Publication Information
Author: Eric Saward
Cover artist: photograph / Alister Pearson (1992) / David McAllister (1982, unused)
Publishing date: 19th August 1982 Episode Information
TV serial: The Visitation
Writer: Eric Saward
Transmission dates: 15th - 23rd February 1982 (4 episodes) Fact and Findings
Eric Saward was script editor on the show during Peter Davison's first season. The Visitation was the script that got him noticed. It was his first novelisation and the first novelisation into the shops based on a Fifth Doctor adventure
First edition cover price - £1.25
The eleven chapters do not have individual titles.
The novel is dedicated For Paula, with fondest love.
The hardback edition was released at the same time.
The first book to be classified as a TV Tie-in on the back cover, rather than Children's as used on all the prior 1982 releases. This was the classification from then on.
Later editions were numbered 69 in the Doctor Who library.
Was included in The Second Doctor Who Gift Set, also released in autumn 1982. The four novels were The Leisure Hive, Full Circle, The Keeper of Traken and The Visitation.
The first edition was published by W. H. Allen, ISBN 0 426 20135 3. A second run followed later in 1982, cover price remained at £1.25. The rejacketed February 1992 reprint, published by Virgin, retitled the novel as Doctor Who - The Visitation. The ISBN was retained but the cost had risen to £2.99.
Christine Donougher was Target editor for this release and Saward's manuscript was proofread by Martin Noble on the 4th of May 1982. (Noble was an author in his own right who would later do some non-Who novelisations for Target and Star, including one based on the Glen A. Larson show Cover-Up). Cover Data
The first novelisation to use a photographic cover, a trend that remained in place for most of the novels from Davison’s first two seasons. The decision to use photographs was made after a request by Davison and producer John Nathan-Turner. Art director Mike Brett went along with it until a compromise was attempted using artwork and a photo of Doctor Five. This was shortlived and the artwork covers returned although Davison's likeness was not used, with the exception of Doctor Who - The Five Doctors, until the 1990s reprints.
An artwork cover was commisioned and produced by David McAllister but went unused. A larger version of McAllister's artwork appears in David J. Howe's book Timeframe (Virgin Publishing Ltd, 1993).
Alister Pearson's cover artwork for the February 1992 reprint was released as a postcard, free with 'Doctor Who Magazine' (number 206), November 1993. Reviews
"At 115 pages the book is a straightforward and faithful account of the teleplay although tinged with some inventive moments, such as the landing of the Terileptil escape craft witnessed from the point of view of a local fox."
- ‘Doctor Who Monthly’ (number 68), September 1982
"It never ceases to amze me how The Visitation managed to come second in the DWAS Season Poll. Working bit by bit the story is free from errors, but the subject matter leaves, in my opinion, a lot to be desired. The reason I mention this in a review of the book is that the screenplay and the book were both, after all, written by Eric Saward, and because the lackings of the screenplay obviously contributed to the lackings of the novelisation...
There is absolutely nothing I can say about the narrative style of the book which is totally straightforward, the only really descriptive parts being on the first page describing the summer evening. The ending seems rushed, which is a shame since there are lots and lots of blank pages throughout the book...
One part of the book which does improve on the televised version is the characterisation of Nyssa (it could hardly be worse than on TV), especially in the scenes in the TARDIS with the Sonic Booster and the Android. The only additional continuity present is the welcome reference to Tegan's Aunt Vanessa in the first chapter...
I suppose the Tereleptil is rather more effective than on TV since we don't have to suffer the appalling costumes which put science fiction monsters back 15 years... I did like the description of the leader's scales moving when he was angered by the Doctor, though.
Sorry, Eric, better luck next time."
- David Owen, 'Shada' (number 11), August/September 1982UK Editions
| YEAR | DATE | PUBLISHER | COVER ARTIST | LOGO | SPINE COLOUR | SPINE NUMBER | TARGET LOGO | ISBN | PRICE | NOTES | OWNED |
|---|
| 1982 | 19th August | W. H. Allen | photo | orange neon | light blue | - | colour | 0 426 20135 3 | £1.25 | first edition | Y |
| 1982 | - | W. H. Allen | photo | orange neon | light blue | - | colour | 0 426 20135 3 | £1.25 | "reprinted" | Y |
| 1984 | - | W. H. Allen | photo | orange neon | light blue | - | colour | 0 426 20135 3 | £1.35 | - | Y |
| 1987 | - | W. H. Allen | photo | orange neon | light blue | 69 | outline | 0 426 20135 3 | £1.95 | re-jacketed using 1984 contents | Y |
| 1992 | 20th February | Virgin | Pearson | McCoy banner | dark blue | 69 | outline | 0 426 20135 3 | £2.99 | retitled Doctor Who - The Visitation | Y |
Miscellaneous
Author
ERIC SAWARD
After contributing his first script, The Visitation, Saward was invited to take over from Antony Root as script editor on season 19 of Doctor Who, a position he then held until his acrimonious departure during season 23. He officially contributed three scripts to the TV show (The Visitation, Resurrection of the Daleks, Revelation of the Daleks) only one of which was adapted as a novel. He claims to be the writer, along with Ian Levine, on Attack of the Cybermen, but this is disputed by producer John Nathan-Turner. He did a major rewrite on Anthony Steven's The Twin Dilemma and he wrote the Radio 4 serial Slipback which was broadcast during the 1985 hiatus in the TV show.
Doctor Who and the Visitation
Doctor Who - The Twin Dilemma
Doctor Who - Slipback
Doctor Who - Attack of the Cybermen
His association with the show continued post his departure when he wrote the linking narration for some of the BBC Radio audio tape releases of missing stories in the early 1990s.
He has returned to Doctor Who more recently, contributing to the DVD releases of his stories and writing a story for the Big Finish short story anthology Short Trips: Past Tense (CHAOS).
Gift Set
Formed part of The Second Dr Who Gift Set released in 1982. These sets comprised four recently released (or re-released) novelisations in a cardboard slip case. The four novels that made up the second set were The Leisure Hive, Full Circle, Warriors' Gate and The Visitation. The box set cover utilised the Bill Donohoe artwork from The Programme Guide. The gift set had ISBN 0 426 19289 3 and it sold for £5.25. In all there were nine gift sets released in between 1982 and 1986. The first and second were flimsy cardboard slip cases but the remainder were quite sturdy.