Doctor Who Target Book Club Podcast

How do you become the head of a coven, anyway? Can anyone do it, or do you need a certificate? And just exactly what is the best way to make a fruitcake – and why would anyone want to do such a vile thing in the first place? Come join our three-person discussion panel of Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes as we ask these and other stimulating questions about Terrance Dicks’ noveli...

“The Age of the Virus has begun” – get out the hypodermics and the bleach! It’s 2021, when vaccination rates are up (in some places), while in others Contact has definitely been Made. Come join our three-person discussion panel of Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes as we say far, FAR less about the pandemic than this stupid description would have you believe, in our discussion of...

Why exactly IS the Doctor wearing that bowler hat, anyway? And what’s his obsession with always putting Leela in petticoats? These are two questions that will NOT be answered, as our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Alyson Fitch-Safreed Terrance Dicks’ novelization of THE HORROR OF FANG ROCK (and how much we all wish Vince had survived, of course)! If you like what you hear, please come vi...

Is it time to “cancel” Weng-Chiang? Or can we continue to enjoy a well-written story featuring Chinese stereotypes, yellowface makeup, and poorly realized giant rats? Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Alyson Fitch-Safreed as we talk about this and other pugilistic peregrinations pertaining to Terrance Dicks’ novelization of THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG! If you like what you hear,...

NOTE: This version has been edited to correct for a factual error spoken during the original recording. What is the Wilhelm Scream, and why doesn’t Taren Capel use it in his bizarre machinations with machine men? Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Alyson Fitch-Safreed as we ask this and other stimulating questions about Terrance Dicks’ novelization of THE ROBOTS OF DEATH! If yo...

What does this story have to do with the New Age musician Yanni, or the Arab-Israeli conflict? For that matter, does it have anything to do with either of those two things? Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Alyson Fitch-Safreed as we look at Terrance Dicks’ novelization of THE FACE OF EVIL to find out! (An earlier version of this podcast claimed that Chris Boucher is the only...

When is a Time Lord not a Time Lord? Why is that people who can’t regenerate do and people who can regenerate don’t? And why does the Master look like he had a bad chemical peel? Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Alyson Fitch-Safreed as we look at Terrance Dicks’ novelization of THE DEADLY ASSASSIN, also known as “Everything You Wanted To Know About Time Lords But Didn’t Know...

Elisabeth Sladen requested that her last story as Sarah Jane Smith be nothing special, and boy, did was she not disappointed. Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and special guest Jennifer Picker, as we look at Terrance Dicks’ attempt to novelize the only script for a companion’s departure written on the back of a napkin. If you like what you hear, please come...

A good novelization trims the fat. An anorexic novelization trims off bits that you actually need to survive. Guess which one Philip Hinchcliffe’s novelization of THE MASQUE OF MANDRAGORA is? Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and special guest Erik Gulbrandsen of the VIDEO JUNKYARD PODCAST and the POLICE BOX IN A JUNKYARD PODCAST, as we try to figure out how the producer of a sci-...

Ever planted the seed of a very robust kind of plant, only to have it not only NOT grow but wither miserably? Ever find a flower that looked good but smelled horrible? Then you may have some idea what it’s like to read Philip Hinchcliffe’s novelization of THE SEEDS OF DOOM. Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, Jenny Ingersoll, and special guest Erik Gulbrandsen of the VIDEO JUNKYARD...

We completely lose our heads over the novelization of THE BRAIN OF MORBIUS by Terrance Dicks – get it, lose our…oh, forget it. Suffice it to say, though, who would’ve thought such a good novelization could be done by the very man whose script was essentially butchered and then sewn up together again by Robert Holmes? (See, there’s another one. You’re welcome.) Come join our panelists Tony Whitt, D...

EPISODE 87: SCRATCHMAN How exactly does a novelization of a story that was never actually made fit into our humble little project? Come join our three-person discussion panel, including host Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes, as we discuss why it’s called TECHNICALLY TARGET and how Tom Baker’s book of SCRATCHMAN is simply to good to pass up discussing. (And yes, it comes after TH...

