Written by Terrance Dicks, based on his scripts for the 1974-75 TV serial.

The short-lived Junior Doctor Who range begins with an abridged and simplified version of Dicks’ Doctor Who and the Giant Robot novelisation. As with the original book, it’s a pretty straightforward adaptation, with a slightly reduced page count and more basic language (for instance, no “sprightly Edwardian roadsters” here, instead the Doctor drives in “‘Bessie’, his little old car”).

I question whether this was entirely necessary. I was reading Dicks’ standard novelisations from the age of five or six and never had any issues, but I guess anything that makes the books more accessible to the widest audience is a good thing and the new series revived the spirit of this range in its Quick Reads.

Where this novelisation wins out over its predecessor is in the numerous internal illustrations, which aren’t the scratchy realism of the early novelisations, but a more cartoonish and fun interpretation of the text. There’s a very amusing full-page of the Doctor trying out costumes from the TARDIS wardrobe, and some great depictions of the K1 robot in action. These alone make this alternate version worth seeking out.

Next Time: Senior Doctor Who And… The Image of the Fendahl.