‘DOCTOR WHO IN WONDERLAND’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
In Wonderland with the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough
Not only have I read this ‘Doctor Who’ book, but I read it twice along with the audiobook! 🙂
‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’ is unique and unusual. It took me a while to check out this ‘Doctor Who’ story since it came out as a book in July 2024, but it was worth checking out, and this is especially so with the audiobook, which was released in September 2025.
To put this story into context, ‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’ was the sixth novel released in the Puffin Classics crossovers range. This range published by BBC Children’s Books featured an array of many crossovers between ‘Doctor Who’ and public domain literature.
This included ‘Legends of Camelot’ featuring the Tenth Doctor and Donna, ‘The Wonderful Doctor of Oz’ featuring Missy, the Thirteenth Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz, ‘The Return of Robin Hood’, featuring the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry, and more.
I’m currently in the process of wanting to check out another one of these Puffin Classic crossovers books in ‘Doctor Who’ called ‘Rebellion on Treasure Island’, featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Clara. Hopefully, I’ll get on to reading that book as soon as possible.
When I heard that ‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’ would feature the Fifth Doctor as well as Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough, I was keen to purchase the book as soon as possible. I purchased the book in 2024, but I didn’t get to around to reading it before the year ended.
I didn’t have time to check out ‘In Wonderland’ for my 2024-25 ‘Nyssa Challenge’ mini-review season, which is a shame. I’m glad I was able to check it out for my 2025-26 ‘Nyssa Challenge’ mini-review season. It’s just as well I did it like that when reflecting upon it. 🙂
In December 2025, I initially read the book chapter by chapter on its own without the audiobook. The story itself is divided into 23 chapters. The reason I read the book on its own first was because I was unaware of the audiobook reading that accompanied it then.
Initially, there was no audiobook to accompany ‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’ when it was released in July 2024. In September 2025, ‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’ had its own audiobook released with three other stories in an audiobook collection called ‘Puffin Classics’.
The other three stories in question are ‘Rebellion on Treasure Island’ with the Eleventh Doctor and Clara, ‘Frankenstein and the Patchwork Man’ with the Ninth Doctor and Rose, and ‘Dracula!’ with the First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara. Hopefully I’ll read them soon.
I purchased the ‘Puffin Classics’ audiobook collection on Audible after I finished reading the ‘In Wonderland’ book on its own. ‘In Wonderland’ is read by Ayesha Antoine, who played Dee Dee Blasco in the TV episode ‘Midnight’ and has portrayed other roles in Big Finish audios. 🙂
Going back to the book, ‘In Wonderland’ is by Paul Magrs, a writer I’ve come across many times in ‘Doctor Who’ and he’s written for the Fifth Doctor era before. He wrote the story ‘The Boy That Time Forgot’, which featured the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa and an older Adric.
I like that story even if others don’t like it. 😀 Paul Magrs also wrote ‘The Peterloo Massacre’, which is a story I know Sarah Sutton loves a lot. Paul also wrote ‘The Lady of Mercia’, a story featuring the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa, who’s older in that.
From reading ‘In Wonderland’ on its own, I was able to pick out and hear the voices of Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson as the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough. This is because Paul Magrs writes well for the characters in the story.
When it came to hearing the audiobook, I can’t say it was with the same enthusiasm I had for the book when reading it for the first time. This might have to do with the fact that Ayesha Antoine isn’t exactly the right narrator to read this story set in the Fifth Doctor’s era.
This is not to discredit Ayesha Antoine, as she’s a good reader. But she doesn’t exactly recapture the voices of the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough like how I know they sound. I feel that the story should have had one of the actors from the TV series reading it.
I would have been happy if either Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding or Mark Strickson read this ‘Doctor Who’ adventure instead, as I would have been engaged with the story on audio more, matching to how I read the story as a novel. Such a shame that. 😦
The placement of ‘In Wonderland’ is fascinating, as it takes place between ‘Mawdryn Undead’ and ‘Terminus’. So, at this point, Turlough has just joined the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan in the TARDIS and is under the influence of the Black Guardian controlling him.
