What's All The Fuss About ... ?

Saturday, 21 February 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
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...? (Credit: FBS Publishing)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




FILTER: - Books - Merchandise

City of Death novelisation for 21st May

Thursday, 19 February 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Books have announced that the forthcoming novelisation of the Douglas Adams story City of Death will be released on 21st May 2015.

City of Death (Credit: BBC Books)City of Death
Written by James Goss, based on the story by Douglas Adams
Released 21st May 2015

The Doctor takes Romana for a holiday in Paris – a city which, like a fine wine, has a bouquet all its own. Especially if you visit during one of the vintage years. But the TARDIS takes them to 1979, a table-wine year, a year whose vintage is soured by cracks – not in their wine glasses but in the very fabric of time itself.

Soon the Time Lords are embroiled in an audacious alien scheme which encompasses home-made time machines, the theft of the Mona Lisa, the resurrection of the much-feared Jagaroth race, and the beginning (and quite possibly the end) of all life on Earth.

Aided by British private detective Duggan, whose speciality is thumping people, the Doctor and Romana must thwart the machinations of the suave, mysterious Count Scarlioni – all twelve of him – if the human race has any chance of survival.

But then, the Doctor’s holidays tend to turn out a bit like this.





FILTER: - Books - Classic Series

The Essential Book of K-9

Wednesday, 28 January 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Essential Book of K-9 (Credit: Paul Tams)A campaign is currently in progress to raise funds to publish a new book about the Doctor's second best friend*, K-9. The initiative is being driven by K-9 series co-creator Paul Tams, and will explore the character's many lives through Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and in his own series.

Paul Tams says:
It's amazing there has never been a book dedicated to the full story of K9; his adventures in Time and Space and beyond and the making of the TV shows in which he appeared. We aim to correct this oversight and present an amazing volume of features, photos and behind the scenes information. We also aim to have several new stories and comic strips from classic writers including his original co-creator Bob Baker himself.

The book will become a lasting tribute to the people who created, acted alongside, designed and built K9 throughout the years and an insight into the world of TV production. Plus a look behind the scenes at plans for K9's further adventures on screen!

Funding for the book is being organised through IndieGoGo, and there are a number of perks that can be chosen by those who participate in the campaign.


Details on the modern series of K-9 can be found at the K9 Official website.

(with thanks to Paul Tams)




FILTER: - Books - K9

Anthony Ainley: The Man Behind The Master

Tuesday, 13 January 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Fantom Publishing have announced their plans to release a biography of Anthony Ainley, who played the Doctor's rival the Master in some nine full stories during the course of the 1980s, not to mention 'hosting' the computer game Destiny of the Doctors.

Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind The Master (Credit: Fantom Publishing)The Man Behind The Master
The Biography of Anthony Ainley
By Karen Louise Hollis

Although known to an audience of millions the world over for his portrayal of The Doctor's arch nemesis The Master in Doctor Who during the 1980's, Anthony Ainley had a prolific career which encompassed starring roles in Spyders Web and It's Dark Outside, as well as appearances in renowned dramas such as The Pallisers, Elizabeth R, Nicholas Nickleby, Upstairs, Downstairs, and cult films including Blood On Satan's Claw and The Land That Time Forgot.

But the dramas in Anthony's real life were far more fascinating than any of the many parts he played on screen. Born the illegitimate son of actor Henry Ainley, and taken into care at the Actors' Orphanage at the age of four, the hidden story behind one of Doctor Who's most enigmatic characters is brought to life by author Karen Louise Hollis.

Using exhaustive interviews with friends and colleagues from every aspect of Anthony's life, including his best friend from school, fellow children from the Actors' Orphanage, cricketing friends, colleagues, and those who remained close to him until his death in 2004, this book aims to uncover the real Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind The Master.

The book is now available for pre-order from the Fantom website and will be published exclusively through them from May 2015 until its trade release later in the year.




