Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

By: Steven Moffatt

Narrated by: Nicholas Briggs

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nicholas Briggs reads the brand-new novelisation of the spectacular 50th anniversary TV episode. When the entire universe is at stake, three different Doctors will unite to save it. 

The Tenth Doctor is hunting shape-shifting Zygons in Elizabethan England. The Eleventh is investigating a rift in space-time in the present day. And one other - the man they used to be but never speak of - is fighting the Daleks in the darkest days of the Time War. Driven by demons and despair, this battle-scarred Doctor is set to take a devastating decision that will threaten the survival of the entire universe...a decision that not even a Time Lord can take alone. 

On this day, the Doctor’s different incarnations will come together to save the Earth...to save the universe...and to save his soul.

Novelisation copyright © Steven Moffat 2018
Original script copyright © Steven Moffat 2013

Cover illustration by Anthony Dry

BBC logo © BBC 1996
Doctor Who logo © BBC 2014

For BBC Worldwide:
Reading produced by Neil Gardner
Recorded at Ladbroke Audio Ltd
Sound design by David Darlington
Executive producer: Michael Stevens
TARDIS sound effect composed by Brian Hodgson

For BBC Books:
Editorial Director: Albert DePetrillo
Project Editor: Steve Cole
Cover design: Two Associates
Cover illustration: Anthony Dry 

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor first published by BBC Books in 2018

©2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd

Clever and entertaining

Nicholas Briggs is a brilliant voice actor. He absolutely nails the different voices! I could see each character just through those voices. This audio book adds some interesting tidbits to the tv special. I'll be listening again and again.

Fantastic —as the Ninth would say

Moffat has exercised his great abilities and stretched our imagination with this tome encompassing time and space.
Adventure, fascination, emotion, and mindfulness all wrapped up in a bow-tie (sorry couldn’t resist) of familiarity. It takes the tv special and enlarges it to fill ones dreams.
The narrative is most nicely done-he is particularly spot on with ten and twelve.
I recommend this highly —but beware it’s far more than mere distraction. This has a way of surrounding, entering, and reorienting one.
Enjoy!!!

Exceptional! Better than the episode!

This adds so many layers of awesomeness I don’t even know where to begin.
It adds insight into the characters, the events, fleshes out the story in ways that will make me enjoy the episode more the next time I see it, while simultaneously making me sad the episode wasn’t twice as long and had all these other bits and pieces in it.
Highly recommended for any fan of Doctor Who and especially fans of Steven Moffat’s writing. He’s not infallible, he’s written things that didn’t quite work, but when he’s good, there’s nobody better.
Briggs does an awesome job. He does a very good John Hurt and a passable David Tennant, and his narration is on point throughout.
This audiobook is very special and I’m so glad I got to experience it.

even better than the TV episode.

although this is a novelization of the 50th anniversary of the doctor, it is even better than the show itself.

Really fun adventure

I will preface this by saying that if you've seen "The Day of the Doctor" in series 7, then you basically already know how this will go. Even if you have seen it, however, there is a lot more depth of character and plot in this book than in the 1 hr show.

The narrator did a fabulous job, nailing all the different doctor's voices, even to the point of sounding like he was communicating from somewhere in time & space.

The story was really good too, I felt just like I was enraptured in a Dr Who episode that lasted 7 hrs instead of 1 hr; it was very enjoyable, even though I already knew how it would end.

If you're a Dr Who fan and you like it when the Doctor foils the plans of some alien race in a clever and unexpected manner, then you'll like this book.

The book is very creative in the way that the story is told as well; even to the point of introducing amnesia content, and it makes you wonder if that really was just a blank space on the recording, or if the silence was somehow involved.

I will say that one drawback to the book, in my opinion, however was how it basically is all themed around writing a book. I would have preferred more of an engaging style, so that's why I docked 1 star from the story rating. Still a good book, however, and a very creative manner of telling it.

Day of the Doctor Soars!

I didn’t think it was possible to improve on Day of the Doctor, but Steven Moffatt does it. The extra scenes, the extra details, the connective tissue that could only have been added in retrospect, it’s all marvelous.

FANTASTIC

I've just finished my second go with this book, and I think I'm about to listen to it again!!!!! LOL

Moffat Strikes Again!

