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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #164
Doctor Who: The TV Movie
‘Who am I…? WHO AM I?’
It's December 1999, and strange things are happening as the new millennium nears. A British police box appears from nowhere in San Francisco’s Chinatown and the mysterious man inside it is shot down in the street. Despite the best efforts of Dr Grace Holloway, the man dies and another stranger appears, claiming to be the same person in a different body: a wanderer in time and space known only as the Doctor.
But the Doctor is not the only alien in San Francisco. His deadly adversary the Master is murdering his way through the city and has taken control of the TARDIS. The Master is desperate to take the Doctor’s newly regenerated body for himself, and if the Doctor does not capitulate, it will literally cost him the Earth… and every last life on it.
It's December 1999, and strange things are happening as the new millennium nears. A British police box appears from nowhere in San Francisco’s Chinatown and the mysterious man inside it is shot down in the street. Despite the best efforts of Dr Grace Holloway, the man dies and another stranger appears, claiming to be the same person in a different body: a wanderer in time and space known only as the Doctor.
But the Doctor is not the only alien in San Francisco. His deadly adversary the Master is murdering his way through the city and has taken control of the TARDIS. The Master is desperate to take the Doctor’s newly regenerated body for himself, and if the Doctor does not capitulate, it will literally cost him the Earth… and every last life on it.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 1996
36 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Gary Russell
196 books171 followersGary Russell is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media. As an actor, he is best known for playing Dick Kirrin in the British 1978 television series The Famous Five.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
November 1, 2023
"But it was a childish dream that made you a doctor! You dreamt you could hold back death. Isn't that true? Don't be sad, Grace. You'll do great things!"- 8th Doctor
February 12, 2025
The TV Movie is one of a handful of Doctor Who serials to have multiple novelizations, though one of the very few to be novelized by the same author twice. Gary Russell wrote the initial version in 1996 before the film even finished filming, based on Matthew Jacobs’ script, and then did extensive revisions for a 2021 reprint. This review is of that 1996 edition, and not the 2021 reprint simply because it is the copy I happen to own. The TV Movie as a story is one of those Doctor Who stories that is largely a mess of ideas wrapped up in an attempt at a pilot for something that would have been a very different version of the show than what it was and what it would eventually become. The Novel of the Film as an adaptation has a similar number of issues, but by the very nature of being in prose it can actually communicate the ideas far better than what Jacobs and director Geoffrey Sax communicated on-screen. The greatest benefits of this are Bruce before he is killed and his body is stolen by the Master generally feeling like an actual character and not just some guy played by Eric Roberts because the producers wanted something close to a big American star for the role. The same can be said for so many of the minor characters, as a writer Gary Russell really does like to give each character just a little backstory and at the climax when the film cuts back to the party, the novel actually has made us care about the little people on the ground, however small making the stakes actually feel much larger than they are.
What is perhaps most interesting is that despite being an author largely known for his continuity references, Russell is fairly restrained throughout. The chapter titles are split into sayings that vaguely describe each of the previous Doctors, and of course there is the fact that the film centers the Seventh Doctor because they were insistent on a regeneration yet so much of this lacks them. The oddest reference to me is perhaps a reference to Saul and Cheldon Bonniface, explicitly tying in the New Adventures to something that happened, odd because in between publication and the launch of the Eighth Doctor Adventures the mandate would come to largely ignore those adventures in favor of simply doing the in house adventures. The Novel of the Film is a novel that is at least partially hampered by the fact that Russell is working on an earlier draft of the script, while Paul McGann was cast there isn’t nearly as much of what he brought to the role of the Doctor in this book. The character is there but is more of a generic characterization of the Doctor, who also happens to flirt and kiss. The same can be said of the Master, Russell when describing what he does clearly falls back on the Delgado and Ainley portrayals and not Eric Roberts’ over the top idea, ‘I always dress for the occasion’ is treated like any other line and not the camp statement that even the script hints at it being. It also means the book ends on a simple note of the Doctor just going on to more adventures potentially and it opens with an actual prologue of the Master’s trial. The Daleks are there and described as Daleks making me wonder if at one point until very late the plan was to also get the license for the film to use them from Terry Nation.
Overall, The Novel of the Film is actually a better experience than watching The TV Movie in a lot of ways. While it still suffers from a lot of the messy aspects of the script, Gary Russell has actively worked to convert it to a novel and tries making the plot work by deviating from what would eventually be laid on-screen making it an incredibly enjoyable time, though probably not for people who aren’t already fans. 7/10.
What is perhaps most interesting is that despite being an author largely known for his continuity references, Russell is fairly restrained throughout. The chapter titles are split into sayings that vaguely describe each of the previous Doctors, and of course there is the fact that the film centers the Seventh Doctor because they were insistent on a regeneration yet so much of this lacks them. The oddest reference to me is perhaps a reference to Saul and Cheldon Bonniface, explicitly tying in the New Adventures to something that happened, odd because in between publication and the launch of the Eighth Doctor Adventures the mandate would come to largely ignore those adventures in favor of simply doing the in house adventures. The Novel of the Film is a novel that is at least partially hampered by the fact that Russell is working on an earlier draft of the script, while Paul McGann was cast there isn’t nearly as much of what he brought to the role of the Doctor in this book. The character is there but is more of a generic characterization of the Doctor, who also happens to flirt and kiss. The same can be said of the Master, Russell when describing what he does clearly falls back on the Delgado and Ainley portrayals and not Eric Roberts’ over the top idea, ‘I always dress for the occasion’ is treated like any other line and not the camp statement that even the script hints at it being. It also means the book ends on a simple note of the Doctor just going on to more adventures potentially and it opens with an actual prologue of the Master’s trial. The Daleks are there and described as Daleks making me wonder if at one point until very late the plan was to also get the license for the film to use them from Terry Nation.
Overall, The Novel of the Film is actually a better experience than watching The TV Movie in a lot of ways. While it still suffers from a lot of the messy aspects of the script, Gary Russell has actively worked to convert it to a novel and tries making the plot work by deviating from what would eventually be laid on-screen making it an incredibly enjoyable time, though probably not for people who aren’t already fans. 7/10.
March 24, 2021
There are spoilers here but I suspect almost anyone reading this novel will pretty much know what happens.
I read the original version of this novel when it was first published. This is a new version, which Gary Russell has tweaked a tad. As a result, I think it is a better book.
