Doctor Who: Ghost Light

By: Marc Platt

Narrated by: Ian Hogg

Perivale, 1983. A column of smoke rises from the blazing ruins of a forgotten, decaying mansion. Perivale, 1883. In the sleepy village of Greenford Parva, Gabriel Chase is by far the most imposing edifice. The villagers shun the grim house, but the owner, the reclusive and controversial naturalist Josiah Samuel Smith, receives occasional visitors. The Reverend Ernest Matthews, for instance, Dean of Mortarhouse College, has travelled from Oxford to refute Smith’s blasphemous theories of evolution. And in a deserted room upstairs, the Doctor and Ace venture from the TARDIS to explore the decaying mansion... Who - or what - is Josiah Smith? What terrible secret does his house conceal? And why does Ace find everything so frighteningly familiar? Ian Hogg, who played Josiah Smith in the original Doctor Who TV serial, reads Marc Platt’s complete and unabridged novelisation, first published by Target Books in 1990.

Great Doctor Who Story!

Would you listen to Doctor Who: Ghost Light again? Why?

This is a great Doctor Who story from the final season. Listening to the Audible.com version threw some light on facets of the story not revealed in the broadcast episode. The reader was pleasant to listen to and brought to life the characters of Ace and The Doctor.

Who was your favorite character and why?

In this story, Ace is my favorite character. She is the pivot of this story, which involves The Doctor's grand scheme as regards her.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Most of the time, thought the reader was a bit laconic at times, I though.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If you want to see the Light, Control holds the key.