Doctor Who, the long-running cult science-fiction television programme show, returned to television in 2005 after a nine year break since 1996. On its return a new actor played the Doctor; Christopher Eccleston, commonly referred to as The Ninth Doctor as he is the Ninth actor to play the role in the television series after William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. Since Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith have played the Doctor.

The BBC, having had great success with their Doctor Who books based on the initial eight Doctors decided that with the new series they would also release a new accompanying series of novels. These stories would take place between episodes of the television series. The main recurring characters are the Doctor and Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper in the television series, with Captain Jack Harkness¹, played by John Barrowman, joining for the last three novels.

The novels were all initially published as hardbacks and later republished as paperbacks. They have about 250 pages of writing inside, shorter than the previous eighth Doctor novels. The novels all have covers containing photographs of the Doctor and Rose dominating the top half of the front cover above the 'Doctor Who' logo, with a novel-specific image in the bottom half. On the spine of all the novels is a hexagonal logo based on the Gallifreyan writing that appeared in the series during the Ninth Doctor's tenure.

The first three books were all published together in May 2005. They are set between the television episodes 'World War Three' and 'Dalek'. The latter three books were published in September 2005, set between episodes 'The Doctor Dances' and 'Bad Wolf'. These would be the last Ninth Doctor novels due to Christopher Eccleston leaving the television series. The Ninth Doctor series was replaced with the publication of the similar Tenth Doctor novels, which many see them as being effectively the same range. Most of the novels contains the phrase 'Bad Wolf'; this phrase appeared in every story of Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor television series apart from 'Rose', the first episode of the series.²

None of these novels feature the Doctor's original enemies such as The Master, Silurians and Sea Devils, Sontarans, Ice Warriors or Zygons or other companions such as K-9, although many of them would later return to the Doctor Who television series and book range within five years. Instead, the novels would feature new villains with the exception of The Monster Inside which features the recurring Ninth Doctor enemy, the Slitheen.

These six novels were all later published by AudioGo as audiobooks, read by members of the Doctor Who cast.

Almost every episode of Doctor Who's original run between the First and Eighth Doctors have been novelised. There are only four exceptions; Douglas Adams' 'The Pirate Planet' and 'City of Death' as well as two Eric Saward Dalek scripts; 'Resurrection of the Daleks' and 'Revelation of the Daleks'. However to date none of the Ninth Doctor's episodes have been novelised.

The Clockwise Man by Justin Richards

• This story features regular characters the Doctor and Rose Tyler.
• The front cover has the Houses of Parliament shown in the bottom half.
• Bad Wolf is a phrase used by the Painted Lady, who says the the Doctor and Rose 'do keep turning up. Like a Bad Wolf.'
• The TARDIS materliaises in London, 1924.
• The Audiobook is read by Nicholas Briggs, most famous for being the voice of the Daleks and Cybermen. He has also written, directed, produced and acted for both Big Finish Doctor Who audio dramas and BBV Doctor Who fan video series.
• Justin Richards is the only author to have written more than one Ninth Doctor novel. He had previously written 18 Doctor Who novels for both the Virgin and BBC ranges, featuring the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors. He also wrote the Ninth Doctor novel The Deviant Strain.

Plot and Review:

The Doctor and Rose meet members of the Russian Royal family in exile in London in 1924, including Anastasia. Separated from his sonic screwdriver and with the TARDIS taken, will the Doctor be able to prevent the destruction of London?

In this, the first Ninth Doctor novel, there are two tributes to 'An Unearthly Child', the first ever episode of Doctor Who. The TARDIS' first materialisation is into a scrap yard in London, 1924 when in the BBC Television Series, the TARDIS is first seen in a London scrap yard; Foreman's Scrapyard, 76 Totters Lane. Secondly, the Doctor says 'That's not right' when spotting a painting of the French Revolution just as Susan said 'That's not right' when reading a book on the same subject.

The story is intriguing and mysterious, a good beginning to the new series of books.

The Monsters Inside by Stephen Cole

• This story features the Doctor and Rose Tyler, and the Slitheen.
• The front cover shows an alien landscape with a flower and an alien planet.
• Bad Wolf is in a phrase used by the characters of Daneel, who says 'The big bad wolf's ready to blow our house down' to Rose as the ship they are in is about to crash and they are under attack by a Slitheen.
• The Tardis materialises inside Justicia, a prison occupying seven planets, in 2501.
• The Audiobook is read by Camille Coduri, the actress who played Jackie Tyler in two episodes featuring the Slitheen.
• Stephen Cole has also written several Doctor Who novels, including for the First, Sixth, Eighth and Tenth Doctors, as well as Doctor Who audio dramas.

