Few television programmes make the same production demands as Doctor Who. With such diverse settings as distant points in Earth’s history and alien civilisations in the far future, the series has always stretched the ingenuity – and resources – of its talented costume designers.

 The latest Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition features numerous rare and previously unpublished illustrations showing how the look of an episode evolves from sketch to screen, plus exclusive interviews with the following designers:

• Lee Bender (owner of the Bus Stop boutique, which supplied outfits for Sarah Jane Smith)
• Howard Burden (designer of the Twelfth Doctor’s costume)
• Ray Holman (designer of the Eleventh and Thirteenth Doctor’s costumes, and Doctor Who’s current costume designer)
• June Hudson (designer of the Fourth Doctor’s final outfit and numerous costumes for Romana) 
• Barbara Lane (The Claws of Axos, The Dæmons, The Curse of Peladon etc)
• Amy Roberts (Image of the Fendahl, Full Circle, The Keeper of Traken etc)
• Alexandra Tynan (The Tenth Planet, The Highlanders, The Evil of the Daleks etc)
• Lucinda Wright (designer of Christopher Eccleston’s series as the Ninth Doctor) 

 Plus, the stars who wore the designers’ creations look back at their characters’ clothes:

• Sophie Aldred (Ace)
• Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler)
• Katy Manning (Jo Grant)
• Catrin Stewart (Jenny Flint)
• Anneke Wills (Polly) 

Editor Marcus Hearn says:

I don’t think there’s ever been such a detailed and comprehensive look at the series’ costume design. Much of the new research for this issue was led by Piers Britton, who has an unrivalled knowledge of the subject and the kind of insight that makes you look at familiar episodes in a whole new light. Dr Britton looms large in this issue, but the whole team has done a fantastic job – other highlights include a rarely seen interview with the late Colin Lavers, who designed the Fifth Doctor’s costume, and a new interview with Barbara Lane. This is the first time Barbara has spoken about her work on the series since the mid-1970s, so we were delighted when we tracked her down. We’ve uncovered so much new information and so many fantastic images – we can’t wait to share it all with everyone!

On sale from Thursday 18 April 2019 £5.99 (UK)

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It’s taken more than 47 years but Doctor Who fans finally have an annual for 1972 – with stars from the show among the contributors.

Manchester-based World Distributors began publishing the official Doctor Who annuals in autumn 1965, continuing until 1985, but elected not to bring one out in 1971. This left countless fans puzzled, disappointed – and with a niggling gap in their collections and on their bookshelves.

However, Mark Worgan – a long-time fan of the series and the annuals – was determined to do something about it and this star-studded, fan-produced, non-profit- making homage is the result.

He has published The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1972, which transports readers TARDIS-like back to the very early 1970s when Jon Pertwee had just finished his second series in the title role and the show was mostly Earth-bound, with the Doctor assisting the military organisation UNIT as its scientific adviser.

A whole host of star names from the show signed up for the project, including Katy Manning, who played companion Jo Grant, John Levene (Sgt Benton) and Richard Franklin (Capt Yates) – the surviving members of what became affectionately known as “the UNIT family”.

They and the large number of Doctor Who fan writers and artists have been joined by visual effects wizard, model unit supervisor and author Mike Tucker plus renowned artist Alister Pearson and Wayne Howarth – the son of Walter Howarth, who was the main illustrator on some of the original annuals.

And this is a truly bumper edition. The official annual for 1971 offered 96 pages, while the 1973 annual had 80 pages, but this one comes in at a whopping 184 pages!

The project was launched in September 2017, with people working on it in their spare time for free, and the hardback annual is packed with stories, puzzles, features and emulating and evoking the style, tone and quirkiness of the 1970s annuals, which were allowed a freer rein as regards their relationship to the programme than those later in the run.

Mark said:

It’s been hard work for everybody but I’m beyond delighted to be bringing this out, especially as 2019 is the centenary year of Jon Pertwee’s birth. The annual means a great deal to me. I was particularly thrilled to get all the surviving UNIT family on board for the annual, and I’ve been knocked out by the enthusiasm and talent of the contributors.

