(Picture: Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork)

Whovians in London prepare to get excited! Next month, the Cartoon Museum in Holborn will be hosting Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork – a unique display of breathtaking original cover artwork from classic Who novels.

This is the first time that the artwork has been publicly exhibited, and will feature around 50 pieces including covers from the 70s and 80s and recent reissues.

Doctor Who fans can finally see the original paintings which became the cover artwork for this memorable range of books which proudly boast incredible likenesses of Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Jon Pertwee and more.


In the days before DVDs and VHS, the Target novelisations were sometimes the only way in which Doctor Who fans could enjoy some of the most iconic stories.

(Picture: Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork)

In fact, many fans of a certain age first experienced a great number of the Time Lord’s adventures for the first time through print, as opposed to television.



Of course, kids these days have got it easy.

But for older Whovians, these releases became cherished and the artwork was very much a part of the range’s success and longevity. Sherlock co-creator and Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss said:

‘To finally see some of these memorable covers in the flesh is a wonderful, unexpected treat.

It’s a testament to their terrific, punchy immediacy that they feel both nostalgic and brand new.

Show a copy of any one of these glorious novelisations to people of a certain age and they are transported back to a simpler, cosier age.”

(Picture: Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork)

Best-selling author and Who fan A.L. Kennedy added:

‘In those long ago and almost unimaginable days before streaming, or DVDs, or VHS and Betamax, the Target novels were a way of keeping the glow of the Who adventure around.

Always to be left cover-down after reading at night in case the monster escaped from the cover.’

(Picture: Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork)

Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork will include the memorable and colourful work from artists Chris Achilleos, Andrew Skilleter, and many more featuring the likes of the Daleks, Cybermen, and all sorts of Doctor Who nasties.

Artist Skilleter recently returned to the world of Doctor Who art with his fantastic books The Who’s Who of Doctor Who and Doctor Who: The Big Book of Lists, which demonstrate his recognisable style but with New Who actors such as David Tennant, Peter Capaldi and Billie Piper.

(Picture: Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork)

To coincide, BBC Books are reissuing some classic releases including the first seven television Doctors.

Doctor Who: The Target Books Artwork takes place at the Cartoon Museum from April 28 to May 11, 2016.

For more details visit the Cartoon Museum website.

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