Plot and Review:

The TARDIS lands in the Justicia system for Rose's first visit to an alien planet. However, every planet in the Justicia system is a penal colony for the criminals in the Universe. The Doctor and Rose are arrested for trespass and sentenced to different planets. Can they discover not only the truth behind the gravity experiments being conducted but also what Raxacoricofallapatorians the Blathereen family, the same species as the Slitheen family, are up to?

The 2005 series episode 'Boom Town' mentions the Doctor and Rose's trip to the Justicia system, making it the first direct reference to adventures outside the television series. In that episode, Rose says 'It's all very well going to Platform One and Justicia and the Glass Pyramid of San Kaloon, but what if we end up in Brazil?' when given her passport by Mickey Smith at the beginning of the episode.

This novel would also influence The Sarah-Jane Adventures where the Blathereen family were mentioned in 'Revenge Of The Slitheen' and appear in 'The Gift'.

Winner Takes All by Jacqueline Rayner

• This story features the Doctor, Rose Tyler, Rose's mother Jackie Tyler and Roses's ex-boyfriend Mickey Smith, with a few minor characters.
• The front cover shows on the bottom half the blocks of flats that comprises the Powell Estate.
• Bad Wolf is the name of a computer game owned by Mickey Smith.
• The Tardis materialises in the Powell Estate a few weeks after the events of 'World War Three'.
• The Audiobook is read by Camille Coduri.
• Jacqueline Rayner had previously written the Eighth Doctor novel EarthWorld, Fourth and Eighth Doctor novel Wolfsbane and would later write two Tenth Doctor novels, The Stone Rose and The Last Dodo. Additionally, she has written Professor Bernice Summerfield novels and audio dramas and edited the Eighth Doctor book range.

Plot and Review:

On the planet Toop the porcupine-like Quevvils are fighting the insect Mantodeans. In the Powell Estate they are using scratchcards to recruit soldiers for two different tasks in this war. They need foot soldiers to do the fighting and controllers to direct them. Scratchcard winners either win a game console with the game Death To The Mantodeans built in, or a holiday. Those who go on holiday never return and whenever you play 'Death To The Mantodeans' you usually have to start from scratch.

Soon Jackie Tyler has won a holiday, Mickey Smith disappears shortly after getting the high score and Rose has been turned into a living sprite in the game, with the Doctor controlling her every move…

Although the initial idea of aliens using computer-game playing humans in their wars is not new³, and the idea that people going on holiday are disappearing is also not new and was used in the Second Doctor serial The Faceless Ones. However, that the game-players are controlling real people trapped in life-or-death situations is a new twist, and the story is very effectively written.

The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards

• This story features the Doctor, Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness.
• The front cover shows in the bottom half a desolate, Arctic landscape with a research station in the background, whether a shadowy stumbling figure in the snow in the foreground.
• The TARDIS materialises in present day Russia on a small, isolated island in the Arctic Circle.
• Bad Wolf – Georgi, a blind man who predicts the future says he fears 'the bad wolf... the man who will kill me. The man with the wolf on his arm.'
• The audiobook is read by Stuart Milligan. Although he did not appear opposite the ninth Doctor, he was the voice of Colonel Stark in the Tenth Doctor animated adventure 'Dreamland' and US President Nixon in the Eleventh Doctor episodes 'The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon'.
• Justin Richards – This is the second of his two Ninth Doctor novels. He would go on to write tenth Doctor novels The Resurrection Casket, Martha In The Mirror and Eleventh Doctor novel Apollo 23.

Plot and Review:

The Doctor intercepts a distress call coming from an abandoned Soviet nuclear submarine base, where rusting, fully-armed nuclear submarines have been left to decay next to a struggling fishing village near an ancient stone circle⁴. Joining a Russian Special Forces investigative team they discover that something is attacking the locals and draining them of all their life-force, leaving them empty husks.

Set outside England, this wonderful adventure has an exciting backdrop and, thanks to the wonderful innovation of psychic paper, first introduced for the Ninth Doctor, Rose, Jack and the Doctor are able to get straight into the action rather than have to explain their presence.