The Doctor arrives on Earth as Sylvester McCoy having been tricked by the Master into bringing his mortal remains from Skaro after he has been executed by the Daleks. It turns out that the Master isn't quite dead, but then when is he ever quite dead. McCoy gets shot in a random accident. This being America. Ends up in hospital. Dies due to no one in an expensive hospital really caring that he has two Hearts. Regenerates. Becomes Paul McGann....etc etc. The Master loses. The Doctor wins. Grace Holloway, the cardiologist who killed the Doctor and then became his companion de jour chooses not to travel with him. The end. Oh, and Chang Lee, the young Chinese dude who was fooled into assisting the Master gets a bag of gold and some travel advice.
The book tidies up a few more controversial moments of the TV episodes and sprinkles some of Doctor Who's past about the place (which is an addition to this version as, apparently, when he wrote the original novelization he was asked to keep the past out of it as much as possible.) It adds a little depth in my opinion.
The Master is at his most batshit crazy - well, until recently - in this story, but is a little flat on the page. I find Eric Roberts adds a certain something in performance. It might be OTT, but it was interesting to have a Master that was a creepy guy with a goatee beard. Sometimes Classic Who showed a distinct lack of imagination with The Master I think. Find a look, stick to it.
Gary Russell writes clearly, intelligently, and paces the story well. If Terrance Dicks set out the template for Doctor Who novelizations then Gary Russell does a fine job in following it. Flaws in characterization must be blamed on the original story. I always think Grace's denial of who the Doctor seems dim, based on her intelligence, but she needs to be that dim in order to have a reason to call for an ambulance so that The Master can get his hands on the Doctor. I just think that faced with empirical evidence of the Doctor's alienness she would have to accept that it is true. Chang Lee's unquestioning acceptance of The Master's story seems better explained in the book: he's greedy, The Master offers him an escape, and - the book makes more clear - The Master is messing with his mind.
Anyway a enjoyable read.
I read the original version of this novel when it was first published. This is a new version, which Gary Russell has tweaked a tad. As a result, I think it is a better book.
The Doctor arrives on Earth as Sylvester McCoy having been tricked by the Master into bringing his mortal remains from Skaro after he has been executed by the Daleks. It turns out that the Master isn't quite dead, but then when is he ever quite dead. McCoy gets shot in a random accident. This being America. Ends up in hospital. Dies due to no one in an expensive hospital really caring that he has two Hearts. Regenerates. Becomes Paul McGann....etc etc. The Master loses. The Doctor wins. Grace Holloway, the cardiologist who killed the Doctor and then became his companion de jour chooses not to travel with him. The end. Oh, and Chang Lee, the young Chinese dude who was fooled into assisting the Master gets a bag of gold and some travel advice.
The book tidies up a few more controversial moments of the TV episodes and sprinkles some of Doctor Who's past about the place (which is an addition to this version as, apparently, when he wrote the original novelization he was asked to keep the past out of it as much as possible.) It adds a little depth in my opinion.
The Master is at his most batshit crazy - well, until recently - in this story, but is a little flat on the page. I find Eric Roberts adds a certain something in performance. It might be OTT, but it was interesting to have a Master that was a creepy guy with a goatee beard. Sometimes Classic Who showed a distinct lack of imagination with The Master I think. Find a look, stick to it.
Gary Russell writes clearly, intelligently, and paces the story well. If Terrance Dicks set out the template for Doctor Who novelizations then Gary Russell does a fine job in following it. Flaws in characterization must be blamed on the original story. I always think Grace's denial of who the Doctor seems dim, based on her intelligence, but she needs to be that dim in order to have a reason to call for an ambulance so that The Master can get his hands on the Doctor. I just think that faced with empirical evidence of the Doctor's alienness she would have to accept that it is true. Chang Lee's unquestioning acceptance of The Master's story seems better explained in the book: he's greedy, The Master offers him an escape, and - the book makes more clear - The Master is messing with his mind.
Anyway a enjoyable read.
August 27, 2022
Glad to see New Who getting the Target treatment.
The TV movie is infamous, but I never felt it deserved the scorn.
It's not perfect, but it's not the worst thing DW has ever produced.
Heck, it's not even the worst Master story.
This novelization attempts to smooth off some of the rough edges and fix some of the clunky writing.
Both Doctors are solid, Chang Lee gets better characterization, the attempts to make the Master more evil isn't bad, but I kind of liked the weird seesaw between camp and menacing that Eric Roberts did.
It's not a classic, but more a lightweight romp.
The TV movie is infamous, but I never felt it deserved the scorn.
It's not perfect, but it's not the worst thing DW has ever produced.
Heck, it's not even the worst Master story.
This novelization attempts to smooth off some of the rough edges and fix some of the clunky writing.
Both Doctors are solid, Chang Lee gets better characterization, the attempts to make the Master more evil isn't bad, but I kind of liked the weird seesaw between camp and menacing that Eric Roberts did.
It's not a classic, but more a lightweight romp.
February 27, 2020
This Book Was a great Doctor Who books as it saved me a lot of trouble of trying to buy the movie other than that if this wasn't based on the movie I would have said this was a great Doctor Who Regeneration story or just a great Doctor Who story. Overall A great books with many things to its merit.
October 15, 2011
Doctor Who novelizations come in two sorts: the Terrance Dicks sort, which strictly reports what happened in the episode, and the Malcolm Hulke/Ian Marter sort, which expands and improves upon the material. Sometimes a story that really needs the Terrance Dicks treatment doesn't get it, and sometimes a weaker story that could benefit from some tweaking is left as-is. This novelization combines the best of both worlds sometimes, and sometimes the worst.
To begin with, it has one glaring flaw - the author frequently forgets that his point-of-view characters aren't English. This would presumably pass completely unnoticed by a British reader, but given that one of the characteristics of the TV story is the comparison of first contact with aliens to culture shock, it seems an unforgivable oversight.
Another fault lies in what the author chooses to change and what he chooses to leave - namely, he leaves the controversial 'half-human' statements without any sort of explanation, and yet adjusts the climax of the piece so that the companions are merely gravely wounded rather than killed and resurrected, thus leaving in a pointless bit of fandom-dividing trivia with no relevance to the story while removing a major thematic element. One might argue that the book shows the event from Grace's perspective, and the TARDIS rewrote her last few minutes, but that still leaves the Doctor's line about 'you two held back death' seeming somewhat overdramatic.
