By James Goss

BBC Books

The Target novelisation of the third of the Doctor Who diamond anniversary specials.

I imagine that when adapting some of the more ‘leisurely’ Doctor Who serials, Terrance Dicks thought to himself ‘Right, let’s make this a bit more lively.’ I cannot however imagine that James Goss had that experience with translating Russell T Davies’ script The Giggle, which is an explosion of non-stop set-pieces. The eBook Target adaptation is a riot of fun.

Goss has styled the book’s chapters as moves in a game, meaning that as interludes we get a maze inside the brain of the President of the United States, word searches and section that mimics the ‘Create your own adventure’ books. At times, the typography is also used in wild and wacky ways. It’s totally in keeping with the manners of the Toymaker, and sections of the prose are written from his perspective, thus legitimising this approach.

As with the other two adaptations of the specials, the dialogue is presented verbatim as it appears on screen, with additional content being asides, flashbacks or moments to aid the transitions; I appreciated the acknowledgment of how the Doctor bought his new house at the end of the story.

Verdict: There was already a lot going on in this story before being given the Target treatment. To his credit, James Goss injects just the right amount of fun to the already bonkers confection. 9/10

Nick Joy