FILTER: - Books - Fantom

Lethbridge-Stewart teaser image

Thursday, 1 January 2015 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
Candy Jar Books has released the following image relating to their forthcoming Lethbridge-Stewart novel series:
Lethbridge-Stewart: Fear of Light promo image (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

Along with the image, the publisher released the following quotation, attributed to Plato: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." (Unfortunately, the attribution, although widespread, appears to be spurious; it is not found in any of Plato's extant works.)

The title Fear of Light is not one of the four previously announced novels in the series. Range editor Andy Frankham-Allen promises that more information will be forthcoming.





FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

Lethbridge-Stewart novel series announced

Monday, 8 December 2014 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
Candy Jar Books has announced a new series of novels featuring Colonel Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and played by Nicholas Courtney, Lethbridge-Stewart first appeared in the 1968 serial The Web of Fear. He subsequently became a major recurring character in the classic series, appearing on television with six Doctors and returning decades later in The Sarah Jane Adventures. (Including appearances in books, audios and comics, Lethbridge-Stewart has appeared with ten Doctors in authorised Doctor Who stories.) The character was referred to in several 21st-century episodes of Doctor Who before Nicholas Courtney's death in 2011; the Doctor learned of Lethbridge-Stewart's demise in the 2011 episode The Wedding of River Song, and a version of the character appeared in this year's Death in Heaven.

The new novel series will feature the young Lethbridge-Stewart, and will be set shortly after the events of The Web of Fear. The novels, which will be released quarterly, are:
  • The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen
  • Horror of Det-Sen by Lance Parkin
  • The Schizoid Earth by David A McIntee
  • Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters

The novels are fully licensed by the executor of the Haisman Literary Estate, Mervyn Haisman’s granddaughter Hannah Haisman, and endorsed by Henry Lincoln. The first novel will be released on February 22, 2015, four years after the death of Nicholas Courtney.

Lethbridge-Stewart Coming Soon banner (Credit: Candy Jar Books) Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son cover (Credit: Candy Jar Books)
The series can be ordered from Candy Jar Books here. The full press release from the publisher can be found below:
Available from People’s Book Prize winning publisher, Candy Jar Books, Lethbridge-Stewart is a new series of novels revealing the untold story of Colonel Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart set shortly after the 1968 serial, The Web of Fear, fully licensed by the Executor of the Haisman Literary Estate, Mervyn Haisman’s granddaughter Hannah Haisman, and endorsed by Henry Lincoln.

The first series consists of The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen, Horror of Det-Sen by Lance Parkin, The Schizoid Earth by David A McIntee and Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters.

Brigadier Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart has been an essential element of Doctor Who since 1968. He was created by authors Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln for the six-part Doctor Who serial, The Web of Fear. A one-off character. Until over a year later when he was brought back to Doctor Who, promoted to Brigadier and the head of UNIT. Forty-six years on and the Brigadier has become one of the most iconic characters in Doctor Who, having appeared with ten different Doctors in countless TV episodes, books, audio dramas and comic strips! The character’s death was acknowledged in the 2012 Doctor Who series starring Matt Smith, and was resurrected briefly in the 2014 series finale starring Peter Capaldi. On TV the character’s story is over, but there is so much more to tell.

Andy Frankham-Allen has been a Doctor Who fan since his childhood and serves as line editor for the series, as well as penning the opening novel. Andy is the former line editor of Untreed Reads Publishing’s series Space: 1889 & Beyond, and has penned several Doctor Who Short Trip stories for Big Finish and Candy Jar’s very own celebration of Doctor Who, Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants. He said: “It's an insane privilege and responsibility to put this series together, to reveal the real story behind such a legend of Doctor Who.”