That said, there are some definite improvements. While Eric Roberts was by no means a poor Master, his dialogue often left something to be desired. The book restores some of the joie de vivre of Delgado and Ainley to the lines. Furthermore, while it's difficult to improve on Paul McGann's performance as the Doctor, he didn't really have enough time to get into it before the demands of the plot took over. This rendition smooths out some of the rougher spots and makes it easier to see the reflections of the previous Doctors (as well as some of the future Doctors) that McGann's subsequent depictions on audio have portrayed.
All in all, the book is a net improvement over the TV story, and is still highly enjoyable despite its faults. It would be nice to see it back in print.
To begin with, it has one glaring flaw - the author frequently forgets that his point-of-view characters aren't English. This would presumably pass completely unnoticed by a British reader, but given that one of the characteristics of the TV story is the comparison of first contact with aliens to culture shock, it seems an unforgivable oversight.
Another fault lies in what the author chooses to change and what he chooses to leave - namely, he leaves the controversial 'half-human' statements without any sort of explanation, and yet adjusts the climax of the piece so that the companions are merely gravely wounded rather than killed and resurrected, thus leaving in a pointless bit of fandom-dividing trivia with no relevance to the story while removing a major thematic element. One might argue that the book shows the event from Grace's perspective, and the TARDIS rewrote her last few minutes, but that still leaves the Doctor's line about 'you two held back death' seeming somewhat overdramatic.
That said, there are some definite improvements. While Eric Roberts was by no means a poor Master, his dialogue often left something to be desired. The book restores some of the joie de vivre of Delgado and Ainley to the lines. Furthermore, while it's difficult to improve on Paul McGann's performance as the Doctor, he didn't really have enough time to get into it before the demands of the plot took over. This rendition smooths out some of the rougher spots and makes it easier to see the reflections of the previous Doctors (as well as some of the future Doctors) that McGann's subsequent depictions on audio have portrayed.
All in all, the book is a net improvement over the TV story, and is still highly enjoyable despite its faults. It would be nice to see it back in print.
October 23, 2022
http://nhw.livejournal.com/902285.html
This was the novel of the TV movie, written by Gary Russell (two of whose other Who novels I have read; I liked one of them). Not really a lot to say about this; he has stuck fairly closely to the script, padding out the introduction a bit more, wisely not expanding on the Doctor's demi-humanity. I see that I found the visuals and the acting particularly attractive in the broadcast version of the story, and inevitably those get lost in the transfer to the printed page. But it's basically OK.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/doctor-who-1996-by-paul-driscoll-and-doctor-who-the-book-of-the-movie-by-gary-russell/
Actually I liked it a bit more this time around, perhaps because I re-read it so close to re-watching the original version of the story. A lot of the incidental characters are given significantly more back-story. The Doctor himself comes over as a bit more of an enigma, which was possibly wise. I’ve also read enough Who spinoff fiction now to realise that Russell is among the best of the writers in the stable.
This was the novel of the TV movie, written by Gary Russell (two of whose other Who novels I have read; I liked one of them). Not really a lot to say about this; he has stuck fairly closely to the script, padding out the introduction a bit more, wisely not expanding on the Doctor's demi-humanity. I see that I found the visuals and the acting particularly attractive in the broadcast version of the story, and inevitably those get lost in the transfer to the printed page. But it's basically OK.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/doctor-who-1996-by-paul-driscoll-and-doctor-who-the-book-of-the-movie-by-gary-russell/
Actually I liked it a bit more this time around, perhaps because I re-read it so close to re-watching the original version of the story. A lot of the incidental characters are given significantly more back-story. The Doctor himself comes over as a bit more of an enigma, which was possibly wise. I’ve also read enough Who spinoff fiction now to realise that Russell is among the best of the writers in the stable.
March 2, 2021
Remastered for 2021 with bits that got taken out of the original 1996 edition (plus I suspect some other polishes also) here’s Mr GRussell’s novelisation of Paul McGann’s first appearance as the Doctor finally getting the Target logo it deserves. I probably haven’t read the original since it was published so a lot of the differences between the book and film come as surprises.
January 4, 2024
molt bo (si us agrada la pel·lícula de mcgann, òbviament). arregla molt bé coses que grinyolen del llargmetratge i posa més referències a la clàssica.
October 11, 2024
I'm probably in the minority here, but I really liked the movie. It could be that I'm a bit biased, as the 8th Doctor is my favorite. Yes, the movie is a bit cheesy and has its flaws and other canonical anomalies (half-human, anyone?) but it holds a special place in my heart as the start of my Doctor's run. There were also a lot of good choices here: setting the story during millennium New Year's Eve, Grace as a companion, the re-emergence of the Master, and 8's character setup for what would be a long run of novels and audio plays.
There were some differences in the updated version of the novelization that weren't in the original- Grace and Lee surviving the Master, for one, more backstory on the characters for another, and the reduction of the 'half-human' addition to one sarcastic aside comment.
This is a really fun read, and a great introduction to the 8th Doctor for anyone who has yet to delve into his stories.
There were some differences in the updated version of the novelization that weren't in the original- Grace and Lee surviving the Master, for one, more backstory on the characters for another, and the reduction of the 'half-human' addition to one sarcastic aside comment.
This is a really fun read, and a great introduction to the 8th Doctor for anyone who has yet to delve into his stories.
April 14, 2016
Edited 13/04/2016
Erased my previous review, let's just say it was very harsh toward the movie and I do not feel that way anymore... well, I still don't like the movie, but I don't think being negative about it is constructive and there's enough bad vibes out there; rewatching the movie did help, now it's like an episode I didn't like, but have make my peace with it.
The book did a good job with the material it had, it did give some background and smoothed some edges over; but I think not liking the movie, I was predisposed not to like the book. Probably better to read the book than to watch the movie (... then again Paul McGann is great eye candy) and if someone really wants to explore the 8th Doctor, I would recommend the Big Finish audios instead, you have soothing voice of Paul McGann, I could go to sleep listening to him (am a little jealous of his kids, the nightly book readings must have been heavenly) and the script are mostly top notch.
You might think I didn't say a lot about the book... well, it was forgettable? must have been because I didn't say a lot about it the first time around either.
Erased my previous review, let's just say it was very harsh toward the movie and I do not feel that way anymore... well, I still don't like the movie, but I don't think being negative about it is constructive and there's enough bad vibes out there; rewatching the movie did help, now it's like an episode I didn't like, but have make my peace with it.
