Doctor Who Target books add 5 new novelisations for 2023

So, what can we look forward to in the upcoming collection? Ahead of David Tennant and showrunner Russell T Davies's return to the programme, two iconic episodes from the Tenth Doctor era are being novelised with The Waters of Mars by Phil Ford and Planet of the Ood by Keith Temple.

Fans will also be able to add a Twelfth Doctor adventure, as played by Peter Capaldi, to their collection with The Zygon Invasion by Peter Harness and a Thirteenth Doctor novelisation with Kerblam! by Peter McTighe.

Meanwhile, Stephen Gallagher’s Warriors’ Gate and Other Stories will feature the Fourth Doctor.

Each of the authors for the 2023 Target books are the original screenwriters of the TV episodes so fans can expand their Doctor Who collections with these new, iconic novelisations.

The expansion continues with:

The Waters of Mars by Phil Ford

The first human colony on Mars is destined for destruction in a nuclear explosion. This tragedy is a fixed point in history. The laws of time dictate that it cannot – must never – be changed. But as the Doctor’s darkest hour comes calling, he resolves to break the rules as he never has before.

Ford has written scripts for Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures for BBC Television. He also wrote animated Doctor Who adventure Dreamland, and four Doctor Who Adventure Games. His extensive screenwriting credits include episodes of Taggart, Bad Girls, New Captain Scarlet and Coronation Street. He co-created Wizards vs Aliens with Russell T Davies.

• Pre-order The Waters of Mars here

Planet of the Ood by Keith Temple

The Doctor and Donna learn that the planet of the Ood holds cruel and awesome secrets. As they battle for justice and survival, the fate of the entire Ood race hangs in the balance. Will the outcome be salvation – or extinction?

Temple is a British screenwriter whose credits include Doctor Who, Doc Martin and original BBC comedy drama Angel Cake starring Sarah Lancashire.

• Pre-order Planet of the Ood here

The Zygon Invasion by Peter Harness

It took three Doctors to broker a fragile peace between Zygons and Humans. Now the Twelfth Doctor must face the fallout alone. With his allies compromised and his companion believed dead, can he stop the world from plunging into war?

Harness is an English playwright, screenwriter and actor. He has contributed to programmes such as McMafia, City of Vice and Case Histories and wrote a new miniseries adaptation of The War of the Worlds for BBC One.

• Pre-order The Zygon Invasion here

Kerblam! by Peter McTighe

Kerblam! is the biggest online retailer in the galaxy – but how did it become so big? When the Doctor’s Kerblam! package includes a mysterious request for help, she heads straight to the company’s warehouse moon to investigate.

Written by McTighe, who is a British screenwriter, producer, and lifetime Doctor Who fan. As well as writing episodes of Doctor Who, he has written two series of hit BBC drama The Pact.

• Pre-order Kerblam! here

Warriors’ Gate and Other Stories by Stephen Gallagher

A new-to-print, expanded novelisation of the classic 1981 adventure. With the TARDIS caught in the collapsing void between two different universes, the Fourth Doctor is drawn into a dangerous alliance with a race of enslaved, time-sensitive aliens. The consequences are explored in two further short stories, one exclusive to this volume!

Gallagher is an English screenwriter and novelist from Manchester. He wrote two serials for Doctor Who, as well as writing for Rosemary & Thyme and Bugs. He also created and wrote Eleventh Hour, a science-based series for ITV.

• Pre-order Warriors’ Gate and Other Stories here

Launched in 1973, Target Books published novelisations of almost every Doctor Who serial aired between 1963 and 1989, with only a few notable exceptions.

To the delight of fans, BBC Books began reissuing these classic paperbacks in 2012, and in 2018 expanded the Target range to include all-new novelisations of modern-era Doctor Who.

It's safe to say, then, that this new collection is sweet music to every Doctor Who fan's ears.

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.