In 1971, when the official annual would have been published, the Doctor had been forced into exile on Earth by his people, the Time Lords, but the series’ production team still managed to take the show away from the confines of this planet and I was keen to do the same in the annual. The challenge was laid down and the contributors rose to it in style, so we’ve got a great balance of adventures in space and time.

The official 1972 annual may well have been lost in the time vortex – like the Doctor himself has been known to – but we hope fans agree that our version makes up for it and is worth the long wait.

Well, what’s 47 years to a Time Lord anyway . . . ?

So, that’s 1972 taken care of. But what of the years 1987 to 1989 for which – once again – no official annuals were forthcoming despite the show still being made, before it was cancelled until its one-off return in 1996, which was its last outing of the classic era?

There’s been a terrific amount of interest in this project, including a great many calls to complete the run of annuals for the classic era, so I’m pleased to say that I’m now going to be turning my attention to an unofficial annual for 1987. After that, who knows?!

Contributors and proofreaders, as well as an administrator for the Facebook page, are now being sought for The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1987. Please contact Mark via doctorwhoannual@aol.co.uk if you're interested in taking part.

The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1972 is published by Terraqueous Distributors and available from Lulu at the print-on-demand price of £39.20 plus shipping costs (NB: VAT is not payable on books).

None of the money paid by purchasers goes to the publisher or to any of the contributors. Visit the website to order the annual.

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The Charity Book A Second Target for Tommy is now available as an ebook (Kindle and Epub) for £9.99

The book, a sequel to A Target for Tommy, published in 2016, has been created by the writing community in aid of writer Tommy Donbavand, who having overcome throat cancer, now has been diagnosed with a tumour in his lung. As a result, he continues to be unable to do the school visits which generated much of the income he needs to support his family.

The book contains, for the first time ever, the script of a crucial scene from an early draft of Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary Special, Day of the Doctor, featuring the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, and kindly provided by outgoing Who showrunner, Steven Moffat.

Full List Of Writers And Stories

Eye Of Orion? – Jay Eales
The Hangover Of Injustice – Andrew Lawston
The Caterpillar Room – Kate Orman
3am Eternal – Paul Castle
Nipping Out For Some Bits – Ian Potter
The Misadventure Of Mark Thorne – Andy Frankham-Allen
Wherever And Whenever – Cody Schell
From Skaro With Love! – Nick Campbell
Seasons Of War – Horde Of Travesties Prologue: The Man In The Tree – Declan May
Why Though? – Ira Lightman
The Runaway Hi-fi – Paul Magrs
Eyebrows And Fish – Matt Bright
The Xanthous Knight – Blair Bidmead
Repeat Prescription – Eddie Robson
Doctor Who: The Special – Steven Moffat
The Watcher – Nick Wallace
Collateral Damage – Matt Barber
The Envelope Please – Jonathan Dennis
The Thief Of Joy – Jon Arnold
Doctor Who And The Exile From Hell – Simon Bucher-Jones
When Iris Met Billy – Stuart Douglas
The Same Old Road – Ian Potter
Walk A Mile In My Shoes – Jay Eales
Fair – Ned Netherwood

Order from Obverse Books

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Fantom has announced the release of an audio version of Daphne Ashbrook's autobiography, read by the author.

The actress, who played Dr. Grace Holloway alongside Eight Doctor Paul McGann, first released her biography in 2012.

Witty, self-effacing and painfully honest; the themes of life, death and laughter come together as Daphne Ashbrook recounts her many on-and off-screen scrapes with mortality. Packed with rich anecdotes from her career in TV, stage and film, this refreshingly candid and conversational memoir spans a childhood in a theatrical family to pulling back the curtain of Hollywood, revealing the glamour and ridiculousness of a business mired in a struggle between art and profit.