Lance Parkin has written over twenty books and audio dramas for Doctor Who since 1996, including the 35th Anniversary novel, The Infinity Doctors, and the 2008 Tenth Doctor novel, The Eyeless. He also worked on British soap Emmerdale and wrote Magic Words, the definitive biography of Alan Moore. Lance said: “Lethbridge-Stewart was always a steady presence in the Doctor's life. Even in The Web of Fear, he instinctively trusted the Doctor from almost the moment he met him. I wrote for the character in The Dying Days, and that was the version of the Brigadier we all think of now, I think, an old soldier, semi-retired, seen it all. It's been interesting writing for a younger, hungrier Lethbridge-Stewart – not even a Brigadier at this point in his life. It's also been nice writing a story that's set in the aftermath of The Web of Fear, with Lethbridge-Stewart only just starting to realise that the Earth's facing a whole new type of enemy."

David A McIntee has written novels for Star Trek, Final Destination and Space: 1999 and over fifteen books and audio dramas for Doctor Who since 1993, including the Brigadier-centric novel, The Face of the Enemy. David said: “To be honest it (the series) is something I'm amazed hasn't been done before – it’s just such a natural and obvious thing. The form it's taking is also cool because it has the flexibility to move between styles and genres – thriller, SF, horror, etc – while maintaining a definite identity. As for the Brig himself, he's one of those characters where the casting was so perfect that it just made the character so memorable, and who (usually) feels so right.”

Nick Walters has written five novels for Doctor Who since 1998. Nick said: “After the Doctor himself the Brigadier is the best-loved character in Doctor Who. I met Nick Courtney a number of times and he really is a splendid fellow. He brought a real humanity and vulnerability to the role without compromising the essential toughness of the character. Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart is the chap you'd want on your side in a fight – any fight – and it is a real privilege to be exploring what made him into the character we came to know and love.”

Simon Williams, the man behind the cover art, is a former artist for Marvel UK having drawn for The Transformers, The Hulk, Spider-Man and Death’s Head. Simon said: “I’ve always been a big fan of Doctor Who and the Brigadier and having the opportunity to draw this iconic character is a huge privilege.”

Hannah Haisman said: “This project has been a long-time coming. I had to be certain that I was entrusting my grandfather’s legacy to a publisher and authors who would respect what he created. Candy Jar and Andy have assembled a team that are sympathetic to the Brigadier, and these are very exciting times that we can all be proud of.”

Doctor Who first appeared on our screens in 1963, running for twenty-six years until 1989. It was then re-launched in 2005 attracting old fans and new. Doctor Who is now one of the most prestigious shows on British television, loved and watched by millions, and the character of the Brigadier has been an essential part of that institution for forty-six years.

Lethbridge-Stewart will be launched on 22nd February 2015, the fourth anniversary of Nicholas Courtney’s death, the actor behind the Brigadier. The first series of novels will be released one book per quarter throughout 2015.

Also available as part of a bundle:
Bundle 1 (Get all four as they are released)
For the reduced price of £35 you can receive all four Lethbridge-Stewart books before general release.

The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen
Horror of Det-Sen by Lance Parkin
The Schizoid Earth by David A. McIntee
Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters

Bundle 2 (Get Companions now)
Pre-order Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son and get Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants for just £6 straight away.




FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney

Gareth Roberts no longer writing City of Death book

Tuesday, 21 October 2014 - Reported by Anthony Weight
CrossCult-LogoAuthor and scriptwriter Gareth Roberts, writer of several Doctor Who books and scripts over the past 20 years, has this evening announced on Twitter that he is no longer working on a novelisation of the 1979 Doctor Who serial City of Death, the most-watched story in the programme's history. Instead, the book will now be written by author and former BBC Doctor Who website editor James Goss. Goss's previous work includes the Torchwood novel Almost Perfect, the Tenth Doctor audio book Dead Air, and being one of the first authors to pen a novel for the Twelfth Doctor with the recent The Blood Cell. He also worked as producer of the animated Doctor Who serials Scream of the Shalka and The Infinite Quest.

City of Death was originally scripted by producer Graham Williams and script editor Douglas Adams, from a story idea by David Fisher. Transmitted under the pseudonym of "David Agnew", the story gained over 16 million viewers in the autumn of 1979, but like Adams's other scripts for Doctor Who, rights issues meant that - unlike the majority of classic series stories - a novelisation was never produced under the original Target Books run.

