Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet (novelisation)
Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet was a novelisation based on the 1966 television serial The Tenth Planet.
Publisher's summary
1976 Target Books edition
The Sergeant blinked again. Three lights were moving towards him through the murk of the blizzard. Even as he looked, the lights changed into three tall, straight figures, clad in silver-armoured suits, advancing across the ice with a slow deliberate step. Horror-struck, the Sergeant reached for his gun, and a stream of bullets sprayed across the marching figures. BUT THEY CONTINUED MARCHING...
The CYBERMEN have arrived. The first invasion of Earth by this invincible, fearless race-and the last thrilling adventure of the first DOCTOR WHO.
1993 Target Books edition
THE TALL FIGURES, EACH ONE SEEMINGLY CLAD IN A SILVER ARMOURED SUIT, CONTINUED TO MOVE INEXORABLY TOWARDS THEM...
When the TARDIS materialises in the middle of a snowstorm, Ben and Polly, driven to distraction by weeks cooped up in the time ship, insist on going outside with the Doctor. As they battle through the storm, they are unaware that they are being watched - and unaware that the planet is about to be invaded by creatures deadlier than any it has seen before...
Based on the original TV story by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, The Tenth Planet is the first story to feature the deadly Cybermen, and the last story to feature the First Doctor, as played by William Hartnell, was to appear. It was to reveal an ability of the Time Lords never before suspected...
2012 BBC Edition
"We were exactly like you once. Then our cybernetic scientists realised that our race was weakening. Our scientists and doctors invented spare parts for our bodies until we could be almost completely replaced."
The TARDIS brings the Doctor and his friends to a space tracking station in the Antarctic - and straight into trouble. A space mission is going badly wrong, and a new planet has appeared in the sky.
Mondas, ancient fabled twin planet of Earth, has returned. Soon its inhabitants arrive. But while they used to be just like the humans of Earth, now they are very different. Devoid of emotions, their bodies replaced with plastic and steel, the Cybermen are here.
Humanity needs all the help it can get, but the one man who seems to know what is going on is terminally ill. As the Cybermen take over, the Doctor is dying...
This novel is based on the final story to feature the First Doctor, which was originally broadcast from 8 to 29 October 1966. This was the First Doctor Who story to feature the Cybermen.
Featuring the First Doctor as played by William Hartnell in his very last adventure, and his companions Ben and Polly.
Chapter titles
- The Creation of the Cybermen
- The Space Tracking Station
- Disaster in Space
- The New Planet
- Mondas!
- The Cyberman Invasion
- Ben into Action
- Battle in the Projection Room
- Two Hundred and Fifty Spaceships
- Z-Bomb Alert!
- Prepare to Blast Off
- Cybermen in Control
- Resistance in the Radiation Room
- The Destruction of Mondas!
Illustrations
- Contains illustrated pages
Deviations from televised story
- Instead of the Cybermen putting their hands to the side of General Cutler's and Polly’s head, they press a button on their chest unit that fires a beam to the forehead, knocking them out.
- The Doctor shows some more signs of being ill, deliriously mistaking Ben for Ian and Polly for Barbara, respectively. Ben and Polly are implied to come from the 1970s rather than the 1960s.
- The events of the televised version were set in 1986, but in the novelisation the year is given as 2000.
- The language in general is much stronger than was permitted in the televised version.
- Another soldier is present with the Sergeant at the TARDIS when he is attacked by the Cybermen. The Sergeant's neck is described rather vividly as being completely shattered by his opponent, now "[lolling] at a grotesque angle." The unnamed offsider is killed with his own crowbar, the assaulting Cyberman smashing his helmet and skull "like an eggshell."
- Krail, Krang, Jarl and Gern are sometimes called Cyberleaders. Cyberleaders were not introduced until Revenge of the Cybermen, which was broadcast the year before the book was published. Similarly, Krang is described as having a black helmet and the Cybership is "missile-shaped" as it would be in the upcoming story.
- The Cyberleaders report to a Cyber-Controller on Mondas.
- Barclay is given the first name of Tom and Wigner is given the first name of Robert.
- Haines (renamed Haynes in the novelisation) is given some lines. In the televised episode, Haines is no more than a non-speaking extra.
- A new engineer named Rogers is present in the tracking room.
- Several of the radar technician's lines are given to the R/T technician.
- An unknown Western seen in the original turns into a James Bond film starring Roger Moore. From the description of black-clad karate students, it is implied to be The Man with the Golden Gun. Ben recalls seeing it only the other week.
- Cutler attempts to shoot Ben after catching him sabotaging the Z-Bomb, but is stopped by Barclay.
- At the end, rather than collapsing by the TARDIS console, the First Doctor goes into a room near the console and uses a machine described as a long couch-like arrangement with a cover, said to be used for "compressing sleep". Emerging following the transformation, he studies his new appearance in a hand mirror before introducing himself to Polly and Ben: "I am the new Doctor!"
Writing and publishing notes
- Title page includes: “THE CHANGING FACE OF DOCTOR WHO: The cover illustration of this book portrays the first DOCTOR WHO whose physical appearance was later transformed when he discarded his worn-out body in favour of a new one.”
- The cover for the original Target Books edition featured the artwork of Chris Achilleos. The back cover included a small illustrated vignette also drawn by Achilleos.
Additional cover images
1976 Hardback edition
1993 edition.
Cover by Alister Pearson
2012 BBC Books edition
British publication history
First publication:
- Hardback
- W.H.Allen & Co. Ltd. UK
- Paperback
- Target
- Paperback (February 1993)
- Target / Virgin Publishing New cover artwork by Alister Pearson, priced £2.99 (UK).
Audiobook
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 7 December 2017 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Anneke Wills with Cyberman voices by Nicholas Briggs.
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.
Audiobook cover
External links
- Official Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet page at Penguin Books