Known for both her comic timing and deep emotional portrayals, Daphne has appeared in many TV and film roles including the 1996 Doctor Who movie, in which she played the role of Dr. Grace Holloway and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the titular character in Melora. Reflecting on her life and her career, Daphne discovers the surprising patterns and hilarious absurdities that accompany being a modern-day professional actor. The result is an amusing, informative and intimate memoir.

Co-produced by Spokenworld Audio, Dead Woman Laughing is now available unabridged over 5 CDs priced £15.99.

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Obverse Books have announced a change in the schedule for the Black Archive series of books.

The Black Archive explores the making of specific Doctor Who stories, analysing in detail the stories selected.

The previously-announced 2018 release of The Twin Dilemma has been put on hold indefinitely. Instead Jon Arnold, author of the acclaimed the Black Archive #1: Rose will be stepping into the breach with a study of Steven Moffat’s debut story as showrunner, and Matt Smith’s as the 11th Doctor, The Eleventh Hour.

The Black Archive schedule now runs as follows:

• January – The Black Archive #15: Carnival of Monsters
by Ian Potter
• February – The Black Archive #16: Full Circle
by John Toon
• March – The Black Archive #17: The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
by Simon BucherJones
• April – The Black Archive #18: Marco Polo
by Dene October
• May – The Black Archive #19: The Eleventh Hour
by Jon Arnold
• June – The Black Archive #20: Face the Raven
by Sarah Groenewegen
• July – The Black Archive #21: Heaven Sent
by Kara Dennison
• August – The Black Archive #22: Hell Bent
by Alyssa Franke
• September – The Black Archive #23: The Curse of Fenric
by Una McCormack
• October – The Black Archive #24: The Time Warrior
by Matthew Kilburn
• November – The Black Archive #25: Doctor Who (1996)
by Paul Driscoll
• December – The Black Archive #26: The Dæmons
by Matt Barber

Titles for 2019 will be announced in due course.

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Pencil Tip Publishing have announced they will be accepting completed stories for inclusion in The Temporal Logbook II for one day and one day only.

Saturday May 6 2017 from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm Pacific Standard Time

As with the original short-story collection, the second volume will feature twelve original stories by new and up-in-coming writers. All twelve incarnations of the Doctor will be featured with a story dedicated to that particular incarnation. For the open submission day they are looking for stories featuring Doctors 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 & 10.

Stories should be between 5000-8000 words.

To contribute a story to The Temporal Logbook II all you have to do is:

1. Submit 1 completed story. (Multiple submissions are not allowed.)
2. Provide your full name and email
3. Include a brief bio telling a bit about yourself and if you’ve been published before or not.

Full submission Guidlines

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Pseudoscope Publishing is seeking submissions for the upcoming Time Shadows 2 short-story anthology to raise money for for charity.

Time Shadows 2 follows 2016’s successful Time Shadows which has already raised nearly $900 for the Enable Community Foundation. The book is edited by Stephen Hatcher (Time Shadows, Myth Makers, Short Trips), with Associate Editors Matt Grady (Time Shadows, Myth Makers, Short Trips) and John Davies (Time Shadows, Celestial Toyroom, Blake’s Heaven)

Time Shadows 2 Doctor Who short-story anthology

Over 2,000 years, the Doctor has worn many faces and led many lives. He has confronted some of the most dangerous creatures in the universe, and fought the demons that lurk within his own soul. Some fights he was won. Others have left his hearts broken.

The Doctor has held the Key to Time in his hands, and wielded a weapon that ended billions of lives in a single Moment. But he has also stopped to comfort a crying child, argued the virtue of a well-prepared meal, fallen in love, and experienced cities made of song.

An impossible man living an impossible life, running away from responsibility and into danger.

The stories of Time Shadows 2 will explore the past actions and future consequences of the Doctor, his friends and his enemies, and reflect on how they lived to fight another day.

The deadline for outlines for Time Shadows 2 is February 28, 2017. Submission guidelines available at the Pseudoscope Publishing website

Commissioned writers will receive a printed contributor’s copy of the anthology.