It’s quite a contrast to when Paul Magrs wrote for the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and the older Nyssa in ‘The Lady of Mercia’, set after ‘The Black Guardian Trilogy’ in Season 20. Quite frankly, ‘The Black Guardian Trilogy’ is no longer a trilogy when you think about it. 😐
Apart from ‘In Wonderland’, the other stories featured in the gap between ‘Mawdryn Undead’ and ‘Terminus’ include the Short Trip audio story ‘Gardens of the Dead’ and ‘Ophiuchus’, one of the segments in the comic adventure ‘The Many Lives of Doctor Who’.
I didn’t anticipate there would be more to tell in-between Turlough’s introduction in ‘Mawdryn Undead’ and Nyssa’s departure in ‘Terminus’. But hey, these things surprise you when you’re checking out these new ‘Doctor Who’ stories and it’s ultimately refreshing. 🙂
Turlough’s journey in ‘In Wonderland’ is fascinating to read and listen to, as you find he’s the sulky and selfish boy from Brendan School who’s been assigned by the Black Guardian to kill the Doctor. It’s intriguing how Paul Magrs continued that plotline in this book.
Had Season 20 been a full season dedicated to Turlough’s story in trying to find ways to kill the Doctor as well as being his companion, I suppose ‘In Wonderland’ would have been one of those stories, especially in showcasing how treacherous Turlough can be.
In this story, Turlough isn’t the trusting type, as he’s shifty and tries to find ways to kill the Doctor whilst under the Black Guardian’s control. He’s also grumpy and dismissive when it comes to the human literature of Lewis Carroll whilst being somehow in Wonderland. 😐
I find it intriguing how the Fifth Doctor TARDIS team from Season 20 end up in Wonderland, especially as Turlough accidentally smashed Lewis Carroll’s book ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ in liquid form and it ends up going into the TARDIS console. 😐
It’s explained by the Doctor that he, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough ended up in a pocket universe. But even with that explanation in place, the Doctor is still puzzled as to what put them in that situation, unaware that the Black Guardian is watching them quite nearby.
Speaking of Wonderland and how our TARDIS heroes ended up in Lewis Carroll’s world, I must admit, I’ve never read the books myself, even when I was school. I’ve come across several film and TV adaptations of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ over the years and with variety. 🙂
The ones that stand out for me specifically when reading ‘In Wonderland’ as a book include the 1951 Disney film version, which is very well-known, as well as the 1973 BBC TV adaptation of ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’, which has Sarah Sutton as Alice in it. 🙂
There’s also the 2010 film ‘Alice in Wonderland’ directed by Tim Burton as well as its 2016 sequel ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’, though those aren’t really faithful adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s books. I did think of those films when reading older Alice’s story though.
I know these don’t sound like good examples when visualising the world of Wonderland in this ‘Doctor Who’ version of Wonderland in the ‘In Wonderland’ book. But somehow, it was easy and fascinating to visualise the story through the two versions of Alice I’ve seen.
I’m sure that Sarah Sutton would enjoy doing this ‘Doctor Who’ story ‘In Wonderland’ if it was ever adapted into an audio drama by Big Finish. In fact, I wish this and many other BBC Book stories like ‘Empire of Death’ were adapted into audio dramas for fans to enjoy.
I also wonder how many comparisons Sarah would make between this ‘Doctor Who’ story in book form and her TV production of ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’. Also, something inside me tells me she’d consider ‘In Wonderland’ having more connections to Lewis Carroll’s book.
I say that because I wonder how she would regard the 1951 Disney film ‘Alice in Wonderland’. I’m guessing she’d consider the books to be better than the Disney version, since she prefers A.A. Milne’s ‘Winnie the Pooh’ stories as opposed to the Disney version.
It was fun to read this story in uncovering Nyssa’s journey, especially as she’s joined by Turlough when they go out punting on the river in Oxford. Turlough punting with Nyssa in the boat reminded me of the Fourth Doctor and Romana punting in Cambridge in ‘Shada’.
I also like how Nyssa seems to take the unusual world of Wonderland in her stride compared to Turlough who’s easily baffled and frustrated. This is especially when she’s interacting with Wonderland characters such as the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat.
There’s also the Caterpillar that becomes the Butterfly as well as the Queen of Hearts. It’s also intriguing to find a ‘Doctor Who’ story where Nyssa and Turlough are paired together, as that didn’t happen in the TV series and this is all set before older Nyssa’s arc.
