City of Death - in Print and Merchandise

In Print and Merchandise

City of Death is one of the few Doctor Who serials from the series' original run (1963–1989) not to have been novelised by Target Books. Target approached Douglas Adams on a number of occasions with a view to commissioning a novelisation, offering their standard advance of £600; Adams replied saying, "I don't want to be embarrassing but I do have a tendency to be a best-selling author". Target, concerned that their regular authors would seek better terms, refused to change their offer. Several years later, Target editor Nigel Robinson offered an advance of £4,000 – double what was the standard advance at the time – but Adams again declined. Adams was unwilling to allow another author write the novelisation. An unofficial novelisation was written by David Lawrence and released on a not-for-profit basis by the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club in 1993.

Ian Scoones' storyboards for City of Death's special effects sequences were published in Peter Haining's book Doctor Who – 25 Glorious Years in 1988 and a Scaroth figure was released by Harlequin Miniatures in 1999.