Time Shadows (1 July 2016); Charity Project seeks Submissions (3 April 2015)

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Candy Jar Books have released released further information about the second Lethbridge-Stewart release of 2016, The Showstoppers by Jonathan Cooper:

LETHBRIDGE-STEWART’S LIFE WILL CHANGE FOREVER!

As well as introducing a new writer to the range, The Showstoppers plays out a major turning point in Lethbridge-Stewart’s life, as he is rewarded for all his hard work since the Doctor Who serial, The Web of Fear.

Range editor, Andy Frankham-Allen, says:

It’s something we’ve been working towards – a pivotal Lethbridge-Stewart moment.

Author, Jonathan Cooper, agrees:

It’s genuinely a massive honour to be given this responsibility; to dramatise the events leading up to something that most fans would certainly like to see. I wish I could say what it is, but that would ruin what’s going to be a big surprise.

The Showstoppers taps into the booming television industry of the 1960s, in particular the popular super-spy thrillers such as The Saint, Danger Man and The Avengers, blending it with more than a hint of the b-movies of the 1950s, all revolving around a secret Nazi plan left over from World War II.

Jonathan Cooper continues:

It was initially inspired by the film Dr Strangelove. At the pitching stage we even had Strangelove as the primary villain, along with a neat little twist to tie the Kubrick film into the world of Lethbridge-Stewart. But we soon moved beyond that, which gave the book a wider scope and allowed me to have a lot more fun with it. There’s still a couple of sly references in there though – including one bit towards the end that I hope readers are going to find
particularly chilling.

The book also features an introduction by David George, son of Dr Strangelove writer Peter George, focusing on the conspiracy theories that tie Dr Strangelove to the Kennedy assassination.

A fourth lead character of the range is also introduced in this novel. Head of Publishing, Shaun Russell, says:

From day one it has always been our intent to build up something of an ensemble cast of characters, with four main characters leading the way. That started with our licensed characters, Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne Travers, complimented by our very own Corporal William Bishop, who first appeared in our initial release, The Forgotten Son. Now we’re very pleased to introduce Samson Ware to our readers. A very different character to any seen in the range before, and someone quite unique for a series set in the late-‘60s, early-‘70s, a man of Bajan origin.

Jonathan Cooper is no stranger to Doctor Who, having once served as Doctor Who correspondent for The Mirror and The Independent online papers. He has previously written two novels for Space: 1889 series, co-writing one with Lethbridge-Stewart range editor, Andy Frankham-Allen.

Andy Frankham-Allen says:

Jon first came to my attention back in 2007 when I was running the eZine, Pantechnicon. He submitted one of the best short stories I have ever read, and ever since then I have tried to give him as much work as possible. The world can never have too much of Jon’s writing. His sense of humour, and great instinct for twisting a tale on its head, has always been a hallmark of his writing, and it’s this skill that he brings to Lethbridge-Stewart.

The Showstoppers is now available to pre-order from Candy Jar Books, and those who do so will also receive the free digital-only short story, The Band of Evil, by Roger J Hammond and Shaun Russell.

Related Articles: The Band Of Evil (6 Jun 2016)

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A new unofficial Doctor Who book, Saturday Night Monsters is a compilation of fan written articles and reviews, originally published in two popular fanzines

The items were originally published in the fanzines Faze and This Way Up. They cover the whole span of the series from the early days right up to recent episodes.

The book includes comment, analysis, opinion and humour about different aspects of the programme. Features include: The triumphant 2005 Return, The 1985-6 Cancellation Crisis,Hartnell’s Historical Stories, The Philip Hinchliffe Era, The stories of Robert Holmes & Robert Sloman, Season 21,The road from Survival to the TV Movie and more…

 Reviews of stories from every era of the series include: Talons of Weng Chiang, The Dalek Masterplan, Spearhead from Space, The Macra Terror, The End of Time, The War Machines, Dalek, Remembrance of the Daleks, Blink, The Name of the Doctor, Logopolis, Tomb of the Cybermen, School Reunion, Pyramids of Mars, Human Nature / Family of Blood and many many more

The 260 page book is available from Amazon for £7.90 in print edition or £2.16 Kindle ebook.

