edifice. The villagers shun the grim house, but the owner, the reclusive and controversial naturalist [[Josiah Samuel Smith]], receives occasional visitors.
 
The Reverend [[Ernest Matthews]], for instance, dean of Mortarhouse College, has travelled from [[Oxford]] to refute Smith's blasphemous theories of evolution.
 
And in a deserted upstairs room, [[Seventh Doctor|the Doctor]] and [[Ace]] venture from [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] to explore the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] mansion...
 
Who – or what – is Josiah Smith? What terrible secrets does his house conceal? And why does Ace find everything so frightening familiar?
 
== Chapter titles ==
# Tropic of Perivale
# Gabriel Chase
# Uncharted Territory
# Gaslight Boogie
# Josiah's Web
# That's the Way to the Zoo
# Ace's Adventures Underground
# Creature Comforts
# Out of Control
# Twice Upon a Time
# Trick of the Light
# Beautiful Soup


== Deviations from televised story ==
== Deviations from televised story ==
''To be added''
* There is an extra opening sequence detailing the young Ace's visit to Gabriel Chase and the Doctor steering [[the TARDIS]] there.
* It is established that Matthews saw Josiah and [[Gwendoline Pritchard|Gwendoline]] in London and has come to Gabriel Chase partly because he wants to save her innocence.
* The novelisation includes several scenes and lines that were scripted and/or filmed but cut from the televised version: Ace tipping Josiah off by tampering with a telephone, and the Doctor saying they have to leave the house and be invited back in; the Doctor playing a boogie-woogie on the piano; Gwendoline visiting [[Redvers Fenn-Cooper|Redvers]]; [[Alfred Mackenzie|Inspector Mackenzie]] trying to leave the house and being stopped by Light, who causes the front door to become immovably locked; [[Pritchard (Ghost Light)|Mrs Pritchard]] telling two maids, one of whom is armed with a machete, to dispose of Mackenzie; and [[Nimrod]] handing in his notice to Josiah (a scene rehearsed for the televised version, but never actually recorded).
* It is explained that Josiah has ''[[The Times]]'' delivered to [[Control (Ghost Light)|Control]] as a taunt since he knows she won't understand it.
* Ace finds cave paintings in the passage leading to the stone spaceship. These were to have featured in the televised version, but had to be omitted for reasons of cost.
* Ace sees Control on her first visit to the spaceship. [[Mrs Grose]] also sees her and tells the Doctor she is resigning.
* It is explained that Mrs Pritchard tricked Redvers into wandering into Light's spaceship, causing his insanity.
* When Light emerges from the lift, he walks straight through the Doctor standing in his path; an effect planned for the televised version, but which eventually proved impossible to achieve on-screen.
* Light travels around the world viewing the lifeforms there.
* It is implied that Josiah brought the ship back to Earth while Light slept.
* Control plans to get Josiah better quarters eventually.
* There is a lot of insight into the Doctor's mental processes, better explaining his motivation at various points.
 
== Writing and publishing notes ==
* [[Alister Pearson]]'s original cover design featured the faces of [[Josiah Samuel Smith]] and [[Light (Ghost Light)|Light]], which were removed in the final cover.
* Dedication: "For Ian, Margaret and the wonderful Alice"
* This novelisation was later released as part of ''[[The Earth Adventures Collection]]''.


==Writing and publishing notes==
== British publication history ==
* [[Alister Pearson]]’s original cover design featured the faces of [[Josiah Samuel Smith]] and [[Light]], which were removed in the final cover.
One single paperback edition, priced £2.50 (UK), estimated print run: 25,000 copies.
* Dedication: “For Ian, Margaret and the wonderful Alice”


==Additional cover images==
== Audiobook ==
''To be added''
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on [[2 June (releases)|2 June]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]] complete and unabridged by [[BBC Audio]] and read by [[Ian Hogg]].


==British publication history==
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]].
One single paperback edition, priced £2.50 (UK), estimated print run: 25,000 copies.