In October last year it was announced that Roberts would finally be penning a novelisation of City of Death, following the success of his novelisation of Adams' scripts for the unfinished serial Shada in 2012. Roberts had become particularly known for his affinity with the Season 17 era of Doctor Who during the mid-1990s, when he penned three well-received books set during that season for Virgin Publishing's Missing Adventures range of original Doctor Who novels. Two of Roberts's Missing Adventures for the Season 17 TARDIS team are currently being adapted into audio plays by Big Finish Productions.

Roberts's novelisation of City of Death had originally been expected to be released this year - there is currently no information on when Goss's eventual version of the book may be on the shelves.






FILTER: - Books - Fourth Doctor

New books for Germany

Tuesday, 21 October 2014 - Reported by Pascal Salzmann
CrossCult-LogoGerman book publisher Cross Cult is planning to release three new Doctor Who books in the coming months:

  • November sees the release of Gareth Roberts's adaption of Shada, based on a script by Douglas Adams. The novel can be pre-ordered on Amazon DE.
  • In December Cross Cult is going to release the children's book Wann ist der Doktor? Ein Wimmelbuch ("When's the Doctor? A search-and-find book"), featuring illustrations by Jorge Santillan. It can also be pre-ordered from Amazon DE.
  • Finally, the publisher announced that they secured the rights for the War Doctor novel Kriegsmaschinen ("Engines of War") by George Mann. It will be released in February 2015 and can already be pre-ordered.

Cross Cult, primarily known for its german translated Star Trek novels, started publishing Doctor Who novels in 2013, when they released the 2nd Doctor novel Rad aus Eis ("The Wheel of Ice") by Stephen Baxter. They went on to publish the 10th Doctor novel Wunderschönes Chaos ("Beautiful Chaos") by Gary Russell, and the anthology 11 Doktoren, 11 Geschichten ("11 Doctors, 11 Stories").

 
SHADA-HighResolution (Credit: Cross Cult) Kriegsmaschinen (Credit: Amazon.de) Wann ist der Doktor (German book)




FILTER: - Books - Germany

Lalla Ward - Time Capsule

Monday, 13 October 2014 - Reported by Marcus

A new book celebrating Lalla Ward's adventures as the intrepid Time Lady Romana in Doctor Who, has been released by Fantom Films.

Designed and edited by Paul W.T. Ballard, this collection contains remembrances from Ward herself on each of her stories, alongside a vast wealth of visual material. Included inside are photographs from filming and photocalls, reproductions of beautiful costume designs from June Hudson and Doreen James, as well as stunning original artwork by top Doctor Who artists Alister Pearson and Andrew Skilleter.

All profits from this limited edition collection are being donated to Denville Hall.

You can order the book from the Fantom Films Website.




FILTER: - Books - People

Tim Quinn & Dicky Howett Doctor Who Art

Sunday, 21 September 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Miwk Publishing are publishing a complete collection of Tim Quinn/Dicky Howett Doctor Who work in a new book to be published next year.

For over a decade Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett provided a regular comic strip Doctor Who? for Marvel Comics' Doctor Who Magazine. For the first time all their strips will be collected here, together with strips from specials, annuals and yearbooks as well as their two previously published books It’s Bigger on the Inside and The Doctor Who Fun Book.

Where possible, the publishers are attempting to source original artwork to use to ensure the best material is used in the compilation. If you have a piece of Dicky Howett's Doctor Who artwork - much of which he sold or gave away - and are willing for it to be scanned for the book, please get in touch on info@miwkpublishing.com. Please do not email large scans to that address, just a contact email for now.

Each strip will be restored and come with commentary from Tim and Dicky.

The book will be available as a limited edition A4 hardback and standard A4 paperback.

Miwk Publishing will be donating £1 for every copy sold to Giggle Doctors – Theodora Children’s Trust.
With thanks to Tony Clark




FILTER: - Books - DWM