Exactly what ARE those three race car drivers doing out in the middle of the woods together? Why do androids need to be “trained” to do something? And is Sarah so attached to that jacket that it’s part of her self-image? These questions, and more, are addressed by our four-person discussion panel, including host Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and special guest panelist, the creat...

Long Live Ernie! That seems to be the consensus of our panelists this time (Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and Jenny Ingersoll) as we discuss Terrance Dicks’ novelization of the classic Tom Baker story THE PYRAMIDS OF MARS – and if you have to ask who “Ernie” is, you need to go read it to find out! And yes, we will also be talking about racist Egyptian caricatures, the role of ti...

Got a bit of cash lying around and want to get that DOCTOR WHO fan in your life a holiday gift that says, “Just so you know, you’re on the Naughty list”? Why not find a tatty copy of the DOCTOR WHO ANNUAL 1976, then send them the link to our three-person discussion of three stories in that annual? It’s the perfect gift for the fan whose time you want to waste! Join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed...

While “Not a complete piece of trash” may not be the most glowing review we’ve ever given on this show, it’s just one of the many opinions heard in our discussion of Terrance Dicks’ novelization of PLANET OF EVIL. (Trust me, it’s not as negative as that makes it sound.) Who could possibly have said such a thing? Could it be our host Tony Whitt? Could it be our regular panelist Dalton Hughes? Or co...

What exactly does Victor Pemberton have against the smell of fish, anyway…? Come join our three-person discussion (including Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes) to find out, as we discuss Pemberton’s novelization of the very first “audio drama” (quotation marks intended), the long-playing record album THE PESCATONS. If you like what you hear, please come visit our Patreon page! It...

Good news, everyone! The Monster has finally been defeated, he's going back home, and he's not going to destroy us after all! (I’m talking about the Loch Ness Monster – who were YOU thinking about? Though that other one does spend a lot of time in Scotland and is essentially a stop-motion puppet, too…) Come choke on your haggis as you listen to our four-person discussion (including Tony Whitt, Aly...

Where does one go on Craigslist to get a job as a double-agent for the Cybermen and the Vogans, especially in this economy? And would Goldfinger be a villain not just for James Bond but for the Cybermen as well? Come join our sausage fest of a three-person discussion panel (Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Trey Korte) as we address these and other stimulating questions regarding Terrance Dicks’ nove...

How exactly do Daleks work, anyway? And how do two enemy nations carry on a thousand year war when they live literally a few minutes’ walk away from each other? Come join our four-person discussion panel (Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and Trey Korte) as we address these and other burning questions you were too bored to ask about Terrance Dicks’ novelization of GENESIS OF THE DAL...

What possible connection could there be between Ian Marter’s novelization of THE SONTARAN EXPERIMENT and the movie MEAN GIRLS? Come join our three-person discussion panel (Tony Whitt, Dalton Hughes, and Trey Korte) as we talk about how Sarah Jane is the most durable companion on the printed page, and why Sontarans are absolutely disgusting. If you like what you hear, please come visit our Patreon...

Just how many times can four people say the word “visceral” in an hour and a half? And why do portable hard drives suck so much? Come join our discussion panel (Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and guest Trey Korte) to find out the answers to those questions, as well as why Ian Marter is possibly one of the best writers in the Target range (and yes, I will fight you if you disagree...

How does the Fourth Doctor translate to the page? And what’s the most scandalous thing Tom Baker said about his time in the monastery? (If we left that at “the most scandalous thing” period, we’d be here for days…) Come join our GIANT discussion panel (Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and guest Trey Korte) as we talk about Dicks adapting Dicks (not as fun as it sounds), and why tha...

What do this story and CHARLOTTE’S WEB have in common? That’s right, they both end with the death of a major character! (What did you think we would say?) Come join Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, Dalton Hughes, and guest Trey Korte, to discuss how a whole generation of schoolkids came to believe that spiders die after laying an egg sac. It’s more fun than it sounds! (The discussion, I mean, not...

We tried, dammit, we really tried, but we couldn’t find much to say about Terrance Dicks’ novelization of THE MONSTER OF PELADON – and yet we talked about it for about an hour anyway! Come join us (Tony Whitt, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes) to see how we managed to waste your time in brand new and less than exciting ways! (It’s actually a better one than I’m making out here. I like it, a...