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Candy Jar Books have announced a new non-fiction title that delves into the science of Doctor Who:

Space, Time, Machine, Monster: Doctor Who Edition
Written by Mark Brake and Jon Chase
Illustrated by Terry Cooper
Published by Candy Jar Books

Space, Time, Machine, Monster: Doctor Who Edition takes you on a journey into the science of Doctor Who.

Jam-packed with aliens, time machines, spaceships and lots of monsters, this book explores the secrets of the Universe’s favourite Time Lord.

And, for an extra bit of fun, we present our own Doctor Who Top 10s on topics such as planets, companions, favourite stories and catchphrases!

So how does a Dalek poo? Let’s find out!

The book is edited by Shaun Russell and Andy Frankham-Allen; Russell commented:

We had already released Mark’s Space, Time, Machine, Monster book based on science fiction in general. It seemed a natural progression to concentrate on Doctor Who. It was also great to welcome Jon Chase to the fold. His credentials are second-to-none; having worked on the BBC Bitesize Science TV series.

As well as Space, Time, Machine, Monster, Mark Brake has also written Space Hoppers, Really, Really Big Questions about Space and Time, and The Alien Hunter’s Handbook. On this new tome, he said:

Doctor Who was originally created to teach history and science. Even though the show has changed, I feel fundamentally that the Doctor’s adventures have something to teach us about our own world. My mission was to explore concepts from the series and see how they feature in our everyday lives.

The book can be purchased (for a limited period) as part of the Lethbridge-Stewart: Moon Blink bundle, or alongside the original Space, Time, Machine, Monster; full details can be found on the Candy Jar Books website.

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Candy Jar Books have announced an exclusive release for those who pre-order the next book in their Lethbridge-Stewart series, The Schizoid Earth:

Legacies
Written by Norma Ashley

Random chance. That’s all it takes to change everything. What would happen had Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and the Doctor failed to stop the Great Intelligence?

A free 34-page story exclusive for those who pre-order The Schizoid Earth directly from Candy Jar Books. The offer ends September 24th 2015, and only applies to pre-orders for the paperback. The Schizoid Earth by David A McIntee is released on September 25th 2015.

Related Articles: Lethbridge-Stewart: books updates (18 Aug 2015)

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There will be a special event taking place in London tomorrow to tie in with the publication of the new novel City of Death from BBC Books:

Celebrate the publication of
CITY OF DEATH
the classic DOCTOR WHO adventure by
Douglas Adams

novelised by
JAMES GOSS
Signing event on Thursday 21st May
6:30 - 7:30pm


St Pancras Concourse, with Hatchards


Wine, Doctor Who props and LIVE PIANIST
playing musical scores from the show

Join in the conversation at @Hatchards, @DWBBCBooks, @StPancrasInt, @gossjam

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FBS Publishing Ltd have announced a new book aimed to help those new to Doctor Who discover what the series is all about...

What's All The Fuss About...? An Introduction to Doctor Who
Written by Will Hadcroft and Ian Wheeler
Published by FBS Publishing Ltd

Who is the Doctor, what are the Daleks and why is the TARDIS a police box?

Here is a television programme that has been running for over fifty years and has seen twelve different actors play the title role, each a unique incarnation.

Why are people so devoted to this phenomenon?

What is all the fuss about?

Will Hadcroft and Ian Wheeler present the basics, with an overview of each Doctor’s era and recommended stories to try, delivering the essential information that you need to know, your introduction to a television legend.

It is the perfect beginners’ guide for anyone wondering where to start, and equally suited to the die-hard fan who wants be reminded of and relive the very best bits all over again.

The book is published on 5th March 2015, and is available for pre-order via the FBS Publishing website.

With thanks to Ian Wheeler

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