History Literature / DoctorWhoNewAdventures

The Seventh Doctor initially travels only with Ace, his companion at the time of the show's cancellation. They were soon joined by BerniceSummerfield, AdventurerArchaeologist, a more stable and experienced character compared to Ace who allowed for greater CharacterDevelopment. Other new companions included Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej, SaltAndPepper police detectives from the 30th century. Bernice (or Benny for short) became a BreakoutCharacter and eventually got more spinoffs than can be sensibly listed, the most well-known of which is her own ongoing BigFinish audio series.

After the BBC ended production of ''Series/DoctorWho'' in 1989, the editor in charge of the Literature/DoctorWhoNovelisations, Peter Darvill-Evans, floated the idea of a line of original novels based on the series.

Running from 1991 to 1997, this series of 61 novels focused on the continuing adventures of the [[TheChessmaster manipulative Seventh Doctor]] and his companions (initially with Ace, the Doctor's companion at the time of the show's cancellation). The series, which was released by Virgin Books, was given the umbrella title of "The New Adventures". It expanded upon the Seventh Doctor's penchant for [[ManipulativeBastard playing people-chess]] with both enemies ''and'' friends, and gave it [[{{Deconstruction}} realistic consequences]].

The ability to tell a story in 300 pages with an effectively unlimited special effects budget allowed the writers to provide deeper, more thought out stories along with more than a few {{story arc}}s, both universal and character-based. The novels were deliberately aimed at adult readers, rather than the family-friendly aim of the TV series, and did not shy away from depicting sex and violence.

During the course of the series, the Doctor had several companions: first Ace, his companion at the time the TV series was cancelled; then Bernice "Benny" Summerfield, AdventurerArchaeologist; and finally Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej, SaltAndPepper police detectives from the 30th century.

From 1994 onwards, the New Adventures were accompanied by a sister range of novels entitled "[[Literature/DoctorWhoMissingAdventures The Missing Adventures]]", which adopted similar principles to the New Adventures (i.e. longer, usually DarkerAndEdgier novels aimed at more adult audiences), but instead applied them to Doctors One to Six, with each monthly novel starring a different Doctor and companion(s). The first of these, ''Goth Opera'', was a direct sequel / prequel (let's just say [[TimeyWimeyBall 'timey-wimey']] and leave it at that, yeah?) to ''Blood Harvest'', a New Adventure published the same month, and one of the later ones actually featured the Seventh Doctor and his companions appearing (both of these novels, curiously enough, starred the Fifth Doctor), but they were for the most part stand-alone, although certain characters and concepts naturally mixed together.

Followed by, funnily enough, the Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures, which took the principles started here (of taking a slightly deeper look at everyone's favourite time traveler), and just went ''ballistic'' applying them to the relative blank-slate that was the Eighth Doctor.

* ExcitedEpisodeTitle: ''Sky Pirates!''

Several BigFinishDoctorWho episodes, marked "Side Step", take place in the ''DoctorWhoNewAdventures'' canon rather than the BigFinish canon.

When the TV series was revived, it took plenty of cues from the VirginNewAdventures, although it doesn't consider the novels canon. One story in particular, ''Human Nature'', was [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E8HumanNature adapted for television]] by writer PaulCornell.

* NoHuggingNoKissing: The Doctor's celibacy becomes a major plot point in ''Human Nature'', when he's NotHimself and becomes attracted to a woman. It's interesting to see how the novel presented this idea PlayedForDrama, whereas a certain BigFinish [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho039BangBangABoom episode]]... [[{{Panto}} didn't]].

When the TV series was revived, it took plenty of cues from the VirginNewAdventures, although it doesn't consider the novels canon. One story in particular, ''HumanNature'', was [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E8HumanNature adapted for television]] by writer PaulCornell.

* NoHuggingNoKissing: The Doctor's celibacy becomes a major plot point in ''Human Nature'', when he's NotHimself and becomes attracted to a woman. It's interesting to see how the novel presented this idea PlayedForDrama, whereas a certain BigFinish [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho039BangBangABoom episode]]... [{{Panto}} didn't]].

** PaulCornell imagined Benny Summerfield as being played by EmmaThompson. (This gets a shout-out in ''The Dying Days'' (not by Cornell, but by Lance Parkin, see below), where she's at a cocktail party in 1990s England and has a confusing conversation with a woman who has [[CelebrityParadox mistaken her for somebody else]].)

* PromotedFanboy: The editors of the series made a point of being accessible to first-time authors--going so far as to recruit them from fanzines and the like--which led to quite a few of the novels being written by fans. Some names you might recognise: PaulCornell, Creator/MarkGatiss, RussellTDavies...

* PromotedFanboy: The editors of the series made a point of being accessible to first-time authors--going so far as to recruit them from fanzines and the like--which led to quite a few of the novels being written by fans. Some names you might recognise: PaulCornell, MarkGatiss, RussellTDavies...