Apparently, in reading ‘In Wonderland’, there’s a reference to the Toymaker, whom Nyssa had encountered in ‘Divided Loyalties’. So, at least Paul Magrs hasn’t forgotten the continuity of previous ‘Doctor Who’ stories made years ago, though that was in prose form.
Mind you, considering the TV series doesn’t refer to the Big Finish audios much, it can be assumed that the ‘Doctor Who’ BBC Book stories are allowed to refer to previous book stories made years ago but not to the Big Finish audios, as they often seem to be ignored.
At this point, I should be disappointed that the books and Big Finish audio continuities don’t match together. But then, ‘Doctor Who’ continuity issues are a frequent issue, and they don’t seem to be resolved easily, which the U.N.I.T. dating conundrum has established.
Speaking of which, I’m surprised a story like ‘Divided Loyalties’ would be mentioned again or referred to in a recent ‘Doctor Who’ story made in 2024, since I’ve come across fans who don’t like ‘Divided Loyalties’. I personally enjoyed that story, even if other fans didn’t.
Then again, Paul Magrs did write ‘The Boy That Time Forgot’ and many fans don’t like that story. Who knows? Maybe one day the events of ‘The Boy That Time Forgot’ will be referred to in a story set after the events of that adventure. Who’s to say? I might refer to it one day. 😀
Regarding Tegan’s role in the story, I like how she has more a personal connection to ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ as a children’s book and how she shares it with Nyssa in the TARDIS. Tegan has fond memories of Lewis Carroll’s books, which she read as a kid.
This is on the sheep farm she grew up in in Australia, as established in the book. I found it enjoyable when Tegan got to interact with Wonderland characters like the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse. They’re her favourite part of the story from reading it.
Things are tense when the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse aren’t exactly what they seem, even to the point of the Dormouse sharing the possibility the Mara has possessed Tegan again. It upsets Tegan quite greatly once the Dormouse says that to her.
Fortunately, the Dormouse apologises for making that assumption and he and Tegan become friends in the story. I actually found the Dormouse an interesting character in ‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’, as he seemed to be calmer and reasonable during the story.
This is a contrast to the Dormouse featured in the 1951 Disney film who tended to rhyme with “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat” as well as screaming his head off whenever the word “CAT!!!” gets mentioned. It’s something I wasn’t expecting to find whilst reading the book.
Tegan does get to spend some time with the Doctor, especially when they’re at the Dean’s garden party at Christ Church college at the beginning of the story. They get to meet Lewis Carroll himself, whose real name happens to be Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in real-life. 🙂
This I didn’t know before reading the book. Nor did I know he was mathematician and a reluctant Anglican deacon as well as a poet and writer. It was also intriguing to uncover that Dodgson had a stammer whilst speaking. I like the novel provided that insight for me.
There is a point where Tegan is separated from the Doctor once he gets swallowed up by the Jabberwocky. Yes! The Jabberwocky happens to be in this story too. Thankfully, Tegan reunites with the Doctor as well as with Nyssa and Turlough towards the story’s conclusion.
Speaking of the Doctor, once again, I like how his curious nature gets the better of him when he and his friends are exploring Oxford in the 19th century before it becomes Wonderland. I found it a surprise when the Doctor ended up on a ship at sea in the 1930s.
On the ship, he meets an older version of Alice Liddell, the girl who became the model for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in the ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ story as well as ‘Through The Looking Glass’. Again, I didn’t realise the fictional Alice was based on a real-life Alice. 😀
I’m not so familiar with the works of Lewis Carroll as well as ‘Alice in Wonderland’ despite seeing some of the film and TV versions. So, ‘In Wonderland’ does provide a rich insight for the uninitiated to know a lot more of the fictional and real-life aspects of Wonderland.
I wouldn’t say I’ve become an expert of the matter, but it’s intriguing how Paul Magrs conveys that in the story. This especially when the Doctor finds out about the original manuscript of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll that’s being kept in a safe.
I liked it when the Doctor works it out about the White Rabbit being the key and helpful in unravelling the nonsensical aspects of Wonderland, especially when confronting the enemy in the form of the Queen of Hearts in a game of croquet that ends up becoming deadly.
