Anniversary Hardcover changes for TVBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 7 October 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
An article by Morwenna Gordon in the BBC's internal magazine "Ariel" notes a change to the forthcoming Doctor Who: The Legend anniversary hardcover book by Justin Richards due to the forthcoming new series. The article text is as follows (with thanks to Henry Potts for the article's text):

Doctor Who: The Legend -- a celebration of 40 years of the UK's favourite time lord will go to the printers this week with an 11th hour amendment courtesy of BBC One's controller Lorraine Heggessey. Her decision to restore the Doctor to our screens required a quick revision by author Justin Richards, who was far from unhappy about the extra work. The return of his hero almost 15 years after the series was axed is 'terrific news', says the creative consultant for BBC Worldwide. And along with many loyal fans, he welcomed the decision to enlist Russell T Davies, author of Channel 4's Queer as Folk, to write the script: 'He's an obvious, but inspired, choice. He knows the subject and is respected within the industry.' Details are a long way from being finalised as the programme is not scheduled to return for around two years, but the identity of the next reincarnation of the Doctor, previously played by the likes of William Hartnell, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy, is sure to be a hot topic with both fans and the press. 'He's a deep character,' says Richards, 'I would like to see someone slightly older. It works better if the character is quirky and eccentric rather than an action hero.' Richards is also hoping to that the new production retains an element of the original music -- and some old enemies. 'It would be a shame not to have the Daleks just around the corner,' he says. Earlier this year, Doctor Who video and DVD sales reached 3m. More than 100 Doctor Who novels have been published by BBC Worldwide.




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