* DangerRoomColdOpen: Played with in ''First Frontier'', where the first chapter has a scene with the Doctor and Ace that ends with them both dying, then turns out to be a training simulation ''for the bad guys'': the villain has crossed paths with them before, knows the odds are in favour of the Doctor showing up at the worst possible moment, and wants his mooks to be ready.

* BizarreAlienReproduction: According to ''Lungbarrow'', Time Lords are all sterile and are "born" from a "Loom", a machine in their giant sentient semi-organic family Houses. Each Loom weaves Family members according to a common template, ensuring that they're related; every Family member is a genetically a cousin to each other.

* EvilEye: In "Time's Crucible", the Sibyl steals an eye from a decapitated Sphinx and substitutes it for one of her own, to boost her waning prophetic powers.

* RuleNumberOne: A character-defining moment in ''Set Piece''.

** Several of the novels offer hints that the TARDIS itself is alive.

* LittleOldLadyInvestigates: Parodied in ''Ship of Fools'' with the character of Agatha Magpole.

During the course of the series, the Doctor had several companions: first Ace, his companion at the time the TV series was cancelled; then Bernice "Benny" Summerfield, AdventurerArchaelogist; and finally Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej, SaltAndPepper police detectives from the 30th century.

The ability to tell a story in 300 pages instead of 20 minute episodes allowed the writers to provide deeper, more thought out stories along with more than a few {{story arc}}s, both universal and character-based.

* [[EvilCannotComprehendGood The Doctor Cannot Comprehend Humans]]: Now that we get a look into his inner monologue, the Seventh Doctor is just far more ''alien'' here. His inability to relate to his companions on an emotional level is an ongoing StoryArc.

Running from 1991 to 1997, this series of 61 novels focused on the continuing adventures of the [[TheChessmaster manipulative Seventh Doctor]] and his companions. The series, which was released by Virgin Books, was given the umbrella title of "The New Adventures". It expanded upon the Seventh Doctor's penchant for [[ManipulativeBastard playing people-chess]] with both enemies ''and'' friends, and gave it [[{{Deconstruction}} realistic consequences]].

The ability to tell a story in 300 pages instead of 20 minute episodes allowed the writers to provide deeper, more thought out stories along with more than a few {{story arc}}s, both universal and character-based. The writers also opted for a DarkerAndEdgier tone, with... varied success. At first, many readers didn't know how to take the sudden increase of sex, violence and foul language in what many pictured (and post-2005, picture) as a family show, and the writers may have gone a wee bit overboard in adding "maturity". But after some small teething problems, the novels quickly found their feet.

The quality varied, as one would expect considering the wide array of authors that worked on it. One of whom was PaulCornell, who adapted ''Human Nature'' into the Tenth Doctor story "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E8HumanNature Human Nature]]"/"[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E9TheFamilyOfBlood The Family of Blood]]".

The Doctor's companions over the course of the series were:

* '''Ace''', originally as we saw on TV: a rebellious teenager from 1980s England. She left, TookALevelInBadass (though she had started off as a BadassNormal) and turned into a NinetiesAntiHero space mercenary, who had spent a number of years in the 25th century (or 26th century) after some years as a professional Dalek killer. Not all the fans approved, but perhaps that goes without saying. Written out for good in ''Set Piece''.
* '''BerniceSummerfield''', AdventurerArchaeologist from the future created by PaulCornell. She came from the same era in which Ace decided temporarily to leave. An EnsembleDarkHorse, she was a fan favorite, so the New Adventures series was retooled as ''her'' new adventures after Creator/TheBBC took back the rights to produce books based on ''Series/DoctorWho''. She left in ''Happy Endings'', but made semi-regular guest appearances subsequently.
* '''Roz Forrester''' and '''Chris Cwej''', SaltAndPepper police detectives from the 30th century, who joined the Doctor after he helped them uncover a conspiracy so large that leaving the galaxy until the heat died down suddenly seemed like a good idea. Neither especially reviled nor loved by fandom. Roz [[spoiler:went home and then died]] and Cwej left before the Doctor regenerated.

* FutureMusic: In ''The Highest Science'', trends in 22nd century music (and associated subculture) are explicitly organised by the record companies, and one character is considered weird for continuing to listen to a genre that's been declared Last Season. "Headster" music is the equivilent of pseudo-deep, drug-based psychedelia, whereas the current trend is "Freakster", which seems more like bubblegum pop.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters

* BouqetToss: ''Sleepy'' ends with a wedding at which the bouquet is caught, to her obvious surprise and alarm, by Bernice. In the novel immediately following, she falls in love and decides to leave the TARDIS and get married.

* ArtifactCollectionAgency: The Library of St John the Beheaded, which collects books containing information for which TheWorldIsNotReady.

* BizarreAlienBiology