The book did a good job with the material it had, it did give some background and smoothed some edges over; but I think not liking the movie, I was predisposed not to like the book. Probably better to read the book than to watch the movie (... then again Paul McGann is great eye candy) and if someone really wants to explore the 8th Doctor, I would recommend the Big Finish audios instead, you have soothing voice of Paul McGann, I could go to sleep listening to him (am a little jealous of his kids, the nightly book readings must have been heavenly) and the script are mostly top notch.
You might think I didn't say a lot about the book... well, it was forgettable? must have been because I didn't say a lot about it the first time around either.
July 4, 2023
I enjoyed this, however the adaptation from Screen to Book doesn't service the story the best. Exciting and very visual focused sequences are unfortunately lost in translation along with the soundtrack and certain cheesy but fun or funny moments.
The changes at the very beginning and nearing the end of the story are probably some of the best and this does feel like a more matured and expanded version of the original story. I feel as though these improvements would have ironed out some issues with the original story on TV. Subtle but significant improvements in places.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this read, I love the Eighth Doctor and the Eric Roberts Master personally and getting to imagine certain sequences or elements polished up and made more deep was a lot of fun.
I may have listened to the soundtrack whilst reading it too which I really enjoyed doing.
3.8/5
The changes at the very beginning and nearing the end of the story are probably some of the best and this does feel like a more matured and expanded version of the original story. I feel as though these improvements would have ironed out some issues with the original story on TV. Subtle but significant improvements in places.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this read, I love the Eighth Doctor and the Eric Roberts Master personally and getting to imagine certain sequences or elements polished up and made more deep was a lot of fun.
I may have listened to the soundtrack whilst reading it too which I really enjoyed doing.
3.8/5
May 4, 2021
Most movie novelizations end up being a not-quite-final draft of the film's script converted into prose. There's the occasional deleted scene or expanded character backstory, but it's mostly just a book version of the film, as you'd have seen it. Doctor Who: The TV Movie is precisely that kind of novelization. It’s well written, sure, and Russell’s prose adds a fair amount of depth to the story that a ninety-minute TV film simply can’t have. But it’s still a very safe, very standard novelization. It's a little disappointing compared to how different some of the other recent Target novelizations are to their original stories, but I'm kind of okay with Russell's adaptation being as faithful and safe as it is. I have quite the soft spot for the TV film, and Russell's novel does a great job of capturing what works about the film.
If you’re unfamiliar with the 1996 Doctor Who TV film, it’s Paul McGann’s only televised outing as the Eighth Doctor. It was a co-production between the BBC and the American-based TV network, Fox. As such, it’s a weird mixture of reboot and Classic Who continuation. It strikes an immediately different, more Americanized tone when compared to the classic Doctor Who series, while also somehow feeling as though it’s in the same world. Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor opens the film, with a prologue that sees him regenerate into McGann’s Eighth Doctor, and the Master returns as the Doctor’s arch-nemesis, but the film is hesitant to acknowledge much else about the show’s wider canon. The bulk of the story takes place in San Francisco on December 31st, 1999. The Doctor is suffering a nasty bout of amnesia after his regeneration and the Master is on the hunt for the Doctor, looking to steal his remaining regenerations. So, the Doctor teams up with Grace, the woman who accidentally killed him, to defeat the Master and save the Earth from certain doom. And that’s kind of it. It’s a very talky film, with not a lot of stuff that actually happens. It’s one of those films where you can totally see how it was intended to be a pilot for an ongoing series, as opposed to a truly stand-alone story. There’s a lot of groundwork that gets built but the story, itself, is kind of lacking. It’s a fun film, but not because of an outstanding narrative.
What Gary Russell's adaptation of the TV film gets right is the spirit of the film. As you're reading his novelization, it's so easy to visualize the scenes from the film and hear the characters saying the dialogue (most of which has been lifted directly from the script). For all its pros and cons, the novelization feels like the film. A lot has been said over the years about the quality of the TV film’s narrative, and while this novelization is technically a republication of the novelization that was published alongside the film’s initial release, Russell has subtly updated it some (mostly to make it adhere with subsequent Doctor Who lore, or to correct mistakes that weren't caught in the original publication). So, there must have been the temptation to make significant revisions to his original text. But he doesn't. And, to be honest, I’m pretty glad he didn’t. Yes, I feel like the novelization suffers a bit from just being the film put to prose. And yes, there’s probably a more compelling way to tell this narrative than the way Russell (or the TV film) does. But, I think there’s something so fun about the Doctor Who TV film and it’s nice to see it so faithfully captured with this novelization. It’s such a unique slice of 1990s American sci-fi television, with all of the pros and cons that come with that, and it’s lovely to have it forever immortalized in novel form.
That being said, Russell’s novelization does differ from the TV movie in a few ways. It’s based on an earlier draft of the screenplay, so some of the descriptions and scenes don’t quite match what ended up in the film. The changes found in the film are fairly minor and are probably better than what was in this earlier draft of the script (aside from the Master’s pretty gnarly-sounding appearance in the novelization’s climax), but it’s definitely something you notice. Russell’s novelization also leans a little bit more into Doctor Who’s past. There’s an extended prologue that recaps much of the Doctor’s life to this point, explaining his connection to Gallifrey, the Daleks, and the Master. It’s the kind of thing that might have been useful to have in the film, though would have resulted in a significantly slower opening. Additionally, several of the characters receive far more attention in the novelization than they do in the film—most notably Chang Lee and the Master. If you’re not familiar with the Master, I feel like the TV film doesn’t do such a great job of explaining who he is and why he’s at odds with the Doctor. Russell’s novelization doesn’t go into a lot more detail, but it goes into just enough that it helps sell the relationship for people who aren’t already intimately familiar with it. Chang Lee, on the other hand, gets a lot of much-needed development here. In the film, his character arc is a bit hard to track. He’s fairly thinly sketched, so as his allegiances change, it’s hard to fully understand what’s causing them to change. Russell spends a lot of time in the novelization focusing on Chang Lee—his motivations, his backstory, and his personality. We understand why he chooses to work for the Master, we understand what makes him start questioning the Master. He just comes across as a much more layered character here than he does in the film, and that’s nice.
