Telos Reprints "Handbooks" in One Volume

Wednesday, 25 August 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Telos Publishing have informed Outpost Gallifrey that they will be reprinting the celebrated "Doctor Who: The Handbooks" series, originally published by Virgin and long out of print, as one bumper volume in 2005. The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the Production of Doctor Who by David J. Howe, Stephen James Walker and Mark Stammers will reprint the seven volumes originally published by Virgin in a 900-page text, incorporating the massive amount of production notes, background material and facts under one cover. The cover illustration is at right (click for a larger version) and the official press release is below. "The Handbook" will be released in March 2005 in the UK and May 2005 overseas. (Thanks to David Howe & Telos Publishing).
THE HANDBOOK
The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Production of Doctor Who

By David J Howe, Stephen James Walker and Mark Stammers

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PRODUCTION OF DOCTOR WHO FROM 1963 TO 1996 û IN ONE BUMPER VOLUME!

On their first publication, the Doctor Who Handbooks were hailed for their comprehensive behind the scenes exploration of the BBCÆs cult science fiction show Doctor Who. Now collected in a revised and updated edition, this book is the definitive guide to the background and production of a television classic.

Authors David J Howe, Stephen James Walker and Mark Stammers spent a decade researching, and then a decade writing this acclaimed and in-depth look at the background to Doctor Who. Every DoctorÆs era is examined through articles and analysis, key decisions are documented, and the people involved in these decisions interviewed or quoted to create one of the most revealing behind the scenes books on the trials and tribulations of arguably the greatest cult show ever to grace Saturday evening television.

Includes extensive interview quotes from all eight television Doctors, many of the actors and actresses who played their faithful companions, and literally dozens of production team members û producers, script editors, directors, designers and other behind-the-scenes staff û who brought the original series and the 1996 TV movie to the screen over a period of some thirty-three years.

Features articles on the Doctor, his companions, the effects, the locations, the costume design, the script editing, the mythos behind the series and much, much more. Includes detailed script to screen examinations of one story from each for the first seven DoctorsÆ eras, analysis of the media attention given to the series, plus an exhaustive breakdown of the production of the first three years of the show.




FILTER: - Books

BBC Site Update and e-Book

Wednesday, 18 August 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
The Empire of Glass, Andy Lane's First Doctor, Vicki & Steven novel published originally by Virgin, will be the next e-book given the treatment (later this year) on the official site... which has just undergone a spiffy refit and features some brand new design work.




FILTER: - Books

Mad Norwegian Delay

Tuesday, 10 August 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Mad Norwegian Press has announced that its next Faction Paradox book Warlords of Utopia and the re-release of Lawrence Miles' Dead Romance have both been delayed one month; they'll each be out in October. (Thanks to Lars Pearson)




FILTER: - Books

Gatiss and the Vesuvius Club

Friday, 6 August 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
New series (and longtime Doctor Who fiction) writer Mark Gatiss has penned "The Vesuvius Club," a novel due out in November in hardcover from Simon & Schuster. Says the promo: "The League of Gentlemen writer/actor with an oddball comedy about Lucifer Box, Edwardian portrait painter, dandy, serial seducer and secret agent, who frequents London's seedy underworld. The cover - emulating Strand magazine - is terrific, and this is to be the first of many Lucifer Box adventures." Apparently, the promotion for the book will include hand-outs of sample chapters on London railway stations!




FILTER: - Books

BBC Books Restructure

Thursday, 29 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
According to a story at Publishing News, "Following several months' review of its activities and performance, BBC Books has decided to refocus its publishing and reduce its list by around a third to 55-60 titles a year, many of those TV tie-ins or personality-led books. 'WeÆre slimming down the business and re-engineering the process,' Chris Weller, MD of Consumer Publishing, told PN, after a day of meetings in which the books team were told that there would be 'quite significant' job losses. The announcement coincides with the start of a wider review of all the BBCÆs commercial activities which will report in November. 'They could decide to sell us off, or keep us or enhance us,' Weller continued. 'ItÆs all in the lap of the gods.'" Now, we bring this to you not to say that the Doctor Who line is in any danger; we merely bring you what's been reported in a reputable industry source. We hope to get a statement from the folks involved in the Doctor Who novels very shortly. (Thanks to Gordon Barr)




