Book Review: Doctor Who: The Giggle by James Goss

By georgelthomas on 26 Apr 2024 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone! How are you all? Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am completing my review of the novelisations of the three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials that aired from November to December 2023.

Doctor Who: The Giggle was first published in ebook format in December 2023 and in paperback in January 2024 by BBC Books and runs 224 pages.

The Plot
The novelisation of the third of the special episodes celebrating the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who again involves the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, this time, running up against the Doctor’s old nemesis, the Toymaker and dealing with the chaos ensuing from him interfering with television history – literally.

Characters
The Fourteenth Doctor
In The Giggle, the Doctor comes face to face with a very old enemy who was enticed back into the universe via the actions of the Doctor in Wild Blue Yonder, where he played a game at the edge of creation by tricking the doppelganger entities into staying behind a line of salt until they counted every last grain.

His questions surrounding his recent regeneration into a previous body are weighing on him heavier than ever in this story. The eventual answer to why he has returned to this face, place, and time leads to a few changes for the Doctor.

Donna Noble
Donna is trying to be as much of a support to her friend as possible. She can see that the Doctor is confused, tired and questioning everything. Although she wants him to talk to her about his feelings, he repeatedly tries to brush her off. However, ever the persistent best mate, Donna, finally starts to get through to him, with help from some other friends.

Also, in The Giggle, we see Donna still in protective mother mode. Since the first of the anniversary specials, The Star Beast, we have glimpsed Donna as a proud, protective and loving mother bear, and she will stop at nothing to protect her entire family – including the Doctor.

Kate Stewart
Kate is the headstrong, no-nonsense leader of UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce) and the daughter of the classic series character Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart.

Having been last seen in the television episode The Power of the Doctor, Kate makes a welcome return in The Giggle, where she is depicted as a pragmatic and resourceful leader who, although she often clashes with the more unorthodox methods of the Doctor, is very happy to see him and asks for his help.

Melanie Bush
Melanie Bush, also known as Mel, returns in this episode. She left the Doctor while he was in his seventh incarnation to travel with the intergalactic conman Sabalom Glitz, and her return adds another layer of intrigue to the story.

Shirley Anne Bingham
In this story, Shirley shows she is more than capable as a Scientific Advisor to UNIT. She proves to be a great help in fighting off the Toymaker.

The Toy Maker
The Toymaker is an old foe of the Doctor and is the lord of all gameplay. Once, a long time ago, he almost bested the Doctor when he was in his first incarnation. However, the Doctor won and escaped, saving his companions, Steven and Dodo.

In The Giggle, the Toymaker makes a chilling return, tormenting all of humanity and the Doctor. His presence adds a layer of nostalgia and tension to the story since he has only appeared in the series on screen once before in the entire 60-year history of the show.

The Fifteenth Doctor
Making his debut in the series (portrayed onscreen by the wonderfully talented Ncuti Gatwa), the Fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor arrives in a surprising twist. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to ruin the surprise for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to watch the special or read the novelisation. Suffice it to say that the Doctor is in for quite a surprise and more of a change than they are used to.

Writing Style
The writing style in Doctor Who: The Giggle felt a bit clunky, if I’m honest, and I’m not really sure why. It’s nothing to do with Goss‘ talent as a writer because I’ve read some of his previous Doctor Who novelisations, such as City of Death and The Pirate Planet, and enjoyed them very much.

It could be, I suppose, that, at times, I wasn’t sure who was narrating the story. There were clear instances when the Toymaker was the narrator, which is evident in how he addresses the reader directly and tells you that it’s his story now. With that in mind, I couldn’t help wondering who was narrating before he was introduced because I don’t think it’s him.

Anyway, the story is more or less the same story we got in the televised version, with a couple of added extras like internal character monologues and some external ones when the Toymaker is narrating. There’s also a nice added scene at the end – just a little thing that shows us what the Doctor and Donna have been doing since the Toymaker was dealt with.

One thing I definitely didn’t like was the way the story, very occasionally, turned into a choose-your-own-adventure book. I enjoyed those as a kid (I had a Super Mario Brothers Choose Your Own Adventure, and I loved it!), so perhaps I’m not the intended demographic. Maybe it would have even been okay if it had been choose your own adventure all the way through. It certainly dragged me out of the story whenever it showed up.

As for the Characters, Goss has done a great job translating them onto the page, which isn’t a surprise; as I mentioned above, I’ve read some of his novelisations before; he’s usually very good at them. Each extra thought or action not present in the screen version is characterised perfectly.

I am glad I read the book, if only so I can say I have read and reviewed all three 60th anniversary special novelisations and enjoyed reading it; I merely feel like I could have enjoyed it more.

Final Thoughts
Overall, the book wasn’t terrible; I liked the added bits of untelevised story, showing the Doctor living his life with his friends. However, I only recommend reading it if you have read the previous two books and feel compelled to complete all three 60th-anniversary special novelisations. Otherwise, I would encourage you to skip it.

I am giving Doctor Who: The Giggle a 4/10.

Have you watched The Giggle or read the novelisation? How do they compare? Let me know.

Thank you, as ever, for reading my review. I really appreciate it.

Until next time,

George