Target Books Day audio recording

I had a lovely time at Target Books Day on Saturday (19 July), organised by James Goss. He assembled a really fun, engaging series of talks and readings related to the Doctor Who novelisations, including me wanging on about Terrance Dicks - most prolific of the Target authors - and the early days of the range that launched in January 1974, alongside learned critiques and readings from new books that won't be published until next year.

You can now listen to my talk, "The Unseen Terrance Dicks", and lots of the other contributions, as episodes of the Hamster with a Blunt Penknife podcast:

Target Book Club Part One on Apple, Podbean, Spotify

Gary Gillatt, "Opening Lines"
Every first line of a Target novelisation, in publication order. Bliss.

Simon Guerrier, "The Unseen Terrance Dicks"

Jenny Colgan, reading from her forthcoming novelisation of 2010 TV episodes Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone

Mags L Halliday, "Romancing the Target"
Including much love for the loved-up work of David WhitakerTarget Book Club Part Two on Apple, Podbean, Spotify

Robert Shearman, reading from his forthcoming novelisation of 2002 audio play The Chimes of Midnight

John Grindrod, "Terror of the Blurboids"
On the changing face of back-cover blurbs

Nev Fountain, "The Policeman's Face Peeled Away"
On the work of illustrator Alan Willow 

Dr Paul Quinn, "I See The Rumours About You Are True..."
On sexual predation in the TV version and novelisation of Ghost Light - requiring a trigger warningTarget Book Club Part Three on Apple, Podbean, SpotifyStephen Gallagher discusses and reads from the novelisation of his own 1980 TV story Warrior's Gate

Steve Cole, "The Wheel of Tara" aka confessions of a books editor

Alex Hewitt, "Reading Games with Pip and Jane"
On literary games for children written by Pip and Jane Baker years before they scrivened for Doctor Who

Joe Lidster reading from his forthcoming novelisation of 2005 TV story Alien of London and World War Three

Gareth L Powell reading from his newly published novelisation of 2025 TV episode The Well

James Goss reading from his newly published novelisation of 2025 TV episode Lux