Doctor Who Target Book Club Podcast
Books & Literature
About
Welcome to the DOCTOR WHO TARGET BOOK CLUB PODCAST, the podcast in which we undertake the [insert adjective here] project of discussing, in story order, all of the DOCTOR WHO novelizations!
Episodes
- EP 195: HUMAN NATURE
Is this really the story so nice they told it twice, or is it more of a recurring nightmare for the Doctor? Is the Doctor really not cruel and not cowardly? And what’s with that whole snowflakes image thing at the end, anyway? Come join To…
- EP 194: SET PIECE
Is it a good thing to have a book that teases the return of Sutekh and never features Sutekh? (Come to think of it, is it a good thing to have an episode that features the return of Sutekh?) What does it mean to be part of history without…
- EP 193: DECEIT
Are you like the President of the United States and needing to get past all that discussion about Jeffrey Epstein? Then this episode is probably not for you. Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes, as they discuss Pe…
- EP 192: TRANSIT
EP 192: TRANSIT by Tony Whitt
- EP 189-HOLIDAY SPECIAL 3
Finally – and I mean FINALLY – we present the last of our holiday specials, recorded at Chicago TARDIS 2025. Tony runs a game show type of panel in which contestants team up to describe episodes…badly. The video of the show is at the link…
- EP 191: LOVE AND WAR
You’ll never look at a mushroom omelet the same way again. We continue our foray into The Wilderness Years with our first dip into the NEW ADVENTURES, Paul Cornell’s LOVE AND WAR, which introduces our new companion Bernice Summerfield. Oh,…
- EP 190: DIMENSIONS IN TIME
What’s that horrible smell? Could it be…gherkins in a jar? No? Then it must be DIMENSIONS IN TIME! Actually, it’s the TV special that’s smelling, but not the novelization – and yes, there is a novelization! Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fit…
- EP 188: 2025 HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2
EP 188: 2025 HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2 by Tony Whitt
- EPISODE 187: 2025 HOLIDAY SPECIAL 1
EPISODE 187: 2025 HOLIDAY SPECIAL 1 by Tony Whitt
- EP 186: SURVIVAL
It’s the end, and boy, was the moment prepared for. By us, anyway. By the production team, not so much. Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes, as they address SURVIVAL – and just in time for the 62nd anniversary! We…
- EP 185: THE CURSE OF FENRIC
How do sex beaches that convert former virgins into vampires work, anyway? Are they seasonal? And is the water warm because everyone pees in it? Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and special guest Jason Miller of T…
- EP 184: GHOST LIGHT
What does the story GHOST LIGHT have to do with recapitulation theory? How is it a commentary on fan collectors in general and DOCTOR WHO collectors specifically? We have all the answers! Ha, kidding – it’s GHOST LIGHT, so there are always…
- EP 183: BATTLEFIELD
What’s the big difference between the premiere episode of DOCTOR WHO’S twenty-sixth season have to do with Spike Lee’s DO THE RIGHT THING? One has fully realized female characters. The other was seen by a lot of people. Guess which one is…
- EP 182: DOCTOR WHO COLLECTED COMICS
EP 182: DOCTOR WHO COLLECTED COMICS by Tony Whitt
- EP 181: GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY
Why does Ace’s aunt hate the ‘60s so much? Does the Doctor actually know ahead of time that the Gods of Ragnarok are on Segonax? And why does the Doctor look like a character from WATCHMEN on the cover of this book? Come join Tony Whitt, A…
- EP 180: SILVER NEMESIS
The Doctor and Ace take time out to listen to some jazz. Oh, and there are some Nazis involved. And a female practitioner of the dark arts from the 17th century. And some newly polished Cybermen. How is this story special again? Come join…
- EP 179: THE HAPPINESS PATROL
A colony with a delusional leader insisting that everything is fine, that everyone is happy, and that all those disappearances you’ve been hearing about are for the good of the nation. You already know what we’re going to say, so do we rea…
- EP 178: REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS
Now a bumper volume! Almost two hours of discussion on such topics as inappropriate relationships, redshirts with names and rich interior lives, and why this story is perfect to watch during Pride Month! Oh, and Daleks, but who cares about…
- EP 177: THE AGE OF CHAOS