Unfortunately, these additions come at the cost of the story’s pacing. The TV film is already a pretty slow story. It takes nearly half an hour for Paul McGann’s Doctor to even appear, then it takes another half an hour for him to get his memories back and for the actual plot to start, and then it’s over half an hour later. This is a story that probably could’ve been told in half the screen time. So, the very act of slotting more stuff into this story is gonna result in some questionable pacing decisions. The extended prologue means it takes even longer for the Eighth Doctor to enter the scene, though Russell tries to make up for this with his prose cluing the reader into what’s going on and implicitly promising that things are gonna get more exciting. We see this problem again towards the climax as Russell spends a great deal of time exploring the motivations of certain characters while jumping back and forth between what’s happening in the TARDIS and what’s happening throughout San Francisco. It’s the kind of thing that works better on film, when you can rapidly cut back and forth between scenes, but doing it in a novel tends to slow everything down. To be fair, it’s not like the novelization is a slow read; it’s quite a fast one. And the pacing is mostly good—or, at least, similar to the film's pacing. It’s just that, in the context of the narrative, some of these additions do end up slowing things down more than you might like.
Overall, if you've seen the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, then there's not a whole lot on Russell's novelization that'll wow you much. It's a very faithful, very well-written retelling of the film. It doesn't take many risks or make many alterations to the story, but it does flesh out a few of the characters a bit more. Russell's prose is lovely, managing to be that perfect amount of descriptive without over describing, and excelling at diving into the emotions of whichever character is being focused on. The characters’ voices are captured authentically, with the Eighth Doctor sounding exactly like Paul McGann, and the rest of the characters feeling like their on-screen counterparts. But ultimately, it's just kind of standard. And while I do like how perfectly it captures the film, I wouldn't have minded some kind of small twist to the story, some little thing that could have added a new dimension to this familiar tale. Nothing particularly big, but something that could've just... expanded it ever so slightly beyond a few deleted scenes and extra character beats. Still, it's a fun read, especially if you're eager to know what happens in the film but don't have easy access to it.
If you’re unfamiliar with the 1996 Doctor Who TV film, it’s Paul McGann’s only televised outing as the Eighth Doctor. It was a co-production between the BBC and the American-based TV network, Fox. As such, it’s a weird mixture of reboot and Classic Who continuation. It strikes an immediately different, more Americanized tone when compared to the classic Doctor Who series, while also somehow feeling as though it’s in the same world. Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor opens the film, with a prologue that sees him regenerate into McGann’s Eighth Doctor, and the Master returns as the Doctor’s arch-nemesis, but the film is hesitant to acknowledge much else about the show’s wider canon. The bulk of the story takes place in San Francisco on December 31st, 1999. The Doctor is suffering a nasty bout of amnesia after his regeneration and the Master is on the hunt for the Doctor, looking to steal his remaining regenerations. So, the Doctor teams up with Grace, the woman who accidentally killed him, to defeat the Master and save the Earth from certain doom. And that’s kind of it. It’s a very talky film, with not a lot of stuff that actually happens. It’s one of those films where you can totally see how it was intended to be a pilot for an ongoing series, as opposed to a truly stand-alone story. There’s a lot of groundwork that gets built but the story, itself, is kind of lacking. It’s a fun film, but not because of an outstanding narrative.
What Gary Russell's adaptation of the TV film gets right is the spirit of the film. As you're reading his novelization, it's so easy to visualize the scenes from the film and hear the characters saying the dialogue (most of which has been lifted directly from the script). For all its pros and cons, the novelization feels like the film. A lot has been said over the years about the quality of the TV film’s narrative, and while this novelization is technically a republication of the novelization that was published alongside the film’s initial release, Russell has subtly updated it some (mostly to make it adhere with subsequent Doctor Who lore, or to correct mistakes that weren't caught in the original publication). So, there must have been the temptation to make significant revisions to his original text. But he doesn't. And, to be honest, I’m pretty glad he didn’t. Yes, I feel like the novelization suffers a bit from just being the film put to prose. And yes, there’s probably a more compelling way to tell this narrative than the way Russell (or the TV film) does. But, I think there’s something so fun about the Doctor Who TV film and it’s nice to see it so faithfully captured with this novelization. It’s such a unique slice of 1990s American sci-fi television, with all of the pros and cons that come with that, and it’s lovely to have it forever immortalized in novel form.
That being said, Russell’s novelization does differ from the TV movie in a few ways. It’s based on an earlier draft of the screenplay, so some of the descriptions and scenes don’t quite match what ended up in the film. The changes found in the film are fairly minor and are probably better than what was in this earlier draft of the script (aside from the Master’s pretty gnarly-sounding appearance in the novelization’s climax), but it’s definitely something you notice. Russell’s novelization also leans a little bit more into Doctor Who’s past. There’s an extended prologue that recaps much of the Doctor’s life to this point, explaining his connection to Gallifrey, the Daleks, and the Master. It’s the kind of thing that might have been useful to have in the film, though would have resulted in a significantly slower opening. Additionally, several of the characters receive far more attention in the novelization than they do in the film—most notably Chang Lee and the Master. If you’re not familiar with the Master, I feel like the TV film doesn’t do such a great job of explaining who he is and why he’s at odds with the Doctor. Russell’s novelization doesn’t go into a lot more detail, but it goes into just enough that it helps sell the relationship for people who aren’t already intimately familiar with it. Chang Lee, on the other hand, gets a lot of much-needed development here. In the film, his character arc is a bit hard to track. He’s fairly thinly sketched, so as his allegiances change, it’s hard to fully understand what’s causing them to change. Russell spends a lot of time in the novelization focusing on Chang Lee—his motivations, his backstory, and his personality. We understand why he chooses to work for the Master, we understand what makes him start questioning the Master. He just comes across as a much more layered character here than he does in the film, and that’s nice.
Unfortunately, these additions come at the cost of the story’s pacing. The TV film is already a pretty slow story. It takes nearly half an hour for Paul McGann’s Doctor to even appear, then it takes another half an hour for him to get his memories back and for the actual plot to start, and then it’s over half an hour later. This is a story that probably could’ve been told in half the screen time. So, the very act of slotting more stuff into this story is gonna result in some questionable pacing decisions. The extended prologue means it takes even longer for the Eighth Doctor to enter the scene, though Russell tries to make up for this with his prose cluing the reader into what’s going on and implicitly promising that things are gonna get more exciting. We see this problem again towards the climax as Russell spends a great deal of time exploring the motivations of certain characters while jumping back and forth between what’s happening in the TARDIS and what’s happening throughout San Francisco. It’s the kind of thing that works better on film, when you can rapidly cut back and forth between scenes, but doing it in a novel tends to slow everything down. To be fair, it’s not like the novelization is a slow read; it’s quite a fast one. And the pacing is mostly good—or, at least, similar to the film's pacing. It’s just that, in the context of the narrative, some of these additions do end up slowing things down more than you might like.
