Delta and the Bannermen (novelisation)

As the billionth customers at a space tollport the Doctor and Mel win the Grand Prize – a place on the Fabulous Fifties Coach Tour to Disneyland, Planet Earth.

Unfortunately, they don't quite make it there...Knocked off-course by a wayward satellite the coach party arrives instead at Shangri-la, a remote Welsh holiday camp.

But the peace and quiet of the countryside are soon shattered by the arrival of an army of marauding Bannermen soldiers, led by the ruthless Gavrok. They are tracking down Delta, the last of the Chimeron, with only one thought in mind – her destruction...

1991 Target Books edition[[edit] | [edit source]]

'YOU ARE THE LAST SURVIVOR,' HISSED GAVROK. 'BUT NOT FOR LONG...'

As the billionth customers at a space tollport the Doctor and Mel win the Grand Prize – a place on the Fabulous Fifties Coach Tour to Disneyland, Planet Earth.

Unfortunately, they don't quite make it there...Knocked off-course by a wayward satellite the coach party arrives instead at Shangri-la, a remote Welsh holiday camp.

But the peace and quiet of the countryside are soon shattered by the arrival of an army of marauding Bannermen soldiers, led by the ruthless Gavrok. They are tracking down Delta, the last of the Chimeron, with only one thought in mind.

Her destruction.

This is a novelization by Malcolm Kohll of his own story, first broadcast in 1987.

2017 BBC Audio edition[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor and Mel win a place on a Fabulous Fifties intergalactic coach tour to Disneyland, Florida, Earth. When they're knocked off course by a wayward satellite, however the coach party arrives instead at Shangri-La, a remote Welsh holiday camp.

The peace and quiet of the countryside are soon shattered by the arrival of an army of marauding Bannermen soldiers, led by the ruthless Gavrok. They are tracking down Delta, the Chimeron Queen, with only one thought in mind: her destruction.

The Doctor and Mel unite with aliens and locals alike in a frantic bid to save Delta, her Chimeron child, and the entire Chimeron race from extinction. Can they possibly succeed?

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

Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Epilogue

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

On TV, Burton has a dog; there is no mention of this dog in the novelisation.
On TV, Hawk burns his hand when he enters the ray of the sonic cone, but in the book, he injures his head.
In the novelisation, the Doctor and Mel mention visiting the planets Zoth and Themlon.
The epilogue of the book shows Billy, Delta and her daughter arriving on the brood planet, which is said to be covered in hexagonal chambers as far as the eye can see. Delta and her daughter stay on the brood planet and Billy takes the Bannermen to a galactic court before returning to the brood planet.

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

The first edition features a typographical error on the spine, referring to the book as Doctor Who – Delta and the Bannerman.
The Production Notes commentary on the 2009 DVD release of Delta and the Bannermen highlighted that the first edition of the novelisation contains an unfortunate typographical error: during the scene in which the Doctor and Ray are caught snooping on Gavrok, the Doctor is described as "peeing over" instead of "peering over" a shelf. The typographical error also exists in the 1991 reissue. The error can be found in both editions on page 54.
A proposed hardback edition for January 1989 was never released.

Additional cover images[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

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

First publication: Paperback (January 1989)

Target / W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. One single paperback edition, estimated print run: 21,000, priced £1.99 (UK).

Re-issues: (November 1991)

Target / Virgin Publishing, estimated print run: 9,000, priced £2.99 (UK).

Audiobook[[edit] | [edit source]]

This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 1 June 2017 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Bonnie Langford.

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.

The audiobook was reissued on 1 September 2022 as part of the audio anthology The Second Earth Adventures Collection.