Only Human by Gareth Roberts

• This story features the Doctor, Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness. Jackie Tyler does reportedly flirt with a Neanderthal
• The front cover shows in the bottom half a Neanderthal surrounded by a time-distortion.
• The TARDIS materialises in Bromley, UK, Earth in 2005.
• This is the only Ninth Doctor novel not to mention Bad Wolf.
• Audiobook read by Anthony Head. Best known for his roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Little Britain and Merlin, Anthony Head appeared opposite David Tennant in 'School Reunion', he was the voice of Baltazar in animated Doctor Who adventure 'The Infinite Quest' and he has narrated episodes of Doctor Who Confidential.
• Gareth Roberts has written several other Doctor Who novels featuring the First, Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Doctors. He has also written numerous television episodes for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors as well as many Sarah-Jane Adventures episodes. He has novelised Douglas Adam's 'lost'Doctor Who story, 'Shada'⁵.

Plot and Review:

In 2005 the Doctor discovers that a Neanderthal named Das has been brought forward into the 21st Century by an extremely dangerous method of time travel, any attempt to return him to the past will kill him. Leaving Jack to rehabilitate him to let him settle into a normal life in modern Britain, Rose and the Doctor travel backwards in time to discover a group of humans from the 439th Century have travelled back to 29,185BC. But what is the truth behind their mission and has the future of the human race lost its humanity and the ability to be humane? How will Rose react to being separated from the Doctor in prehistoric times while wearing a Racquel-Welch style fur bikini, being hit with the Great Fish of Matrimony and becoming Mrs Rose Glathicgacymcilliach with only her manicuring skills to fall back on?

Gareth Roberts portrays a realistic vision of the past, present and future and has created an often-inventive story largely devoted to humour, especially within domestic settings. Sometimes the humour seems at the expense of characterisation or plot and makes little sense, such as the Doctor claiming that he and another character can take off their heads, when actually swapping hats, yet the story is full of wonderful moments that more than make up for any few that fall flat.

Stealers of Dreams by Steve Lyons

• This story features the Doctor, Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness, although Rose does phone her mother, Jackie Tyler.
• The front cover shows in the bottom half a crowded and cramped city comprising sky scrapers and blocks of flats, the picture of which is behind the blurry interference of static.
• The TARDIS materialises on Colony World 4378976.Delta-Four in 2775.
• Bad Wolf – Cal Tyko, duty nurse at the Big White House, says 'We've good reasons to be afraid of the big bad wolf', an unusual use of a metaphor from someone who knows too well that careless imagery costs lives.
• Audiobook read by Camille Coduri
• Steve Lyons has written Doctor Who novels featuring the First, Second, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors and several audio dramas.

Plot and Review:

Rose, Captain Jack and the Doctor land on a world without government in a society so oppressive that even the true name of the planet is classified⁶. The technology is stuck in the 27th Century, over 90% of the planet is jungle with only 10% dedicated to the millions of people crammed in basic, dull, multi-storey concrete flats. Imagination, fantasy and fiction are forbidden and the boundary between day-dreaming and dangerous delusion is blurred. Those who let their imagination run away with them are taken to the Big White House for treatment.

One man, named Hal Grydon, broadcasts fiction on a pirate television channel named Static, urging against the people to dream of a better world and rise up. But will the Doctor learn the truth behind the planet's hidden secret before it is too late to save Jack and Rose?

Doctor Who Annual 2006

In addition to the Ninth Doctor novels, the Ninth Doctor appeared in a number of spin-off books, many of which contain facts and figures about the fictional worlds and creatures met by the Doctor. However, the Doctor Who Annual 2006⁷ contains short stories by highly experienced Doctor Who authors, all of whom had written both novels and television episodes, including 'Doctor vs Doctor' by Gareth Roberts, who had written Only Human. The short stories in the annual are:

• 'Doctor vs Doctor' by Gareth Roberts. Gareth Roberts wrote Doctor Who novels featuring the First, Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Doctor as well as novel and short story featuring the Ninth Doctor. He has also written numerous television episodes for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors as well as many Sarah-Jane Adventures episodes.

• 'The Masks of Makassar' by Paul Cornell, an author wrote the Ninth Doctor episode 'Father's Day' as well as Tenth Doctor episodes 'Human Nature/The Family of Blood' and novels featuring the Fifth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors.

• 'Pitter-patter by Robert Shearman, who had written Ninth Doctor episode 'Dalek' based on a Doctor Who audio play he had previously written called 'Jubilee'.

• 'What I Did On My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow' by Steven Moffat. This later become the basis for the acclaimed Hugo and BAFTA award-winning tenth-Doctor episode 'Blink'. Sally Sparrow was originally younger in the annual story, which revolved around the Doctor leaving messages under the wallpaper in order to regain his Tardis and did not feature the weeping angels. Steven Moffat had written the two part adventure 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' and would later become show runner on Doctor Who during the eleventh Doctor's tenure. To date he has won four Hugo Awards⁸.