Overall, if you've seen the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, then there's not a whole lot on Russell's novelization that'll wow you much. It's a very faithful, very well-written retelling of the film. It doesn't take many risks or make many alterations to the story, but it does flesh out a few of the characters a bit more. Russell's prose is lovely, managing to be that perfect amount of descriptive without over describing, and excelling at diving into the emotions of whichever character is being focused on. The characters’ voices are captured authentically, with the Eighth Doctor sounding exactly like Paul McGann, and the rest of the characters feeling like their on-screen counterparts. But ultimately, it's just kind of standard. And while I do like how perfectly it captures the film, I wouldn't have minded some kind of small twist to the story, some little thing that could have added a new dimension to this familiar tale. Nothing particularly big, but something that could've just... expanded it ever so slightly beyond a few deleted scenes and extra character beats. Still, it's a fun read, especially if you're eager to know what happens in the film but don't have easy access to it.
July 3, 2022
I think I have watched enough of the Doctor Who. Starting with the ninth doctor played by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant (the Tenth) and a bit of Matt Smith (the eleventh). The Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, is far by the most outstanding doctor I have seen and I admire. Smart, funny, witty and full of irony, he is actually the Doctor! Though Eccleston is good too but only one season wasn't enough to grow my likening for him. I am not sure about Matt Smith though.
My obsession with Doctor Who grew when I laid my hands on quite satisfactory collection of Doctor Who Novels. So I tried a few. And here the reviews of the two recent ones:
Doctor Who: The Novel of The Film by Gary Russell
This is a novelization of a film the author, Gary Russell, didn't even write and not a good film either. It wasn't his story to begin with and quite honestly, were I given the task of making that script into a book, I don't think I'd have bothered putting a great effort into it either and it's pretty apparent that he didn't. The entire story is written in a Terrance Dicks 'just state what's happening directly' kind of way that is supposedly an homage but I suspect it is actually just apathy.
Late December, 1999: the brink of a new millennium. An anachronistic British Police Box materialises in San Francisco's Chinatown amid a hail of bullets which find an unintentional target, a strange man who walks out of the Police Box. Despite the best efforts of Dr Grace Holloway, the unknown traveller dies and his body vanishes. And soon another stranger appears, claiming to be the same man inside a different body- a mysterious wanderer in time and space known only as the Doctor.
But the Doctor is not the only time-traveller in San Francisco. His oldest adversary, the Master, is there as well, desperately trying to steal the Doctor's newly-regenerated body. And that's the most and only interesting part of this book.
The overall plot of the book is quite an interesting one but not much efforts have been put by the author.
My obsession with Doctor Who grew when I laid my hands on quite satisfactory collection of Doctor Who Novels. So I tried a few. And here the reviews of the two recent ones:
Doctor Who: The Novel of The Film by Gary Russell
This is a novelization of a film the author, Gary Russell, didn't even write and not a good film either. It wasn't his story to begin with and quite honestly, were I given the task of making that script into a book, I don't think I'd have bothered putting a great effort into it either and it's pretty apparent that he didn't. The entire story is written in a Terrance Dicks 'just state what's happening directly' kind of way that is supposedly an homage but I suspect it is actually just apathy.
Late December, 1999: the brink of a new millennium. An anachronistic British Police Box materialises in San Francisco's Chinatown amid a hail of bullets which find an unintentional target, a strange man who walks out of the Police Box. Despite the best efforts of Dr Grace Holloway, the unknown traveller dies and his body vanishes. And soon another stranger appears, claiming to be the same man inside a different body- a mysterious wanderer in time and space known only as the Doctor.
But the Doctor is not the only time-traveller in San Francisco. His oldest adversary, the Master, is there as well, desperately trying to steal the Doctor's newly-regenerated body. And that's the most and only interesting part of this book.
The overall plot of the book is quite an interesting one but not much efforts have been put by the author.
March 1, 2021
For the most part, this is a pretty straightforward novelization of the 1996 Doctor Who movie, which isn't great, but certainly has its share of goofy charm. (It was produced after the original program was cancelled in 1989, and was intended to relaunch the show if contemporary audiences approved. They didn't, and so the franchise stayed off the air until the modern reboot in 2005.) Availability notwithstanding, I think I'd recommend the film over this book if you need to pick just one, as I'm not convinced the story's quirky earnestness always translates well to the page.
I'm also a little disappointed that author Gary Russell hasn't seized more of an opportunity with this project to expand on the source material and add his own wrinkles to the series canon as he's done elsewhere, although that may not have been possible / allowed, given how the two titles were released simultaneously and how his foreword says he was working off a script with limited knowledge of final visuals -- or apparently of casting, based on the inaccuracy of certain character descriptions. I'll be interested to hear whether the new edition of this novel coming out soon corrects any of that, or if things like Grace's strawberry blonde hair will remain curious continuity errors that again mark it as the non-definitive take.
At its best this volume is only as strong as the uneven work it's adapting, and that strain is particularly apparent in the climax, which is effectively an incoherent spectacle of flashing lights and technobabble in either version. But for fans with an existing fondness for actor Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, I suppose it's a fun enough way to revisit his debut.
[Content warning for racism and gun violence.]
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I'm also a little disappointed that author Gary Russell hasn't seized more of an opportunity with this project to expand on the source material and add his own wrinkles to the series canon as he's done elsewhere, although that may not have been possible / allowed, given how the two titles were released simultaneously and how his foreword says he was working off a script with limited knowledge of final visuals -- or apparently of casting, based on the inaccuracy of certain character descriptions. I'll be interested to hear whether the new edition of this novel coming out soon corrects any of that, or if things like Grace's strawberry blonde hair will remain curious continuity errors that again mark it as the non-definitive take.
At its best this volume is only as strong as the uneven work it's adapting, and that strain is particularly apparent in the climax, which is effectively an incoherent spectacle of flashing lights and technobabble in either version. But for fans with an existing fondness for actor Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, I suppose it's a fun enough way to revisit his debut.
