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We take a look (or rather 'a listen'!) into the early beginnings of the nation's favourite time travelling TV show - as a triple talking book release hits the shelves.

Doctor Who: Travels in Time and Space CD Tin Set – Read by William Russell.

With the second new series of BBC TVs Doctor Who on the horizon for 2006 – and a Christmas special on the television between now and then, now’s a perfect time to cast your ears back to the very beginnings of this legendary show.

This illustrated, limited edition tin contains the complete and unabridged readings of three classic Doctor Who novelisations, each read by William Russell and enhanced with original music and special effects.

Doctor Who and the Daleks is an adaptation of the Doctor's first exciting adventure with the ruthless cyborg natives of the planet Skaro - and the book in which Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright join the Doctor and Susan aboard the TARDIS. The story is unique in Doctor Who mythology as – aside from introducing the Daleks in Terry Nations’ first script for the show – this version of the tale features a new ‘origin’ for the TARDIS crew, written by the TV series’ then story editor David Whittaker. The story also features a glimpse of a Dalek type unseen on the television show until many years later – a ‘Glass Dalek’ – something abandoned as too costly for 1960s TV, but reinstated here.

The Holy Land

In Doctor Who and the Crusaders, the setting for the time travellers’ adventure is the Holy Land in the 12th Century - where the TARDIS crew encounters the court of Richard ‘the Lionheart’ King of England and his sister Joanna – amid a brutal war against the Saracens. Classy escape and capture scenarios ensue with the Doctor and his young companion Vicki becoming embroiled in court intrigues in the Crusader Kingdom of Jaffa – while Barbara is sold into a harem and Ian (now ‘Sir Ian’) sets out on a perilous journey into enemy country to rescue her.

Doctor Who and the Zarbi - the third story in the collection - finds the TARDIS drawn to the eerie planet of Vortis, on which the Doctor and his companions encounter a host of alien creatures including the Menoptera, Optera and the Zarbi. As ever, the TARDIS has arrived at a moment of great conflict and the crew swiftly become embroiled in the desperate plans of the butterfly-like Menoptera. The formerly cattle-like (and peaceful) Zarbi have become malevolent since the Doctor’s last visit – and the planet is overrun by them as they subdue all other life-forms in the service of a mysterious attracting force known only as ‘The Animus’. Can the time travellers stay alive long enough to help the Menoptera fight the genocide of the Zarbi and help the planet throw off the shackles of its ant overlords? Listen to find out!

These readings are of course based on the hugely successful BBC TV programme Doctor Who – which has run since 1963 (with a few large breaks in transmission along the way – principally between 1989 and this year!) Looking towards the future, on TV actor David Tennant has stepped into the role of the tenth Time Lord – replacing Christopher Eccleston, who revived the role for 2005. Billie Piper is also returning as the Doctor's feisty companion, Rose Tyler, and together they will travel through time and space battling new and returning aliens and monsters for at least another two seasons.

Back On TV

Russell T. Davies, writer and Executive Producer on the new ‘Who, adds: "We were delighted and honoured by the first series' success, and we can promise new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak, and some terrifying new aliens. The Doctor and Rose are destined to meet Queen Victoria, an evil race of Cat Women, and the dreaded Cybermen. 2006 is going to be scarier than ever!" Anthony Head (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Little Britain) and Adam Garcia (Coyote Ugly, Little Britain, Saturday Night Fever The Musical) are now confirmed to star in series two. It is also rumoured that a certain former companion of two previous incarnations of the Doctor may be returning, perhaps accompanied by her handy metal dog K-9. Time will tell (aboard the TARDIS, it usually does) if this new series will itself one day spawn ‘talking books’ based on the television series adventures…

Actor William Russell (Above Us the Waves, The Great Escape, starring roles in TVs The Adventures of Sir Lancelot and Granada’s Coronation Street), played Ian Chesterton in the original BBC television series of Doctor Who. This makes him a superb choice of reader for these classic, fondly-remembered books, which were originally published as the first three Target paperback books in the 1970s. In addition to the readings, he also shares his memories of making the stories for the BBC television series upon which these novelisations are based.

With a running time of around 16 hours this will make fine entertainment for fans of all ages – and a great addition to the BBC books range. All we need now is for the powers that be to convince former television Doctor Tom Baker (Little Britain, Doctor Who, Monarch of the Glen, the remake of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), The Magic Roundabout, endless vioceovers for adverts...) to record a word-for-word version of his stunning 1997 autobiography Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? and fans of Who-related audio ephemera will be in talking book heaven. Considering that ‘new and used’ copies of the abridged readings of this book on cassette – now out of print – are trading for £50 on Amazon, this would make a truly great release. Might be time for BBC Audio to get their cheque book out and have a word with those nice folk at Harper Collins? We think so.

MP3 CD

The William Russell readings of the novelisation of Doctor Who and the Daleks has already been issued by BBC Audiobooks as a single disc MP3 CD – complete with reproduction artwork from the first versions of the book. This is the first time this release has made it onto regular CD - and is only time these readings will be available on CD. So if you’ve bought the MP3 CD already and want the other two you’re a bit stuck as you’ll just have to buy it again! But that aside, this looks to be a great release – and there are a number of sites offering discounts of up to 40% on the initial batch – one to shop around for, whether you’re after this for yourself or for a present.

Also available are numerous other Doctor Who related audios - follwo the BBC Shop link (below) for more details. Among them is Project Who - a double CD documentary detailing the recent revival of the show as a BBC One prime time smash hit!

The Doctor Who: Travels in Time and Space CD Tin Set (RRP £65.00) is out now. The title is available from all good bookshops, online at www.bbcshop.com and by direct mail on: 0800 136 919 – and is released by BBC Audiobooks.