What’s this?! Has a new Doctor regenerated into an old familiar face? No, that sort of dumbassery only happens on Disney shows. Instead, we’re going back a bit and changing formats a LOT to look at a graphic novel written by one of the sta…
- EP 176: DRAGONFIRE
The first season of the McCoy era comes to a close, with a new companion and…a vampire story?! Really?! Were we the only ones who didn’t see this? Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes as they discuss Ian Briggs’ no…
- EP 175: DELTA AND THE-BANNERMEN
It’s the ‘50s, and there’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on. There’s also a whole lotta peeing. (You already know what we’re talking about, right?). Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes as they discuss DELTA AND THE…
- EP 174: PARADISE TOWERS
One of the joys of reading a novelization is reliving a story that you’ve always loved. Another joy of reading a novelization is not having to see the things you despised in a story that you’ve always hated. Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fi…
- EP 173: TIME AND THE RANI
It’s a new era, and we celebrate…never having to read another Pip and Jane Baker book again. (Did you really think I was about to say “the beginning of the McCoy era”? Well, that too.) Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hug…
- EP 172: THE ULTIMATE FOE
Who would’ve believed that we could discuss THE ULTIMATE FOE for longer than the actual run-time of the story – and that we could say mostly positive things about it? Granted, there’s still that business of some weird future Doctor being t…
- EP 171: TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS
Killer plants! A murder mystery! Scheming agronomists! Ellipses…sentence fragments…and exclamation marks! EVERYWHERE! And so much new vocab! Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and special guest Matthew Kresal as the…
- EP 170: MINDWARP
Is Peri dead? Is she unhappy in a forced marriage? Is she unhappy as the manager of a pro wrestler named Yrcanos? And what exactly does “Vroomnik” mean, anyway? Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and special guest J…
- EP 169: THE MYSTERIOUS PLANET
What is the mystery of Ravalox? Is there really any Sixth Doctor and Peri slash fiction out there? And why are some car owners such a**holes? Join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes as they discuss Terrance Dicks’ noveliza…
- EP 168: EVIL OF THE DALEKS REDUX
Is Kemel the most racist character created for the classic series? Did the Second Doctor really commit genocide? And did we really need a novelization of the “missing adventure” between THE WHEEL IN SPACE and THE DOMINATORS? Join Tony Whit…
- EP 167: FRAZER HINES INTERVIEW
What does Frazer Hines remember most about EVIL OF THE DALEKS? What convinced him to write his own version of it? And what did Sonny Caldinez do to get so…big? Come listen to Tony Whitt interviewing Hines about all of this and more in this…
- EP 166: HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2024
The year wouldn’t be complete without our light and calorie-free (not to mention mostly content-free) Holiday Special, and what better way to celebrate than to pull apart four books that we won’t even be covering on this show for another c…
- EP 165: SLIPBACK
Saward’s not done with the show at this point yet, but we’re done with Saward, and it’s about…well, mostly about Douglas Adams, to be honest. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Saward was being really bloody sincere. Join…
- EP 164: MISSION TO MAGNUS
The Ice Warriors are back, and it’s about…well, ice, really. And a virus that kills off men. And a female-dominated society trying to fight a male-dominated one. And the Doctor’s bully from school. And Sil. AND… You get the idea. Join Tony…
- EP 163: THE ULTIMATE EVIL
It's THE ULTIMATE EVIL! …but enough about the election. Now that certain lunatics are back in the White House, do we go back to calling him DWARF Mordant, or does the fact that we care make us snowflakes? And while we’re at it, would this…
- EP 162: THE NIGHTMARE FAIR
In some alternate universe, the BBC had complete confidence in Colin Baker; Season 23 was produced and premiered right on schedule; and Graham Williams wrote the first of what would be a long line of excellent scripts for the show he once…
- EP 161: REVELATION OF THE DALEKS