[Content warning for racism and gun violence.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
September 1, 2020
Just your basic movie novelization; nothing too special happening here beyond what existed in the film. I do love this movie a lot, so reading it was fun! Tidbits of what was added, for the completionist fans who want to know such things:
- Backstory for Chang Lee, including names of his family members and a girlfriend.
- You might have expected there would be something about why the Master can turn into a snake made of CGI goo. This is... not elaborated on other than to say that he "ingested a morphic carrier", which explains nothing. I love it, thanks.
- An interesting exchange of dialogue added to the Doctor & Master's final confrontation in the Eye of Harmony which wasn't there before.
- Backstory for Chang Lee, including names of his family members and a girlfriend.
- You might have expected there would be something about why the Master can turn into a snake made of CGI goo. This is... not elaborated on other than to say that he "ingested a morphic carrier", which explains nothing. I love it, thanks.
- An interesting exchange of dialogue added to the Doctor & Master's final confrontation in the Eye of Harmony which wasn't there before.
February 3, 2019
That all too common beastie in media novelisations: the book that is superior to the material that it is retelling. Mr Russell adapts the then-long-awaited return of Doctor Who with competent prose. He hits a lot of the right notes: the Doctor and the Master come across okay, as do the supporting and minor characters but the story is a bit pants. You can tell it's a bit pants because you are having more fun with the characters and their interactions than you are with the plot.
July 22, 2019
Great read. Easy
October 5, 2020
Does not add much that was not in the film.
January 15, 2022
A few differences between the actual film and the book. Either way an enjoyable book
September 2, 2024
I mean it’s Doctor Who and I will always enjoy that. The TV Movie is better than its reputation and the writing here is good it’s just not super exciting.
February 13, 2025
Love me the Doctor Who movie and this novel adds some great backstory and extras to it!
February 25, 2025
love this silly story. love paul mcgann, he deserved soooo much more
June 5, 2025
As a huge Doctor Who nerd, I've read many Target novels. This one stands out to me. It's impeccably written and so immersive. Highly reccomended
May 22, 2020
See the full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Zcq...
Doctor Who: The Novel of the Film is a brilliant novelization. It does everything a good novelization is supposed to do, it takes what we saw on screen, expands on it in a meaningful way, and adds in elements that either explain or at the very least, justify some things that the movie just expected us to take at face value. And Russell was the perfect choice to handle writing it. The book more than justifies its existence, and for that merit, along with just how enjoyable it is, I can't help but recommend it. If you've seen the movie, it's a great reference for getting a far more substantial story with all the in-jokes and easter eggs that you'd expect from Doctor Who, and if you haven't, this is by far the superior way to experience the story, since it allows you to visualize the things we didn't get to see, like the Master's decaying form (unseen in the film because Eric Roberts had a bad reaction to the makeup). Either way, check this book out if you can find a copy because it's definitely one of the best Doctor Who novelizations out there, warts and all. The movie isn't great, but the novelization more than makes up for all the film's shortcomings. Or at least most of 'em.
Doctor Who: The Novel of the Film is a brilliant novelization. It does everything a good novelization is supposed to do, it takes what we saw on screen, expands on it in a meaningful way, and adds in elements that either explain or at the very least, justify some things that the movie just expected us to take at face value. And Russell was the perfect choice to handle writing it. The book more than justifies its existence, and for that merit, along with just how enjoyable it is, I can't help but recommend it. If you've seen the movie, it's a great reference for getting a far more substantial story with all the in-jokes and easter eggs that you'd expect from Doctor Who, and if you haven't, this is by far the superior way to experience the story, since it allows you to visualize the things we didn't get to see, like the Master's decaying form (unseen in the film because Eric Roberts had a bad reaction to the makeup). Either way, check this book out if you can find a copy because it's definitely one of the best Doctor Who novelizations out there, warts and all. The movie isn't great, but the novelization more than makes up for all the film's shortcomings. Or at least most of 'em.
January 20, 2021
look i've read 3.5 doctor who novelisations now and this is by far the most fun and good one so fuck it, four stars!
October 21, 2020
A fun read, this book does a great job at adapting Paul McGann's short-lived stint as The Doctor. The first half of this book is excellent, introducing us to the characters of Grace, Chang-Lee and Bruce, and also the mysterious traveller the Doctor. It also expands a bit on the Doctor's role in transporting the Master's remains, something which was left a bit vague in the movie.
The book starts to slip a bit in the second half, Russell chooses to change a few elements of the final battle scene, changes which I think detract from the story a bit. But overall very well done and great to see a fan of classic Who write this, as it means die-hard fans have plenty of easter eggs to pick out when reading.
The book starts to slip a bit in the second half, Russell chooses to change a few elements of the final battle scene, changes which I think detract from the story a bit. But overall very well done and great to see a fan of classic Who write this, as it means die-hard fans have plenty of easter eggs to pick out when reading.
April 20, 2024
Gary Russell does a brilliant job in smoothing out the rough edges of the events of the TV Movie, and delivers a solidly entertaining romp with the Doctor racing about San Francisco in attempt to foil the Master's latest bid to keep himself alive, even if he has to wipe out the entire Earth - and kill the Doctor - to do it. Because that's how these two roll.
I just recently watched the TV Movie for the first time and I'd been a bit confused as to why it is so often badmouthed by viewers. It's hardly the worst thing to ever come across the Doctor Who Universe. Yes, it does feel a bit weird to have the Doctor running about San Francisco with a bunch of Americans - since the Doctor so often prefers to land in Britain - but that's a product of the fact that the film was made by Americans. Overall, it's a pretty decent story, and one can tell it had potential as a TV pilot. That said, it was a bit bumpy, and Gary Russell takes the opportunity to smooth some things out. The concept of the Doctor being half-human is removed, save for using it as a brief joke in one moment, for one.
That said, in transferring the story from the small screen to text on a page, there are some things that are just lost in translation. Eric Roberts put in a fantastic performance as the Master, producing a hilarious mix of Terminator-esque creepiness and complete and utter campiness. However, so much of that is visual and while Russell did as well as he could to translate that, some things just have to be seen. Still, he didn't do too badly.
