Doctor Who legend Frazer Hines to novelise classic Dalek story
The actor is revisiting a lost arc he once starred in.
A missing story from classic Doctor Who will be brought back to life in a novel adaptation authored by one of its stars, it was announced today.
BBC Books will publish The Evil of the Daleks, based on the 1960s story arc of the same name, chronicling an encounter between the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), companion Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) and the titular villains.
Hines himself will pen the adaptation, which revisits the seven-episode storyline (of which six chapters remain lost), whilst also incorporating a framing device used in another missing arc.
The Wheel in Space, broadcast one year after The Evil of the Daleks, ended with The Doctor using a so-called "mind projector" to warn new companion Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) of the dangers that accompany travelling with him.
The scene features a clip from The Evil of the Daleks, which was then repeated in full with brand new narration explaining the in-universe justification for the second broadcast.
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Hines's book will be based around that moment in the series canon, with a secondary plot involving a present-day menace seeking to strike whilst The Doctor and his companions are distracted by the projection of their older adventure.
The synopsis reads: "After defending a space station from a Cyberman incursion, the Doctor and Jamie learn that young astrophysicist Zoe wishes to join them on their travels.
"To give her fair warning of the dangers she may face, the Doctor places the TARDIS outside time and space and uses a mind projector to share one of their most harrowing adventures.
"And so, Jamie is forced to relive his encounter with the Daleks at their most evil and calculating. In a complex plot that dragged him from modern-day London to Victorian times and finally to the Dalek world of Skaro, he endured ordeals that tested his courage, strength – and his friendship with the Doctor – to the limit."
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It continues: "He presents his own version of some of those events to Zoe; events that still anger him. And while fact and fiction blur inside the TARDIS, a malevolent force watches from outside.
"Soon, Jamie finds himself lured from the safety of the ship into dangers that could end Zoe's travels before they begin – and all their lives, as well."
Read more:
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- Bristol locations for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials revealed
The Evil of the Daleks by Frazer Hines is out in hardback on 26th October 2023 – you can pre-order your copy now.
In 1993, The Evil of the Daleks was voted the best ever Doctor Who story by readers of now-defunct sci-fi magazine Dreamwatch, which makes it all the more painful for fans that it is no longer freely available.
Hopefully, this novelisation will soothe that disappointment, especially as Hines will be able to draw on his memories of filming the story to bring maximum authenticity to the project.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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