Jon Pertwee
Third Doctor
1970 - 1974

BBC Past Doctor Adventures

BBC Books Doctor Who logo From 1997 until 2005 BBC Books produced a range of full length novels termed the Past Doctor Adventures. These were adventures set between television adventures featuring past Doctors and companions.

I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow, so the TARDIS should be free of the force field now.

The Devil Goblins From Neptune by Keith Topping and Martin Day

Published: 1997 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 283
ISBN: 0 563 40564 3

The Doctor is perturbed when a spate of deaths follows the break up of an alien mass in the atmosphere. But this is merely the latest incident in a sinister conspiracy that threatens the entire planet, and the Doctor himself is embroiled in the plans of all the players.

The Brigadier's concern is heightened by the possibility of traitors at the very heart of UNIT. Leaving for Geneva to discover the truth, he little realises the deadly motives of an enemy agent on his own doorstep. The Doctor and Liz, meanwhile, discover that London doesn't have a monopoly on alien invasions.

What are the gargoyle like creatures that kill without mercy? What do they want from our planet - and how do they figure in top-secret government plans?

As the lines between allies and enemies begin to blur, the Doctor finds himself fighting to save the Earth once again. But who will he be saving it for?

The Face Of The Enemy by David A. McIntee

Published: 1998 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 281
ISBN: 0 563 40580 5

Robbery and murder are on the increase in Britain as disputes between underworld gangs escalate into open warfare on the streets. The Master seems inextricably linked to the chaos - despite the fact he is safely under lock and key.

Meanwhile UNIT is called in when a plane missing in strange circumstances is rediscovered - contaminated with radiation and particle damage that cannot possibly have occurred on Earth.

As the mystery deepens, what little light they can shed on the matter leads the Brigadier to believe that with the Doctor away, Earth's only hope may lie with its greatest enemey.

Deadly Reunion by Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts

Published: 2003 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 285
ISBN: 0 563 48610 4

This special 40th Anniversary Doctor Who adventure features the Third Doctor, Jo and UNIT. It is written by Barry Letts - Producer of the Third Doctor's television stories - and Terrance Dicks - Script Editor for the latter part of the Second Doctor's era and all of the Third Doctor television stories.

Second-Lieutenant Lethbridge-Stewart gets more than he bargained for when he is assigned to check the mapping of Greek islands at the end of the Second World War. Even if he lives to tell the tale, will he remember it?

Years later, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and his colleagues at UNIT investigate a spate of unexplained deaths and murders. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jo are caught up in strange events in the small English village of Hob's Haven.

As preparations get under way for a massive pop concert, a sinister cult prepares for the day of reckoning - buisness as usual for UNIT. But can the Brigadier help prevent the end of civilisation? His friends, colleagues are not so sure, because this time, the Brigadier has fallen in love...

Rags by Mick Lewis

Published: 2001 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 249
ISBN: 0 563 53826 0

A convoy of disenchanted ragamuffins is winding its way through the south-west of England. At its head, a filthy cattle truck containing four punk mummers... and something else. The band plays sudden, violent and hate filled gigs along the way: Dartmoor, Glastonbury, Tor, an old cemetery in Bristol. And every time they play, people die in unspeakable ways. Aristocrats, high-flying stockbrokers, police officers, all find themselves the victims of a Class War that is threatening to shatter society.

Within the dark cattle truck, a malevolent force is leading this ragged army on a Magical Mayhem Tour towards its final, secret destination. With Jo powerless to resist its seductive influence and the Doctor lost in a nightmarish void, can the band from hell be prevented from staging its final society cracking performance, and this spelling the end of the road for... everything?

Verdigris by Paul Magrs

Published: 2000 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 244
ISBN: 0 5563 55592 0

High above London and its crust of smog, stretched tall above the soapy atmosphere of the Earth, is a ship the size and exact shape of St. Pancras railway station.

On board, the Doctor and that mysterious Lady adventurer, Iris Wildthyme, are bargaining for their lives with creatures determined to infiltrate the 1970s in the guise of characters from nineteenth century novels.

Without the help of UNIT, the Doctor and his friends face the daunting task of defeating aliens, marauding robot sheep, the mysterious Children of Destiny and... the being who calls himself Verdigris.

Harvest Of Time by Alastair Reynolds

Published: 2013 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 365
ISBN: 978-1-849-90418-6
Available from:

After billions of years of imprisonment, the vicious Sild have broken out of confinement. From a ruined world at the end of time, they make preparations to conquer the past, with the ultimate goal of rewriting history. But to achieve their aims they will need to enslave an intellect of their own...

On Earth, UNIT is called in to investigate a mysterious incident on a North Sea drilling platform. The Doctor believes something is afoot, and no sooner has the investigation begun when something even stranger takes hold: The Brigadier is starting to forget about UNIT's highest-profile prisoner. And he is not alone in his amnesia.

As the Sild invasion begins, The Doctor faces a terrible dilemma. To save the universe, he must save his arch-nemesis... The Master.

