Lists of books based on Doctor Who


Lists of books based on Doctor Who cover different types of book in the Doctor Who media franchise.
These include novels, audiobooks, and short story anthologies. The lists are organized by publisher and imprint.

''Doctor Who'' novelisations

The novelisations of TV episodes were published from 1964 onwards by various publishers, including:
  • 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.

    Virgin Books novel series

Novel series published by Virgin Books:
  • Virgin New Adventures: 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. They complemented the Virgin New Adventures range. 33 books were published in this series.
  • Virgin Decalog: Published from 1994 to 1997, these each contained ten short stories. Volumes 4 and 5 did not feature the Doctor or any other non-Virgin copyrighted characters after the BBC decided not to renew Virgin's licence to produce original fiction featuring the Doctor or any characters featured in the TV series. Five volumes were published in this series.

    BBC Books novel series

Novel series published by BBC Books:
  • Eighth Doctor Adventures: Published from 1997 to 2005, these featured the Eighth Doctor. 73 books were published in this 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, following a pattern established by the Virgin Decalog series. Three volumes were published in this series.
  • New Series Adventures: Published from 2005, 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.
NoTitleCover StarsWriterReleased
1Monsters and VillainsChristopher Eccleston
Billie Piper
A Dalek
Justin Richards19 May 2005
2Aliens and EnemiesDavid Tennant
Billie Piper
The Cyber Controller
Justin Richards25 May 2006
3Creatures and DemonsDavid Tennant
Freema Agyeman
Dalek Sec
Justin Richards10 May 2007
4Starships and SpacestationsDavid Tennant
Catherine Tate
Army of Daleks and Ships
Justin Richards1 May 2008
5Companions and AlliesDavid Tennant
Catherine Tate
Billie Piper
John Barrowman
Freema Agyeman
Elisabeth Sladen
The TARDIS and K9
Steve Tribe28 May 2009
6The Ultimate Monster GuideDavid Tennant
A Dalek
The Cyber Controller
Army of Dalek Ships
Justin Richards24 September 2009

Big Finish Books Series

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.
  • Bernice Summerfield: a series of 31 books starring Virgin New Adventures character: Bernice Summerfield.
  • Iris Wildthyme: a series of 23 books starring Eighth Doctor Adventures character: Iris Wildthyme.
  • New Worlds: a series of 2 unrelated books which were released under this imprint and don't fit into another category.

    Candy Jar Books

Independent publishing company Candy Jar Books has published five series based on Doctor Who since 2015:
  • Lethbridge-Stewart: A series of 56 books starring Brigadier Alistair-Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.
  • 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".
TitleAuthorForewordArtistDoctorCompanionPublished
Time and RelativeKim NewmanJustin RichardsBryan TalbotFirstSusan ForemanNovember 2001
Citadel of DreamsDave StoneAndrew CartmelLee SullivanSeventhAceMarch 2002
NightdreamersTom ArdenKaty ManningMartin McKennaThirdJo GrantMay 2002
Ghost ShipKeith ToppingHugh LambDariusz JasiczakFourth-August 2002
Foreign DevilsAndrew CartmelMike AshleyMike CollinsSecondJamie McCrimmon and Zoe HeriotNovember 2002
Rip TideLouise CooperStephen GallagherFred GambinoEighth-January 2003
WonderlandMark ChadbournGraham JoyceDominic HarmanSecondBen Jackson and PollyApril 2003
Shell ShockSimon A ForwardGuy N. SmithBob CovingtonSixthPeri BrownJune 2003
The Cabinet of LightDaniel O'MahonyChaz BrenchleyJohn HigginsUnspecified Doctor-July 2003
Fallen GodsJon Blum and Kate OrmanStorm ConstantineDarryl JoyceEighth-August 2003
FrayedTara Samms Stephen LawsChris MooreFirstSusanOctober 2003
The Eye of the TygerPaul J. McAuleyNeil GaimanJim BurnsEighth-November 2003
Companion PieceRobert Perry and Mike TuckerRev Colin MidlaneAllan BednarSeventhCatherine BroomeDecember 2003
Blood and HopeIain McLaughlinJohn OstranderWalter HowarthFifthPeri Brown and ErimemJanuary 2004
The Dalek FactorSimon ClarkChristopher FowlerGraham HumphreysUnspecified Doctor-February 2004

''Time Hunter''

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.