Well, first of all, we all know that the actual Day of the Doctor was an easy 12/10, so instead let’s compare this book to the tv episode itself. The Doctor papers are the best parts, with Osgood’s amazing potential being spoiled be Moffat trying to ship her with every other character (including herself) before he just gave up once he realizes he was really bad at character work. Typical. And the Night of the Doctor was alright, with the Doctor being a bit to cheerful for such a pessimistic setting. He wrote the 8th Doctor like the 9th. Better on TV by far. But again, forgivable. Besides these rare moments, this book will throw brilliant idea after hilarious 4th wall break at you. It’s like leftover chocolate cake. I planned on spreading it out over a week. Burned through it in a day. The dungeon scene and Gallifrey Stands are easily the highlights of the book, and Clara and the War Doctor deserve a spin-off. And don’t get me started on the gripping and hilarious chaos of chapter 9… not that I can remember it (spoilers!). Even the 12th and 13th Doctor cameos feel earned (for once *cough* 13 *cough*). I love this episode, I love Moffat (usually), and I recommend this to anyone who loves a little timey-wimey. 9/10 would be 10 if you skip over Osgood’s parts (she deserved sooo much better than this).

more Doctor Who Audio Books shoul be done this way

Over all, the narrator did good to sound like the Doctor who was talking however, at some points, I couldn't make out which Doctor was talking when it came to pin stripe or bow tie.
thought the audio was better then what the show did, Understanding that they couldn't put everything in as it was written for the audio book. psychic paper put a nice Twist on it. made it more enjoyable and hilarious.

Buy it. Buy it now. You will obey. Obey! Obey!

I'll definitely be listening to this one more than once. Absolutely brilliant and well worth the money.

Now could someone else have a go at writing this....

Oh dear. Confused, badly written, poorly considered, should have been SO much better for such a pivotal Doctor Who story that didn’t need the silliness or self indulgent writing of an author trying too hard to be the poor man’s Douglas Adams. A wasted opportunity and a waste of money.... Any chance of someone else having a go?

Loved the narration

Love the silly we bits between chapters great way to make a long drive seem shorter

Disappointing

I have been looking forward to listening to this but found it disappointing and difficult to follow had i not seen the episode it would have been almost impossible

Good expansion on the TV show

I really like that this book approached this story in a fun literary way and played around with the possiblities of a written narrative that weren't available to the TV show. This means that rather than being a poor copy of the show it is its own take on the story.
It uses the space of the novel to expand areas that suffered from the time constraints in the show format as well as playing around with the various reader/author interactions that work in the written word but not in acted drama. Great fun with both narration and multi points of view with a big dash of tongue in cheek timey wimey!
Moffat is a great writer who captures the actors' interpretations of the doctors in the book remarkably well and keeps the visuals as strong as in the show. There's also a really good balance of humour, silliness and seriousness which is Dr who at its best.
Briggs is a good reader though he struggles with Tennant and Smith at times (the first coming across as a gruff cockney and the latter a camp hipster which you could argue is accurate but isx two dimensional compared to the actors' nuanced performances). Briggs had Hurst spot on though and it is the war doctor's story so that's most important.
Above all it captures the elation and celebration of the anniversary story.

Just wish I could remember chapter 9 ;-)

Brilliant read as it fills in the gaps left in the TV episode. definitely recommend :-)

lovers it

love the reading, great take on the episode. a certain recommendation. a must for any doctor who fan

Briggs just fantastic at voices but excels

One of my favourite TV episodes but all the extra story & reading the story from the perspective of all 3 doctors with all their inner thoughts was special.
Nicholas Briggs John Hurts impression does real justice. Defo recommend & has got me hooked to these series expansions/extras

Day of the doctor

Another fine performance. Well read, nicolas. I'm really enjoying dr who on audio. Brilliant.

Fantastic addition to Doctor Who

I loved this retelling of TDotD. The little additions were a nice touch, the points of view from different characters were great, and it was just a really exciting, enjoyable story which expands well on that fantastic, special episode of Doctor Who. 10/10 would listen again.

A brilliant retelling of a classic story.

Most of the original Target Novelisations will just plainly retell, slavishly, the onscreen story; The Day of the Doctor is not one of these novelisations.

This telling adds so much to the story that it could be a whole new story based on an idea of what happened on the screen. There are added scenes, altered scenes and omissions where needed to make the book flow and really pop off of the page (or listening device).

Nicholas Briggs narration is top notch and really showcases that he is more than just a modulated voice of Daley’s and Cybermen. His accents add to the story. They aren’t pin point copies, but they do give you enough of a hint. If there is any complaint in this area, it is the accent of Clara can’t decide between Lancashire and Liverpool at varying points during the story.

Stephen Moffat has done a fantastic job of reimagining this story, not making it just another retelling, but making it it’s own thing. The added scenes really work and the pre chapter “dialogue” really adds to the listening.

Definitely give this a go if you enjoy Doctor Who stories, or even clever Sci Fi.