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About Time

Sunday, 25 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Mad Norwegian Press will be releasing a new six-volume Doctor Who reference guide. About Time by Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood, will "focus on the tenure of one the actors who portrayed the Doctor, with the eras of Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGannùdue to their relatively short stays with the programùcombined into a single volume. ... In addition to the usual concerns such as the TV showÆs continuity (alien races, the DoctorÆs abilities, etc.) and lore (anecdotal, "Did You Know?"-style material), Miles and Wood will examine each story in the context of the year/historical period it was produced, determining just how topical the stories were. Along those lines, each About Time volume will include several essays on a myriad of comprehensive Doctor Who topics such as 'When are the UNIT stories set?' 'WhatÆs the Timeline of the Earth Empire?', 'How believable is the British Space Programme?' and 'Just How Chauvinistic is Doctor Who?'" The first volume, about Jon Pertwee's era, will be published in October; subsequent volumes include Tom Baker (November), Peter Davison (December), Colin Baker/Sylvester McCoy/Paul McGann (February), William Hartnell (March) and Patrick Troughton (April). (Thanks to Lars Pearson)




FILTER: - Books

BBC Books: Ninth Doctor Novels clarification

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
To expand upon the announcement last week about the forthcoming young adult Doctor Who novels based on the new television series, Justin Richards of BBC Books has contacted us with a statement that should clear up some confusion. "The 'blurbs' are taken from the BBCW internal project management system and intended to describe each of the projects. They aren't real back cover blurbs or marketing copy, they're just placeholder text. Similarly, the titles are working titles only. The schedule is provisional - and actually has been typed in wrong anyway! The order of the novels' release has already changed, for example. And the storylines have not yet been agreed in detail, so everything in these could turn out to be wrong. For the record, the audience we are aiming for is 'family' - exactly the same as the TV show. It would be rather silly to aim the books at a different audience, after all. That basically means the books will be every bit as sophisticated as the current range of novesl, but written with an awareness that children from about age 12 (rather than about 15 as now) will likely read them - so no graphic sex scenes or over the top violence or sadism etc." (Thanks to Justin Richards)




FILTER: - Books

BBC Hardcover Ninth Doc Novels

Tuesday, 6 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
As we previously reported, BBC Books will be issuing three (3) Doctor Who novels in March, April and July 2005 featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose. The official Doctor Who site today revealed some story information and titles on these, and confirmed that the books would be hardcover releases. However, Outpost Gallifrey has learned that the story blurbs are only brief outlines and not final drafts, and that the books will be aimed toward young adult readers ("hardcover" books that, like the Lemony Snicket series, are smaller... hence the ú6.99 quoted price). One curious bit: the third book is released in July; we don't know if that is a typo, or if the schedule has been further adjusted. The titles and these outlines are below; more details as we get them.
The Death Players

The Doctor and Rose are back on present-day Earth, in the middle of a heatwave. Apart from the temperature, the worst thing that's happening is the local bully causing trouble. Everything else seems pretty good. A new video game has been launched; it's a big hit, and you can even win copies on scratchcards at the supermarket. There are all sorts of other prizes too - like holidays. That's what people are desperate to win - it's so hot, they want to get away for as long as possible. So it's really no surprise when they just don't return...

The Clockwise Man

In 1920s London the Doctor and Rose find themselves caught up in the hunt for a murderer. But not everyone or everything is what they seem. Secrets lie behind locked doors and inhuman killers roam the streets. Who is the Painted Lady and why is she so interested in the Doctor? How can a cat return from the dead? Can anyone be trusted to tell - or even to know - the truth? With faceless killers closing in, the Doctor and Rose must solve the mystery of the Clockwise Man before London itself is destroyed...

Monsters Inside

The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Rose to a disastrous destination in deep space - Justicia, a prison camp stretched over seven planets, where Earth colonies deal with their criminals. Soon Rose finds herself locked up in a teenage borstal while the Doctor languishes in a scientific labour camp. Each is determined to find the other, and soon both Rose and the Doctor are risking their lives to escape in their distinctive styles. But their dangerous plans are further complicated by some old enemies. But are they fellow prisoners as they claim, or are they staging a takeover for their own sinister purposes?




FILTER: - Books

Fourbodings

Sunday, 4 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Writers Simon Clark (Telos' "The Dalek Factor") and Mark Morris (BBC Books' "Deep Blue") have written novellas for a new anthology, Fourbodings, published in the US by Cemetary Dance. (Thanks to Stephen Couch)




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Synthespians Update

Sunday, 4 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
As Outpost Gallifrey previously reported, the BBC Books release of Synthespians™ by Craig Hinton was delayed for several weeks as the publishers printed a new cover; the original cover photo was licensed by cover designers Black Sheep, but unfortunately the license agreement specifically stated that it could not be altered (which it was, for the Auton look on the faces). Therefore a new design had to be commissioned. Writer Hinton has provided us with the full wraparound cover illustration, which you can view by clicking on the thumbnail graphic at right; please note that the caption about it being an "Eighth Doctor" adventure has been corrected for the final release. (Thanks to Craig Hinton)




FILTER: - Books