Target Books

The Unfolding Texts

The Target Books novelisations were essential purchases for Doctor Who fans in the 1970s and 80s. But what was the secret of their success?

THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

Target’s editors spent almost two years developing Doctor Who Discovers, a range of educational books that fell short of expectations…

DOCTOR WHO DISCOVERS INVENTORS

In 1977 Fred Newman submitted a typescript that stretched the format of Doctor Who Discovers. These edited highlights are published here for the first time.

DOCTOR WHO DISCOVERS PIRATES

Fred Newman’s typescript for Doctor Who Discovers Pirates benefits from the author’s keen interest in swashbuckling history. These edited highlights make their debut here, more than 40 years after they were written.

PAPERBACK WRITER

One author indelibly associated with Target Books is former Doctor Who script editor Terrance Dicks. Over the course of nearly 20 years he made an unparalleled contribution to the popular range of novelisations.

Getting the Story Straight

Some of Terrance Dicks’ best Target books were notable for changing and improving the television scripts they were based on.

ACTION PAINTING

Alan Willow’s black-and-white illustrations brought a comic-strip vitality to some of the earliest Target novelisations.

FIVE OF THE BEST: CHRIS ACHILLEOS

Target’s first Doctor Who artist established a style that proved seminal. Here, Chris Achilleos reveals how he created some of his favourite covers.

WHAT THE FANZINES SAID

From the very beginning, Doctor Who fanzines were often critical of the Target novelisations, freely handing out brickbats as well as bouquets.

DOCTOR WHO ET LES ÉDITIONS ÉTRANGÈRES

The novelisations published by Target Books in the UK also enjoyed success elsewhere in the world. Along the way, however, some of the most familiar aspects of Doctor Who got lost in translation…

PARALLEL LINES

Not every Doctor Who novelisation stuck to the script it was given. Titles weren’t the only things some of the books invented…

FIVE OF THE BEST: ANDREW SKILLETER

Andrew Skilleter, one of Target’s most acclaimed artists, explains how he created some of his favourite covers.

REWRITING HISTORY

Between 1984 and 1987, editor Nigel Robinson brought a fan’s insight and enthusiasm to the Target Doctor Who range.

SURVIVAL

Peter Darvill-Evans oversaw the final days of Target’s Doctor Who range, before launching its next incarnation as original novels.

Getting the Picture

Imagine owning an original piece of Target Books artwork.

Companion Pieces

In 1986 Target published the fi rst original Doctor Who novels. The Doctor, however, was nowhere to be seen…

THE DALEK CHRONICLES

The task of novelising many of the 1960s’ Dalek stories fell to John Peel, an author who enjoyed a close working relationship with Terry Nation.

JEFF CUMMINS

The covers Jeff Cummins painted for Target in the late 1970s are widely recognised as some of the finest in the entire range.

GHOST WRITING

Marc Platt novelised his own television Doctor Who story and then another by one of his friends.

COVER STORY

For the covers of the most recent Target books, designer and illustrator Anthony Dry looked to the past for inspiration.

Pete McTighe and the Target Dilemma

The writer of the 2018 Doctor Who episode Kerblam! fell in love with the Target novelisations at an early age.