What Doctor Who does

Doctor Who is a licensed book series of 100 titles published by Penguin Books Ltd under license from the BBC, comprising original novels, novelizations, and behind-the-scenes companion books spanning the First through Eleventh incarnations of the Doctor and their companions. The series features authors including Russell T Davies, Paul Cornell, Alastair Reynolds, Justin Richards, Jacqueline Rayner, Dan Abnett, and others, with narratives set across historical periods (1950s London, Roman times, WWII) and speculative futures. It is positioned as a brand extension of the long-running BBC television franchise, which originally launched in 1963 and was revived in 2005.

The publication is not an independent corporate entity; it is a content product line operated within Penguin Books Ltd (a subsidiary of Penguin Random House) and licensed from the BBC, which owns the underlying Doctor Who intellectual property. Distribution runs through Penguin's direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at penguin.co.uk, supplemented by newsletter-driven customer acquisition (offering a 10% discount at the Penguin Shop). The catalog is browsable via a dedicated series landing page with individual product pages, cover imagery, author attribution, and 'Buy the book' call-to-action functionality.

The commercial model is standard trade publishing: unit sales of print and digital editions through Penguin's retail channels, with no subscription, licensing royalty, or enterprise pricing disclosed. The customer base is a long-tail of science fiction readers and Doctor Who television fans seeking expanded universe content beyond broadcast episodes. No revenue, headcount attributable to the series, management team, partnerships, or earnings figures are disclosed in the available data.

Name

Doctor Who

Legal name

Doctor Who

Website

https://doctorwhoencyclopedia.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Doctor Who is a 100-title licensed book series published by Penguin Books under license from the BBC, featuring original novels and novelizations spanning the First through Eleventh Doctors and their companions, sold to science fiction readers via Penguin's online storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fiction Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Science fiction novels
• Franchise book publishing
• Time travel fiction
• Doctor Who books
• Media tie-in novels

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Doctor Who is a published book series of 100 titles available through Penguin's online bookstore, comprising novelizations and original science fiction novels tied to the BBC's Doctor Who television franchise. Each title is sold as a standalone consumer book, featuring different Doctor incarnations (Third through Eleventh) and their companions across historical and science fiction settings. The series is sold directly to consumers via penguin.co.uk with individual product pages and 'Buy the book' purchase links.

Product overview

Doctor Who is a book series published by Penguin featuring 100 titles. The series comprises novelizations and original stories spanning the various incarnations of the Doctor and their companions throughout time and space. Each book in the series represents an individual product, with authors including David Bishop, Justin Richards, Paul Cornell, Jacqueline Rayner, Alastair Reynolds, Russell T Davies, and others. The books cover adventures from the First through Eleventh Doctors, with storylines ranging from historical settings like 1950s London and WWII to far-future cosmic threats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Doctor Who: Amorality Tale A novel set in 1950s London featuring the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and companion Sarah Jane Smith, in which a nerve gas threat emerges after gangster Tommy Ramsey is released from prison. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers and science fiction fans.
• Doctor Who: The Shadow In The Glass An adventure featuring the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, in which they travel back in time to uncover the deadliest secret of the Second World War. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers and science fiction fans.
• Doctor Who: Corpse Marker A novel by Chris Boucher in the Doctor Who book series, sold via Penguin's online bookstore. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: The Stone Rose A novel featuring the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Rose Tyler travelling back to Roman times to solve the mystery of a 2,000-year-old statue. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Harvest of Time A novel by Alastair Reynolds in which the Doctor faces a Sild invasion and must save his arch-nemesis The Master to save the universe. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers and science fiction fans.
• Doctor Who: The Scream of the Shalka A novel originally published in 2004 featuring the Ninth Doctor investigating an alien force in the town of Kennet, with global scope spanning New Zealand, India, Siberia, the USA, and beyond. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Shadows Of Avalon A novel originally published in 2000 featuring the Brigadier, the Doctor, Compassion and Fitz thrown into the other-dimensional world of Avalon where magic faces down science. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter An expanded edition covering Russell T Davies' final year as Head Writer and Executive Producer of Doctor Who, including coverage of David Tennant's last episodes and the Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures spin-offs. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers seeking behind-the-scenes insights.
• Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos A novel featuring the Tenth Doctor and companion Donna, with Wilfred Mott discovering a new star. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Earthworld A novel featuring the Eighth Doctor and companions Fitz and Anji encountering dinosaurs. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Fear of the Dark A novel featuring the Fifth Doctor and companions Tegan and Nyssa, set on a moon of the ruined planet Akoshemon. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Festival of Death A novel featuring the Fourth Doctor and companions Romana and K-9, set at a theme-park ride of the afterlife. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Only Human A novel featuring the Ninth Doctor and companion Rose, discovering a Neanderthal Man 28,000 years after extinction. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Players A novel featuring the Sixth Doctor and companion Peri, involving Winston Churchill and mysterious Players who regard history as a game. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By A novel featuring the Eleventh Doctor and companions Amy and Rory, set among the Morphan colony. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.
• Doctor Who: Dreams of Empire A novel featuring the Second Doctor and companions Jamie and Victoria, set in the dying Haddron Empire. Targeted at Doctor Who franchise readers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• DC Novelizations: DC Comics novelizations and original prose published under Warner/HBO license. Directly comparable as a superhero/fantasy franchise prose tie-in line.
• Doctor Who Big Finish Audio: Big Finish produces licensed Doctor Who audio dramas and original stories. Comparable as a Doctor Who licensee producing original fiction/audio content for the same fan base, often featuring the same authors and companion characters.
• Star Trek Novels (Pocket Books): Pocket Books publishes Star Trek tie-in novels and original fiction. Comparable as a long-running sci-fi franchise book series with multi-incarnation character rosters and licensed tie-in publishing model.
• Star Wars Books (Del Rey): Del Rey publishes Star Wars tie-in novels and original fiction under Disney/Lucasfilm license. Directly comparable as a major media franchise tie-in book line published by a Penguin Random House imprint, with similar marketing through Penguin's storefront.
• Marvel Novels: Marvel novels and prose fiction are published under license via Penguin Random House imprints. Comparable as franchise tie-in fiction production with licensed IP and tie-in to multimedia entertainment.

Broad incumbents

• Del Rey Books: Del Rey is a major sci-fi/fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. Comparable as a sci-fi franchise publisher within the same corporate parent, sharing distribution and marketing infrastructure.
• Tor Books: Tor is a major science fiction and fantasy book publisher. Comparable as a sci-fi publisher producing both original and franchise-adjacent fiction, though Tor focuses on original IP rather than licensed tie-ins.
• Orbit Books: Orbit is a leading sci-fi and fantasy imprint of Hachette. Comparable as a major sci-fi/fantasy trade publisher with overlapping genre readership and franchise-adjacent titles.
• BBC Books: BBC Books is the BBC's own publishing imprint, also distributed under Penguin. Comparable as the BBC's directly-controlled tie-in publishing operation, with direct access to BBC IP and complementary franchise titles.

Emerging players

• Titan Books: Titan publishes licensed media tie-in novels across sci-fi, fantasy, and TV franchises. Comparable as a specialty publisher of franchise tie-in novels and genre fiction, often directly competing for similar licensed titles.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doctor-who

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Doctor Who