==Editions published outside Britain==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
''To be added''
Ghost Light Audio.jpg|Audiobook cover
</gallery>


==See also==
{{DWN}}
*{{On target|1990/ghost/90ghost.htm|Doctor Who - Ghost Light}}
* '''[[The Target Book]]''' by [[David J Howe]] ([[Telos Publishing]] 2007)
==External links==
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}


[[Category:Target Novelisations]]
[[Category:Target novelisations]]
[[Category:1990 novels]]
[[Category:1990 novels]]
[[Category:Seventh Doctor novelisations]]
[[Category:Eternal novels]]
[[Category:Stories set in Perivale]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1983]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1883]]
[[Category:The Earth Adventures Collection novels]]

Latest revision as of 22:57, 6 February 2024

RealWorld.png

Ghost Light was a novelisation based on the 1989 television serial Ghost Light.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Perivale, 1983

A column of smoke rises from the blazing ruins of a forgotten, decaying mansion.

Perivale, 1883

In the sleepy, rural parish of Greenford Parva, Gabriel Chase is by far the most imposing edifice. The villagers shun the grim house, but the owner, the reclusive and controversial naturalist Josiah Samuel Smith, receives occasional visitors.

The Reverend Ernest Matthews, for instance, dean of Mortarhouse College, has travelled from Oxford to refute Smith's blasphemous theories of evolution.

And in a deserted upstairs room, the Doctor and Ace venture from the TARDIS to explore the Victorian mansion...

Who – or what – is Josiah Smith? What terrible secrets does his house conceal? And why does Ace find everything so frightening familiar?

Chapter titles[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. Tropic of Perivale
  2. Gabriel Chase
  3. Uncharted Territory
  4. Gaslight Boogie
  5. Josiah's Web
  6. That's the Way to the Zoo
  7. Ace's Adventures Underground
  8. Creature Comforts
  9. Out of Control
  10. Twice Upon a Time
  11. Trick of the Light
  12. Beautiful Soup

Deviations from televised story[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • There is an extra opening sequence detailing the young Ace's visit to Gabriel Chase and the Doctor steering the TARDIS there.
  • It is established that Matthews saw Josiah and Gwendoline in London and has come to Gabriel Chase partly because he wants to save her innocence.
  • The novelisation includes several scenes and lines that were scripted and/or filmed but cut from the televised version: Ace tipping Josiah off by tampering with a telephone, and the Doctor saying they have to leave the house and be invited back in; the Doctor playing a boogie-woogie on the piano; Gwendoline visiting Redvers; Inspector Mackenzie trying to leave the house and being stopped by Light, who causes the front door to become immovably locked; Mrs Pritchard telling two maids, one of whom is armed with a machete, to dispose of Mackenzie; and Nimrod handing in his notice to Josiah (a scene rehearsed for the televised version, but never actually recorded).
  • It is explained that Josiah has The Times delivered to Control as a taunt since he knows she won't understand it.
  • Ace finds cave paintings in the passage leading to the stone spaceship. These were to have featured in the televised version, but had to be omitted for reasons of cost.
  • Ace sees Control on her first visit to the spaceship. Mrs Grose also sees her and tells the Doctor she is resigning.
  • It is explained that Mrs Pritchard tricked Redvers into wandering into Light's spaceship, causing his insanity.
  • When Light emerges from the lift, he walks straight through the Doctor standing in his path; an effect planned for the televised version, but which eventually proved impossible to achieve on-screen.
  • Light travels around the world viewing the lifeforms there.
  • It is implied that Josiah brought the ship back to Earth while Light slept.
  • Control plans to get Josiah better quarters eventually.
  • There is a lot of insight into the Doctor's mental processes, better explaining his motivation at various points.

Writing and publishing notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

British publication history[[edit] | [edit source]]

One single paperback edition, priced £2.50 (UK), estimated print run: 25,000 copies.

Audiobook[[edit] | [edit source]]

This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 2 June 2011 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Ian Hogg.

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.