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News Tom Baker has novelized Doctor Who Meets Scratchman

The Nth Doctor

The Nth Doctor

Wanderer in the Fourth Dimension
Premium Member
Scratchman.jpg


io9 reports that BBC Books will be releasing Tom Baker's novelization of now-titled Scratchman, based on his script with Ian Marter, on January 24, 2019. There will also be a audiobook which Baker will be narrating.

What are you afraid of?

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive at a remote Scottish island, when their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures – hideous scarecrows, preying on the local population. The islanders are living in fear, and the Doctor vows to save them all. But it doesn’t go to plan – the time travellers have fallen into a trap, and Scratchman is coming for them.

With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the Doctor must battle an ancient force from another dimension, one who claims to be the Devil.

Scratchman wants to know what the Doctor is most afraid of. And the Doctor’s worst nightmares are coming out to play…
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I think this is awesome news! I always loved the bonkers storyline and I really hope he kept the pinball climax. It's just a pity Ian Marter isn't alive to see the final result.
 
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Maybe it's a contractual thing? Maybe the title page will say, "Based on a screenplay by Tom Baker and Ian Marter." I'm speculating here, I don't know.
 
Yeah, I thought that was a little weird, too. Both the io9 and the original Radio Times story don't mention anything about it, but I also hope the title page will say as Allyn suggested.
 
Call me cynical but I suspect this will be like one of those Tom Clancy or James Patterson books where you'll find find the real author's name (probably James Goss) hidden away in small print somewhere.
 
StCoop said:
Call me cynical but I suspect this will be like one of those Tom Clancy or James Patterson books where you'll find find the real author's name (probably James Goss) hidden away in small print somewhere.
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IIRC, it was reported a few months ago that it was indeed James Goss writing it.
 
I suspect Goss is still involved somehow. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe Tom Baker has written any novels before, so he may have gotten an experienced novel writer to help him transcribe the story to prose form. Though the cover only lists Baker, it wouldn't shock me if the title page also listed Goss. Kind of like how William Shatner's first few Star Trek novels only listed him on the cover, but his co-writers the Reeves-Stevens were listed on the title page.
 
I don't think I ever saw the announcement that James Goss was going to write Scratchman, but I agree that it makes sense that he would be the main prose writer under the guidance of Tom Baker's mad genius ideas (a la Shatner).
 
The Nth Doctor said:
I don't think I ever saw the announcement that James Goss was going to write Scratchman, but I agree that it makes sense that he would be the main prose writer under the guidance of Tom Baker's mad genius ideas (a la Shatner).
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Penguin Books' sales department indicated that Baker and Goss were writing Scratchman on the sell sheets they sent retailers (ie., Amazon). I saw the sell sheet myself about six weeks ago. Maybe "announcement" is too strong a word, in that there wasn't a press release that announced Goss' involvement, but retailers were told that Goss was involved, so things like the Amazon listing included Goss.
 
Reminder that the book comes out in a couple of days. I completely forgot until Tom Baker posted about it on Facebook today.

Edit to add: Apparently that date refers to the United Kingdom only. It's out in the States on February 12. Bah!
 
The Wormhole said:
I suspect Goss is still involved somehow. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe Tom Baker has written any novels before, so he may have gotten an experienced novel writer to help him transcribe the story to prose form. Though the cover only lists Baker, it wouldn't shock me if the title page also listed Goss. Kind of like how William Shatner's first few Star Trek novels only listed him on the cover, but his co-writers the Reeves-Stevens were listed on the title page.
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The novella The Boy Who Kicked Cats. But yep, it's likely that JG did the typing, based on the Marter/Baker material, and new suggestions from Tom.
Edit: Pigs, not Cats, I think.
 
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Nick Joy of Sci-Fi Bulletin gives Scratchman an 8 out 10. Review here. There are a couple of spoilers (like where in the fourth Doctor's life this takes place), and Joy ends with: "I doubt Scratchman would have been a good film, but as a book it’s a wacky, fun throwback to 70s ideas and the golden age of Tom Baker’s tenure. For this reviewer, Tom, Lis and Ian were the definitive TARDIS team, and what a joy to revisit that dynamic once more."
 
It appears like the Audible audio version is available on Amazon (in the US at least). I didn't purchase it (yet) but it appears to be available now, and I did listen to the audio sample of Tom Baker reading it.
 
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