Overall, a solid novelization of the film. It definitely makes me want to explore more of the 8th Doctor's adventures. 3.5/5
I just recently watched the TV Movie for the first time and I'd been a bit confused as to why it is so often badmouthed by viewers. It's hardly the worst thing to ever come across the Doctor Who Universe. Yes, it does feel a bit weird to have the Doctor running about San Francisco with a bunch of Americans - since the Doctor so often prefers to land in Britain - but that's a product of the fact that the film was made by Americans. Overall, it's a pretty decent story, and one can tell it had potential as a TV pilot. That said, it was a bit bumpy, and Gary Russell takes the opportunity to smooth some things out. The concept of the Doctor being half-human is removed, save for using it as a brief joke in one moment, for one.
That said, in transferring the story from the small screen to text on a page, there are some things that are just lost in translation. Eric Roberts put in a fantastic performance as the Master, producing a hilarious mix of Terminator-esque creepiness and complete and utter campiness. However, so much of that is visual and while Russell did as well as he could to translate that, some things just have to be seen. Still, he didn't do too badly.
Overall, a solid novelization of the film. It definitely makes me want to explore more of the 8th Doctor's adventures. 3.5/5
November 3, 2014
I think I have watched enough of the Doctor Who. Starting with the ninth doctor played by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant (the Tenth) and a bit of Matt Smith (the eleventh). The Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, is far by the most outstanding doctor I have seen and I admire. Smart, funny, witty and full of irony, he is actually the Doctor! Though Eccleston is good too but only one season wasn't enough to grow my likening for him. I am not sure about Matt Smith though.
My obsession with Doctor Who grew when I laid my hands on quite satisfactory collection of Doctor Who Novels. So I tried a few. And here the reviews of the two recent ones:
Doctor Who: The Novel of The Film by Gary Russell
This is a novelization of a film the author, Gary Russell, didn't even write and not a good film either. It wasn't his story to begin with and quite honestly, were I given the task of making that script into a book, I don't think I'd have bothered putting a great effort into it either and it's pretty apparent that he didn't. The entire story is written in a Terrance Dicks 'just state what's happening directly' kind of way that is supposedly an homage but I suspect it is actually just apathy.
Late December, 1999: the brink of a new millennium. An anachronistic British Police Box materialises in San Francisco's Chinatown amid a hail of bullets which find an unintentional target, a strange man who walks out of the Police Box. Despite the best efforts of Dr Grace Holloway, the unknown traveller dies and his body vanishes. And soon another stranger appears, claiming to be the same man inside a different body- a mysterious wanderer in time and space known only as the Doctor.
But the Doctor is not the only time-traveller in San Francisco. His oldest adversary, the Master, is there as well, desperately trying to steal the Doctor's newly-regenerated body. And that's the most and only interesting part of this book.
The overall plot of the book is quite an interesting one but not much efforts have been put by the author.
My obsession with Doctor Who grew when I laid my hands on quite satisfactory collection of Doctor Who Novels. So I tried a few. And here the reviews of the two recent ones:
Doctor Who: The Novel of The Film by Gary Russell
This is a novelization of a film the author, Gary Russell, didn't even write and not a good film either. It wasn't his story to begin with and quite honestly, were I given the task of making that script into a book, I don't think I'd have bothered putting a great effort into it either and it's pretty apparent that he didn't. The entire story is written in a Terrance Dicks 'just state what's happening directly' kind of way that is supposedly an homage but I suspect it is actually just apathy.
Late December, 1999: the brink of a new millennium. An anachronistic British Police Box materialises in San Francisco's Chinatown amid a hail of bullets which find an unintentional target, a strange man who walks out of the Police Box. Despite the best efforts of Dr Grace Holloway, the unknown traveller dies and his body vanishes. And soon another stranger appears, claiming to be the same man inside a different body- a mysterious wanderer in time and space known only as the Doctor.
But the Doctor is not the only time-traveller in San Francisco. His oldest adversary, the Master, is there as well, desperately trying to steal the Doctor's newly-regenerated body. And that's the most and only interesting part of this book.
The overall plot of the book is quite an interesting one but not much efforts have been put by the author.
April 25, 2021
The 1996 ‘Doctor Who’ TV Movie represented the first attempt by the BBC (in collaboration with American partners) to revive the series following its cancellation in 1989. It was an ambitious project with a big budget and one eye on the American market, which met with a mixed reaction, but which ‘Doctor Who’ fans seem to have viewed with an increasing fondness over time, especially as it introduced us to the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann. Gary Russell’s novelisation, published around the time of the original broadcast, has been republished and joins the Target novelisation range in this new edition.
As a story, it’s great fun - action packed and full of incident, including a regeneration, the rebirth of the Doctor’s arch nemesis the Master, and the introduction of a new companion in the form of the very likeable Dr Grace Holloway, a heart surgeon. There’s a race against time on New Year’s Eve 1999 to prevent the Master from stealing the Doctor’s body and destroying the Earth in the process. Russell had access to an earlier version of the script than that which was eventually televised (and indeed was writing the novelisation whilst it was being filmed), so it introduces additional elements to those seen on screen. For anyone who practically knows the script off by heart, it’s occasionally a little disappointing that favourite lines aren’t there in the exact form one might remember them, but generally the variations are improvements. The author also takes advantage of the medium to flesh out a few sequences and characters, which is very welcome, and drop a few fun nods in to wider ‘Doctor Who’ lore. These are further expanded upon in the 2021 Target edition, which includes some revisions to the original 1996 text.
I’ve a great fondness for the TV Movie and its original novelisation. It’s an exciting tale, well written and highly enjoyable, and it was a delight to revisit it again.
As a story, it’s great fun - action packed and full of incident, including a regeneration, the rebirth of the Doctor’s arch nemesis the Master, and the introduction of a new companion in the form of the very likeable Dr Grace Holloway, a heart surgeon. There’s a race against time on New Year’s Eve 1999 to prevent the Master from stealing the Doctor’s body and destroying the Earth in the process. Russell had access to an earlier version of the script than that which was eventually televised (and indeed was writing the novelisation whilst it was being filmed), so it introduces additional elements to those seen on screen. For anyone who practically knows the script off by heart, it’s occasionally a little disappointing that favourite lines aren’t there in the exact form one might remember them, but generally the variations are improvements. The author also takes advantage of the medium to flesh out a few sequences and characters, which is very welcome, and drop a few fun nods in to wider ‘Doctor Who’ lore. These are further expanded upon in the 2021 Target edition, which includes some revisions to the original 1996 text.
I’ve a great fondness for the TV Movie and its original novelisation. It’s an exciting tale, well written and highly enjoyable, and it was a delight to revisit it again.
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