Since Turlough is still in the employ of the Black Guardian, this guarantees the Black Guardian making an appearance in this story. I could easily imagine Valentine Dyall appearing as the Guardian in the story, especially when he pops up to torment Turlough. 😐
There are moments though where the Black Guardian can appear in a variety of forms throughout the story. This includes when he appears as the Gryphon, and he kidnaps Turlough to cruelly remind him of the task that he must carry out to assassinate the Doctor. 😐
Most significantly, the Black Guardian appears in the form of the Queen of Hearts, who’s not in red as in other versions, but clearly in black. This is rather fitting, considering the Queen of Heart is always a nasty piece of work when she’s shouting, “Off with their head!”
This actually makes me ponder something. I wonder if there’s a possibility where the Black Guardian can return and be female as opposed to male. The Guardians of Time can appear in many forms and there’s the liberty of any actor to be given the chance to play them.
If Valentine Dyall and David Troughton can play the Black Guardian on TV and audio respectively, why shouldn’t a woman play the character. I know the Toymaker said in ‘The Giggle’ that he ‘shrank’ the Guardians of Time ‘into voodoo dolls’, but surely anything’s possible, right?
‘Doctor Who In Wonderland’ concludes with the Doctor defeating the Queen of Hearts (also the Black Guardian, though the Doctor is unaware of this) in a game of cricket. The Doctor has the White Rabbit to thank, as he used the Rabbit’s pocket fob watch as the ball instead.
As the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough are about to enter the TARDIS, taking the older Alice Liddell with them and saying goodbye to Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll, the Doctor ponders on who placed them in Wonderland in the first place. Will the Doctor find out? 😐
Unless Paul Magrs does a follow-up to ‘In Wonderland’ with his ‘Doctor Who’ take on ‘Through The Looking Glass’, I don’t know if the Doctor’s going to find out who put them in Wonderland in the first place. If it happens, it might be set sometime after Nyssa has gone, no doubt.
The book’s extras include an ‘About the Author’ page and an ‘Acknowledgements’ page. There’s also a preview of the ‘Doctor Who’ story ‘Josephine and the Argonauts’ by Paul Magrs, featuring the Third Doctor and Jo. This includes the first three chapters of the story. I’ve read the first three chapters along with hearing the audiobook read by Tim Treloar. Hopefully, I’ll read the complete story and hear the audiobook with it soon.
‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’ has been an enjoyable book to check out and listen to. I found it a fun take by Paul Magrs on the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough finding themselves in the world of Wonderland and meeting Lewis Carroll and the older Alice Liddell.
Reading the book on its own without the audiobook, the chapters are very easy to read, especially if you’re a huge Fifth Doctor era fan like me. I wish I could hear this story as a Big Finish audio story with Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson.
The audiobook read by Ayesha Antoine has been enjoyable enough, but I wouldn’t say it was something to get excited about. I’m glad I read the book a second time whilst heading the audiobook in the background, as it has been a fascinating albeit unusual experience.
Hopefully, I’ll get to check out more of these Puffins Classics crossover books in ‘Doctor Who’ soon, especially as I have the audiobooks on Audible to check out. I have ‘Rebellion on Treasure Island’ featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Clara to check out. Hopefully, that’s next.
Otherwise, I’m glad I’ve finally read and heard ‘In Wonderland’ after putting it on hold when the book came out in 2024. Checking out these new ‘Doctor Who’ stories with Nyssa along with other characters such as the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough is always a treat.
It’s rare that a brand-new ‘Doctor Who’ book featuring Nyssa with the Fifth Doctor and others comes along. I’m just glad it did when ‘In Wonderland’ was published in 2024 along with its audiobook in 2025, as I’ve made very clear how huge a Nyssa/Sarah Sutton fan I am. 🙂
‘Doctor Who in Wonderland’ rating – 9/10
| The previous story
For the Fifth Doctor was For Nyssa is For Tegan is For Turlough is |
The next story
For the Fifth Doctor is For Nyssa is For Tegan is For Turlough is |
| Return to The Fifth Doctor’s Timeline | |
| Return to Nyssa’s Timeline | |
| Return to Tegan’s Timeline | |
| Return to Turlough’s Timeline | |
| Return to The Doctors’ Timelines Index | |
| Return to The Companions’ Timelines Index | |
| Return to Doctor Who Timelines | |
| Return to The Nyssa Challenge | |
| Return to Doctor Who | |
| Return to Sci-Fi |
Bradley's Basement 