Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon was a novelisation based on the 1972 television serial The Curse of Peladon.
Publisher's summary
1975 Target Books edition
Again, the terrifying cry rang out. The Doctor quickened his pace along the gloomy tunnels of the castle. Suddenly, from the darkness lumbered the mighty Aggedor, Royal Beast and Protector of the Kingdom of Peladon!
The Doctor fumbled in his pocket. Would the device work? As he trained the spinning mirror on the eyes of Aggedor, the terrible claws came closer and closer...
What is the secret behind the killings on the Planet of Peladon? Is Aggedor seeking revenge because the King of Peladon wants the kingdom to become a member of the Galactic Federation? Will the Doctor escape the claws of Aggedor and discover the truth?
1992 Target Books edition
'THIS IS THE TARDIS,' SNAPPED THE DOCTOR, 'NOT A NUMBER 88 BUS!'
The Doctor and Jo simply meant to take a little ride in the TARDIS, to check that it was working. There was a small fault in the Interstitial Beam Synthesizer, perhaps, but nothing that couldn't be fixed...
But instead the TARDIS takes them to Peladon, a medieval world which is seeking membership of the Galactic Federation. Delegates have gathered on the planet from all over the galaxy, and among them are representatives from Alpha Centauri, from Archturus and, from Mars, some of the Doctor's oldest and most dangerous enemies...
This is a novelization by Brian Hayles of his own original television story, which featured Jon Pertwee in the role of the Doctor.
Chapter titles
- The Deadly Guardian
- Into the Chasm
- An Enemy from the Past
- The Doctor Must Die
- The Attack on Arcturus
- The Temple of Aggedor
- Escape to Danger
- Trial by Combat
- A Conspiracy of Terror
- The Battle for the Palace
- The King's Avenger
Deviations from televised story
- The original idea that Alpha Centauri's body and tentacles change colour to reflect their mood – dropped from the television version because of cost – is retained in the novelisation. Brian Hayles also switches, seemingly at random, between using masculine and neuter pronouns for Alpha Centauri throughout the text.
- Peladon’s human mother is called Ellua. She is unnamed in the original television story.
- The Doctor notices trisilicate in the tunnels.
- Some of the tunnels underneath the Citadel of Peladon are illuminated by phosphorescent rock, not torches.
- The lack of rain outside – despite the sheet lightning, thunder and wind – makes Jo wonder if they’re still on Earth. On television, it is not until she and the Doctor see the Temple of Aggedor that they realise they’re on another world.
- Jo tries to convince Grun to throw the fight.
- The Doctor impersonates Muhammed Ali.
- Peladon makes a deal with the spirit of Aggedor.
- As in the televised version, Amazonia is unnamed — being referred to as simply "the lady Earth Delegate" and "Madam Chairman".
- The Doctor’s suspicion that the Time Lords had guided the TARDIS to Peladon, at this particular crisis point in the planet’s history, is not included.
Writing and publishing notes
- Title page includes: THE CHANGING FACE OF DOCTOR WHO. The cover illustration of this book portrays the third DOCTOR WHO whose physical appearance was altered by the Time Lords when they banished him to planet Earth in the Twentieth Century.
- Like many early Pertwee novelisations, a hardcover edition was not seen for several years, until 1980 in this case.
- The original edition of the novel includes six full-page black and white illustrations by Alan Willow. Aggedor is portrayed as being considerably larger and more muscular than he appeared on television.
Additional cover images
1980 edition with diamond logo
1980 Hardback edition.
Cover by Bill Donohoe
1992 edition.
Cover by Alister Pearson
British publication history
First publication:
- Hardback
- W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. UK
- Paperback
- Target
Re-issues:
- 40p (UK)
- 1992 Virgin Publishing with a new cover by Alister Pearson priced £2.99 (UK)
Editions published outside Britain
- This book was to have been published in Turkey by Remzi Kitabevi in 1975 as a paperback edition, it was translated by Reha Pinar and to be published as Doktor Kim ve Peladon Gezegeni, however it was never printed or published.[1]
- This book was also to have also been published in the USA by Pinnacle Books in 1980 as a paperback edition, however when Lyle Stuart Inc secured the rights to distribute the Target Books in America the plan was shelved.[2]
Audiobook
In July 1995, BBC Audio released an abridged audiobook version of the novel, read by Jon Pertwee. It became part of the BBC MP3-CD Audio sampler Tales from the TARDIS Volume 1, "Ten hours on just one disc".
This story was also released as an audiobook on 2 May 2013 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by David Troughton.
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.
1995 audiobook
2013 audiobook cover
