Between 1964 and 1966, three books based on First Doctor serials were published in hardcover by Frederick Muller Ltd.
Between 1973 and 1991, Target Books published 156 books, covering almost every Doctor Who television story that was originally broadcast from 1963 to 1989. The Target Books imprint was also used for five books in 2018 and seven books published in 2021.
In 1996, BBC Books published a novelization of the 1996 TV movie. From 2012 to 2019, BBC Books published novelisations of the 1970s and 1980s serials Target was unable to publish. Most of these books were republished starting in 2018 as part of The Target Collection, which also included adaptations of select episodes of the revived series.
One range of novelisations, the companion range, focused on telling new stories centred around the companions. 2 novels were published in this series.
In 1989, a series of novelisations of unproduced TV stories began. There are 7 books in this series.
Published from 1991 to 1999, these continued the story of the Doctor from the point at which the television programme went into hiatus from television in 1989. They featured the Seventh Doctor from 1991 to 1997, plus one book with the Eighth Doctor. From 1997 to 1999, they focused on Bernice Summerfield and the Doctor did not appear. 84 books were published in this series.
Virgin Missing Adventures
Published from 1994 to 1997, these featured the First through Sixth Doctors with stories set between televised episodes of the programme, with these stories primarily being used to plug gaps present within the television series' events. It features many sequels to on-screen stories, and many novels paid homage to the style of particular eras of the show.[1] Virgin had purchased the successful children's imprint Target Books in 1989, with Virgin's new fiction editor Peter Darvill-Evans taking over the range. Target's major output was novelisations of televised Doctor Who stories, and Darvill-Evans realised that there were few stories left to be novelised. He approached the BBC for permission to commission original stories written directly for print, but such a licence was initially refused. However, after the television series was cancelled at the end of 1989, Virgin were granted the licence to produce full-length original novels continuing the story from the point at which the series had concluded.[2]
Published from 1994 to 1997, these contained multiple short stories published in one book.[3]
Who Killed Kennedy
In 1996, Virgin Books published Who Killed Kennedy, a Doctor Who novel by David Bishop. Although set during the time of the Third Doctor, Virgin published this book as a standalone work and not as part of the Missing Adventures series.
Past Doctor Adventures: Published from 1997 to 2005, these featured First through Seventh Doctors, following the lead set by Virgin Missing Adventures series. 76 books were published in this series.
BBC Short Trips: Published from 1998 to 2000, these were short story anthologies.[4] Three volumes were published in this series. More Short Trips would be published by Big Finish Productions following the end of the book series.[5]
New Series Adventures: Published from 2005 (and still active), these feature the Ninth Doctor onwards. The featured Doctor aligns with the active TV series. As of February 2025, 78 standard-length novels, 8+ larger "supersize" novels, 38 original audiobooks and various other books have been published.
Monsters books
The Doctor Who Monsters Books are a series of guide books related to Doctor Who. The first three books, released from 2005 to 2007, dealt with the monstrous foes faced by the Doctor in the television series. The fourth book, released in 2008, focused on spaceships rather than monsters, similar to the fifth book, Companions and Allies by Steve Tribe, which dealt with The Doctor's companions. The Ultimate Monster Guide is the sixth, and contains completely revised and updated entries from the first three books.
Shortly after they acquired the license to produce Doctor Who audios they also started to produce Doctor Who Books.
Big Finish Short Trips: Published from 2001 to 2009 by Big Finish Productions, these are short story anthologies. The name was inherited the BBC Short Trips series, which was discontinued by BBC Books for cost reasons. Big Finish Productions negotiated a licence to continue producing these collections, publishing them in hardback to allow for a higher cover price. 28 volumes were published in this series.
Lucy Wilson Mysteries: A series about the granddaughter of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. There are 26 books in this series.
Professor Howe: A parody series about a rather rubbish time traveller
Travers and Wells: A spin-off of the Lethbridge-Stewart books. There are 4 books in this series.
Counter Measures: A series of books about the Counter Measures team. There are two books in this series.
Arcbeatle Press
Cwej: The Series: Featuring the character of Chris Cwej from the Virgin New Adventures
SIGNET: A spin-off series featuring characters and monsters licensed from individual creators.
Telos Publishing
Since being formed, Telos Publishing Ltd. has published a wide variety of works, from original novellas based on Doctor Who to original horror and fantasy novels. They also produce a variety of unofficial guide books to popular television and film series, as well as the Time Hunter series of novellas. Starburst magazine called them "perhaps the UK's best-known independent publishers of Doctor Who books".[6]
A series focused on "time sensitive" Honoré Lechasseur and "time channeler" Emily Blandish, characters first introduced in Telos' Doctor Who novella The Cabinet of Light.
Make Your Own Adventure/Find Your Fate: In 1986, a series of six multiple-plot concept books by several authors was published in parallel by Severn House as Make Your Own Adventure With Dr Who and Ballantine Books as Find Your Fate: Dr Who. Each volume allows for different progressions based on the readers decisions and dice rolls: Search for the Doctor, Crisis in Space,[7]Garden of Evil,[8]Mission to Venus, Invasion of the Ormazoids and Race Against Time.
Faction Paradox: A series of books about the story of faction paradox and the associated "War in Heaven" released by various publishers. 31 books were published in this series.
Over the years two now rather rare charity books have been published: Time's Champion and Seasons of War: Gallifrey
Erimem: a series of books about fifth doctor companion Ermimem by Thebes publishing. There are 16 books in this series.
Doctor Who Files, a series of books for young readers.[9]
↑Wilson, Anthony; Smith?, Robert (2019). Bookwyrm: An Unauthorized & Unconventional Guide to the Doctor Who Novels. Maryland: ATB Publishing. p.10. ISBN978-0-9882210-6-2.
↑Weinberg Jeffman, Tauana Mariana; Smidt Mainardi, Marina (2016). "Literatura Whovian e Cultura de Fã: Uma análise sobre consumo de livros por fãs da série Doctor Who". Vozes & Diálogo. 15 (2).
↑Bunnell, John C. (November 1986). "The Role of Books". Dragon magazine. No.115. TSR, Inc. pp.71–72. The only safe generalization to be made about this newest twist on the multiple-plot concept is that the idea is certifiably weird.
↑Bunnell, John C. (January 1987). "The Role of Books". Dragon magazine. No.117. TSR, Inc. p.83. David Martin returns with a solid story that again transcends the multiple-plot form to compete favorably with the full-length novels.
