State of Decay was an unique audiobook version of State of Decay which was read by Tom Baker. It was a version of the story distinct from both Target print novelisation and the television story, as it had a radically different format to either of the other versions. Its runtime was a mere sixty minutes. It is one of the very few pieces of Doctor Who merchandise that was released on ¼" audio cassette.
How it's different
The main difference in the story on cassette is one of perspective. Almost all scenes are told from the perspective of the Doctor and Romana. This shift leads to a reduction in Adric and K9's importance to the plot, removes a number of scenes with guest characters and changes others so the Doctor and Romana are said to have witnessed them from afar.
There are a number of specific differences with respect to the television story:
- The Law of Consonantal Shift is never mentioned — something that makes sense given Dicks' disdain of this Bidmeadism (DCOM: State of Decay)
- K9's role is reduced to the point that he doesn't even help the rebels with their attack
- Ivo has nothing to do with Habris' murder. In fact, Habris doesn't die in this version.
- The Doctor's contact with the TARDIS is much more limited than on television. Thus, there is no scene in which he consults the Record of Rassilon or does a short hop mid-story.
Releases
The Pickwick version of State of Decay was first released on a single cassette by Pickwick themselves in 1981, about six months before the Target version hit stores. It was then re-released in 1985 by Ditto as a two-cassette pack. Other than the editing required to put the story on two cassettes, there is no narrative difference between the two versions.
The Ditto version