The Wages Of Sin by David A. McIntee

Published: 1999 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 250
ISBN: 0 563 55567 X

With the secrets of time travel restored to him after his long exile on Earth, the Doctor has made a test flight into the past. Accompanying him are his assistant, Jo, and an old friend, scientist Liz Shaw. The travellers realise they are visiting one of the most significant times in Earth's history - and one of the most dangerous.

It is Russia, 1916, and Europe is in the grip of the Great War. With the TARDIS missing, its crew find themselves trapped in a country on the brink of revolution.

The Doctor and Liz are soon caught up in the deadly machinations of Tsar Nicholas's court, while Jo appears to fall under the sinister spell of the infamous Mad Monk, Rasputin...

The Suns Of Caresh by Paul Saint

Published: 2002 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 282
ISBN: 0 563 53858 9

In England a hotel worker has been turned to stone, an ancient lake has vanished, and an inmate of a mental hospital is being terrorised by unseen creatures. In Israel, in the shadow of Masada, an archaeological dig unearths something that should have stayed buried.

The Doctor is sure he is dealing with a local and relatively straightforward temporal anomaly. Troy Game, a refugee from the planet Caresh, is not so certain. She believes the impending destruction of her home world is somehow linked to the events on Earth, and she is pinning her hopes on the Doctor to avert catastrophe.

But can the Doctor interfere with a planet's destiny? And should he risk his new found freedom to do it?

Catastrophea by Terrance Dicks

Published: 1998 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 248
ISBN: 0 563 40584 8

The planet's real name is Kastopheria, but generally it's been rechristened Catastrophea - it's a catastrophe waiting to happen. Supposedly civilised races are exploiting the world, squabbling over its wealth and resources, while the indigenous population - golden skinned giants - seem not to care what their own fate might be. The Doctor and Jo soon become embroiled in a plan to keep peace between different parties vying for control over the planet.

But what is the strange glowing crystal lying hidden in impenetrable jungle? How will the arrival of the proud, warlike Draconians affect the fragile peace? In his quest to find the truth behind the secret history of the People, the Doctor risks unleashing a force more terrible than the galaxy has known for aeons...

Last Of The Gadarene by Mark Gatiss

Published: 2000 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 284
ISBN: 0 563 55587 4

The new owners of a Second World War aerodrome promise a golden dawn of prosperity for the East Anglian village of Culverton. The population rejoices - with one or two exceptions. Former Spitfire pilot Alec Whistler knows the aerodrome of old, having found a strange, jade-coloured crystal there yeas before...

When black-shirted troops appear on the streets, Whistler takes his suspicions to his old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The Doctor and Jo are sent to investigate and soon discover that all is not well in the seemingly idyllic village.

What are the black coffin-like objects being unloaded at the aerodrome? What horror lies behind Legion International's impeccable façade? And what is the monstrous creature growing and mutating in the marsh?

As Culverton gears up for its summer fête, the Doctor finds himself involved in a race against time to prevent a massive colonisation of Earth. For the last of the Gadarene are on their way...

Amorality Tale by David Bishop

Published: 2002 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 282
ISBN: 0 563 53850 3
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East End gangster Tommy Ramsey emerges from prison in 1952, determined to retake control of his territory on the streets of Shoreditch. But new arrivals threaten his grip on all illegal activity in the area.

An evangelical minister at St. Luke's Church is persuading people to seek redemption for their sins. A new gang is claiming the streets. And a watch mender called Doctor John Smith is leading a revolt against the Ramsey Mob's protection racket.

But when Tommy strikes back against his enemies, a far more terrifying threat is revealed. Within hours the city's air begins turning into nerve gas and thousands are killed by the choking fumes. London is dying...

Interference: Book One by Lawrence Miles

Published: 1999 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 309
ISBN: 0 563 55580 7

Featuring the Third and Eighth Doctors, INTERFERENCE is the first ever full-length two part Doctor Who novel.

Five years ago, Sam Jones was just a schoolgirl from Shoreditch. Of course, that was before she met up with the Doctor and discovered that her entire life had been stage managed by a time-travelling voodoo cult. Funny how things turn out, isn't it?

Now Sam's back in her own time, fighting the good fight in a world of political treachery, international subterfuge and good old-fashioned depravity. But she's about to learn the first great truth of the universe: that however corrupt and amoral your own race may be, there's always someone in the galaxy who can make you look like a beginner.

Ms. Jones has just become a minor player in a million year power struggle... and as it happens, so has the Doctor.

Both of him, actually.

Interference: Book Two by Lawrence Miles

Published: 1999 BBC Books
No. of Pages: 314
ISBN: 0 563 55582 3

Featuring the Third and Eighth Doctors, INTERFERENCE is the first ever full-length two part Doctor Who novel.

They call it the Dead Frontier. It's as far from home as the human race ever went, the planet where mankind dumped the waste of its thousand year empire and left its culture out in the sun to rot.

While one Doctor faces both his past and his future on the Frontier, another finds himself on Earth in 1996, where the seeds of the empire are only just being sown. The past is meeting the present, cause is meeting effect, and the TARDIS crew is about to be caught in the crossfire.

The Third Doctor. The Eighth Doctor. Sam. Fitz. Sarah Jane Smith. Soon, one of them will be dead; one of them will belong to the enemy; and one of them will be something less than human...