Last time Eric Saward squared off against the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club, it didn’t go so well for him. What about this time? Has Saward learned from the excesses that laid RESURRECTION so low? Has the NZDWFC provided us a better read…
- EP 160: TIMELASH
Some fans have called this story cursed, and after losing two-thirds of our first attempt to record this episode and then having to remount it three weeks later, we agree! (Is this what it felt like to make SHADA? They both have Denis Care…
- EP 159: SEARCH FOR THE DOCTOR
You’re listening to your favorite podcast (ha!), and they decide to cover SEARCH FOR THE DOCTOR by Dave Martin, one of the FIND YOUR FATE books featuring the Sixth Doctor. If you decide to stick around and here what Tony Whitt and Dalton H…
- EP 158: THE TWO DOCTORS
Name me another podcast where such varied subjects as Season 6B, the morality of vegetarianism, the inherent racism of DOCTOR WHO, and the relative sexual attractiveness of Patrick Troughton come up in the same discussion. I dare you. Come…
- EP 157: THE MARK OF THE RANI
For this synopsis, I tried to come up with jokes about the Master hanging around in a field waiting for the Doctor or the Rani giving one of her victims a woody, but I just couldn’t be bothered. Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed,…
- EP 156: VENGEANCE ON VAROS
What exactly is the literary equivalent of a video nasty? And does the novelization of VENGEANCE ON VAROS really fit the bill, or is it more of a political satire in the vein of 1984 – or maybe both? Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safr…
- EP 155: ATTACK OF THE CYBERMEN
Cybermen, Cryons, and cops – oh my! Add to all of that enough fanwank that the story should come with its own box of Kleenex, and you’ve got a recipe for a bad novelization. So how is it so good – and how did it come from Eric Saward? Agai…
- EP 154: THE TWIN DILEMMA
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Eric Saward’s books are a bit…much. So what is a band of jaded reviewers to do when Saward takes a turd like THE TWIN DILEMMA and polishes it until it’s…well, less of a turd? Come join Tony Whitt…
- EP 153: THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI
It’s considered not only one of the best but THE best story of the classic series. But can even Terrance Dicks translate the greatness that is THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI to the printed page? Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalt…
- EP 152: TURLOUGH AND THE EARTHLINK DILEMMA
What do you think happened to Turlough and his brother Malcon went they went back to Trion after the events of PLANET OF FIRE? Well, whatever you guessed, you’re likely to be wrong – especially if you said anything at all about Malcon. Com…
- EP 151: PLANET OF FIRE
While we could have done an entire episode full of jokes about how the producer, the writer, and two stars in this story were “flamers,” we didn’t. (Besides, our host has no room to talk.) Instead, we came to have a short discussion and en…
- EP 150: RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS
Eric Saward’s novelization of his 1984 was almost 40 years in the making. Was it worth the wait? …Seriously, we’re asking. Oh, and we read a much better version by Paul Scoones, too. Come join Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Danny Celedon f…
- EP 149: PAUL SCOONES INTERVIEW
Why are there two novelizations of RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS – and why is only one of them any good? This time we discuss the fan version of the novelization with its author, Paul Scoones, to find out what led to the creation of this vers…
- EP 148: FRONTIOS
What could be worse than being sucked through the earth? Having our panelists make dirty jokes about it. (Heh. “Dirty” jokes.) Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and special guest J.G. McQuarrie as they discuss Chri…
- EP 147: THE AWAKENING
What does Kate Chopin’s 1899 novel about a woman cheating on her husband before drowning herself have to do with a two-part DOCTOR WHO story from 1984? Absolutely f*ck all. Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and spe…
- EP 146: WARRIORS OF THE DEEP
Come on in, the water’s fine! Mind you, it’s infested with Sea Bases, Silurians, and Sea Devils, with the occasional foreign saboteur thrown in, but it’s still warmer than being on dry land in Chicago right now! Come join Tony Whitt, Alyso…