Mawdryn Undead (novelisation)

Mawdryn Undead was a novelisation based on the 1983 television serial Mawdryn Undead.

	Mawdryn Undead
	Fifth Doctor
	Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough
	The Brig
	Mawdryn
	Earth, 1983 and June 1977
	Target Books, W.H. Allen
	Peter Grimwade
	David Collings
	82 (given to later editions)
	12 January 1984
	Hardcover and paperback editions; 8 chapters, 119 Pages
	ISBN 0-426-19393-8
Target novelisations
← Previous	Snakedance
Next →	Terminus

Publisher's summary

1984 edition

The Doctor's time-travelling machine is trapped in the flight-path of an alien spacecraft in orbit around the Earth. To avoid the fatal impact of a head-on collision the TARDIS resorts to the only escape possible and materialises onboard the on-coming liner.

This solves the immediate problem, but a new difficulty arises- the TARDIS cannot get off the ship until a radio signal transmitting from Earth has been disconnected.

The Doctor sets off in a Transmat Capsule, having programmed the TARDIS to enable Tegan and Nyssa to follow him once he has dealt with the interference.

Naturally enough, things don't go quite as planned...

Chapter titles

1. An Accidental Meeting
2. A New Enemy
3. An Old Friend
4. The Alien in the TARDIS
5. Return to the Ship
6. Rising of the Undead
7. Double Danger of the Brigadier
8. All Present and Correct

Deviations from televised story

• The Brigadier's decline is explored.
• Turlough feels contempt for his school.
• The Headmaster is named as Mr. Sellick and the Matron as Miss Cassidy.
• The Black Guardian is more obviously controlling Turlough throughout the story than on screen, causing him to attack the Doctor with the rock.
• The Brigadier sees Turlough stealing his car as a reason to bring back capital punishment.
• Turlough lets the Doctor know he has advanced technical knowledge as a way of tipping him off that something else is going on.
• The Doctor's explanation of what Mawdryn's people want of him is clearer than the third episode cliffhanger makes it.
• The Black Guardian criticising Turlough for not getting the 1977 Brigadier to the transmit as the Doctor instructed is left out.
• The Doctor and Tegan's opening conversation about the Mara, a holdover from the previous story, is omitted.

Writing and publishing notes

Audiobook cover.

• This story was released as an audiobook read by Peter Grimwade.
• Early artworked covers were rejected for reasons relating to the use of the likeness of certain actors on covers without permission, approval and remuneration.
• Featured quotation: "You cannot know or dream just who I am! But every sea and every ocean and every sailor who sails across the world will know this ship, the terror of the godly: the 'Flying Dutchman' is my name!" Richard Wagner
• Dedication: "For Keith Shand"

Additional cover images

• 

  1992 edition; cover by Alister Pearson

British publication history

First publication:

• Hardback

W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. UK

• Paperback

Target

External links

• On Target a comprehensive guide to the Target novelisations by Tim Neal