Doctor Who: Shada [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Gary Russell (Adapter), Douglas Adams (Author), Paul McGann (Reader), John Leeson (Reader), Andrew Sachs (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

On 4 CD's. An unabridged reading of this brand new BBC Books novelisation of Douglas Adams's never-transmitted 1979 TV adventure, which starred Tom Baker as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana. Having been cancelled during production due to a BBC strike, Shada was never shown on television and has never been novelised until now. It is therefore well and truly a 'lost' Doctor Who story - now found!

--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gareth Roberts was born in Chesham, Buckinghamshire in 1968. His scripts for Doctor Who on television include 'The Shakespeare Code' (2007), 'The Unicorn And The Wasp' (2008), 'The Lodger' (2010) and 'Closing Time' (2011), and he has also written many scripts for the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as scripts for programmes as diverse as Emmerdale and Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased). He has written nine previous original Doctor Who novels, and lives in West London. Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge in 1952, and was educated at Brentwood School, Essex and St John's College, Cambridge, where he read English. As well as writing all the different and conflicting versions of The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy he has been responsible for Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, and, with John Lloyd, The Meaning of Liff and The Deeper Meaning of Liff. In 1978-9, he worked as Script Editor on Doctor Who. He wrote three scripts for the programme - 'The Pirate Planet', 'City of Death' (under the name David Agnew), and 'Shada'. Douglas Adams died in May 2001. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Big Finish Productions (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844350398
• ISBN-13: 978-1844350391
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary "lost" episode turns out to be awesome, February 2, 2009

By 

Nicole Carlson "ecurve" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doctor Who: Shada (Audio CD)

One of Douglas Adams' (yes, THAT Douglas Adams) few Doctor Who stories, "Shada" was supposed to be filmed in the late 70s, but labor disputes stopped filming before it was completed.

Now a six-part story for the Eighth Doctor and Romana II, "Shada" has been given loving treatment by Big Finish, and it's terrific. The supporting cast--which includes Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood in the "Harry Potter" movies)--is uniformly excellent, with dramatic chops as well as sparkling comic timing.

Fans of Douglas Adams' other works may enjoy spotting the plot elements that Adams recycled into "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The long-lost story now completed on audio., April 20, 2009

By 

Jero Briggs - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doctor Who: Shada (Audio CD)

This story was originally written by Douglas Adams and was planned to end season 17 with Tom Baker as the Doctor. But due to a BBC strike, this story was sadly never completed. Now Lalla Ward returns as Romana and John Leason returns as the voice of K9 to complete this story at long last with Paul McGann as the Doctor (who originally played the Doctor in the 1996 TV movie). It's still a shame that "Shada" wasn't completed for season 17, but this is the next best thing. This is a great story about a mad man named Skagra who wants to make the universe his own by stealing people's minds and implanting his own mind in their bodies. But to do this he needs the power of great Time Lord criminal Saliavin who is suppose to be imprisoned on the Time Lord prison planet Shada, and to get to Shada he needs an ancient book dating back to Rassilon himself. Now it's up to the Doctor, his old companions Romana and K9, and his old friend Professor Cronotis to stop him. The story is packed with action and filled with excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seet. It's nice that Douglas Adams' great story can finally be enjoyed - even if it's just on audio. Highly recommeded!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Re-model of a Classic Episode, October 8, 2009

By 

A. M. Wagner "monmoth" (AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doctor Who: Shada (Audio CD)

A tweak here and there, and poof! A fun, witty romp gets an update. The Doctor is still up to his old tricks. The supporting cast is excellent, especially the villain! This isn't Hitch-hiker silliness, but it is classic Douglas Adams, out on a limb and inviting us along!