Doctor Who Magazine 542

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine is out in shops tomorrow. I've written the preview of the Season 23 Blu-ray box set, comprising the 14 episodes of The Trial of a Time Lord (1986). It's Doctor Who's longest ever story, made at a time of great crisis in the show's history. But the new extras I've seen are full of mischief and fun.

For the preview, I spoke to Russell Minton (head of international production consultancy at BBC Studios, and the person in charge of these box sets), Chris Chapman (director of three new documentaries on the set) and Dr Matthew Sweet (interviewer). Matthew tells me that he begins the research for his in-depth interviews on these box sets by immersing himself in "Pixleyana" - a phrase I shall now adopt - and explains why he thinks Bonnie Langford long ago passed into "the realm of the symbolic".

Doctor Who Magazine special on Target books

This special edition of Doctor Who Magazine covers the Target novelisations and their proustian delights, and is in shops now. It's full of stuff I didn't know, plus lots about the greatest book related to the series ever - Terrance Dicks's The Doctor Who Monster Book (1975).

I'm also in it, speaking to magnificent Marc Platt about novelising his own TV serial, Ghost Light, and then novelising one by a friend - Battlefield, the scripts of which had been written by Ben Aaronovitch.

Last week, I listened to the audiobook of Doctor Who - The Invasion - one of my favourites of the Target series. This special has made me want to seek out more.

Doctor Who Magazine 541

"Four Doctors... Forty-three episodes... One groundbreaking director". The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine boasts hidden treasures from the archive of director Chistopher Barry. I interviewed fellow director Michael E Briant and writer Marc Platt about their memories of working with him.

Doctor Who Magazine 538

Robert Allsopp's first work on Doctor Who was to make the question mark handle for Sylvester McCoy's umbrella in 1987. He's worked on the series on-and-off ever since - his workshop supplied the mechanical version of the Dalek creature hugging poor Charlotte Ritchie in this year's episode, Resolution.

I've interviewed Rob about his career for the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine - out now.

Costume design in Doctor Who

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition focuses on costume design - an often neglected aspect of a series that has otherwise been studied exhaustively.

Running through the special is a decade-by-decade history of costume in the series written by Piers Britton, co-author of the seminal academic study Reading between Designs: Visual Imagery and the Generation of Meaning in The Avengers, The Prisoner and Doctor Who (2003), and its full of gems like the way Sandra Reid had to find plausible ways to put companions from Earth's past into more contemporary clothes.

"Her solution for Victoria, in the character's second serial, The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), was especially clever. Details of Victoria's original crinoline, with its ruffled bodice, were echoed in a demurely knee-skimming mini-dress, made from a very similar sprigged material but embellished with knife pleats, rather than ruffles, running from shoulder to belt." (p. 8)

The special also includes interviews with costume designers and actors from the series. I spoke to four of the Doctor's travelling companions from contemporary Earth: Anneke Wills (Polly, 1966-7); Katy Manning (Josephine Grant, 1971-3, 2010); Sophie Aldred (Ace, 1987-9); Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri, 2005-6, 2008, 2010). I also spoke to fan Tim Wearing, who happens to own his favourite costume from all of Doctor Who.

This all dovetails with my ongoing work for the Doctor Who Figurine Collection, where I'm writing 1,200 words for each of the characters I'm assigned from the whole history of the series - as well as longer pieces for the Companion Set issues focused on Doctors and their companions. Here's a list of the issues of Doctor Who Figurine Collection I've written.

Doctor Who Magazine 537

Doctor Who Magazine #537 is in shops from tomorrow, and includes my interview with Samuel Oatley, the actor who played terrifying teeth monster Tzim-Sha - or Tim Shaw - in last year's The Woman Who Fell to Earth and The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos. 

Doctor Who Magazine #535

Out today, Doctor Who Magazine issue #535 includes my interview with Feifei Ruan, the illustrator and visual storyteller who created the extraordinary images used to promote Doctor Who in China.

I'm also a page 3 model, with my photo and short biography carefully placed to scare off readers of a nervous disposition. The Dr and the Lord of Chaos were commissioned for the special photo shoot, which included this dramatic moment.

Christel & Simon Talk Doctor Who

Here's an interview with me and Christel Dee about our book, Doctor Who - The Women Who Lived, conducted at Forbidden Planet in London. It includes glimpses of the book and of some of the brilliant artists. And if you look very carefully, you can spot out loitering boss.

Doctor Who Magazine #532

The super new issue of Doctor Who Magazine is out tomorrow - but reaching subscribers already. Among the treats inside, I've interviewed costume designer Ray Holman about the current "TARDIS team", with tips for cosplaying the Doctor, Ryan, Yaz and Graham.

As Ray and I were talking on the phone about the practicalties of the Doctor's new costume, Lady Vader (or "Pting" as her brother now calls her) took it all to heart. Soon she was insisting I zip up her favourite princess outfit which she wore with owl backpack and wellington boots. The interview over, I then had to take her out for adventures, splashing in puddles while looking 100%.

Time for an adventure...

"It was all Christel's idea..."

I was interviewed by Mackenzie Flohr about The Women Who Lived and other Doctor Who things I have written.

I'll also be a guest at Worthing Wormhole on 10 November.

Doctor Who Magazine #530

Doctor Who Magazine #530 is now available in shops and online. It includes my interview with musician Christian Erickson about how 1984 Doctor Who story The Caves of Androzani inspired his new album, The Caves - which I've been listening to a lot over the past few months.

The issue also includes a preview of The Women Who Lived, my new Doctor Who book which is out this week, and a nice review of The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles, which includes my latest Doctor Who audio play.

This issue of Doctor Who Magazine is also available as a deluxe edition exclusive to WHSmith, the goodies including a Doctor Who audio adventure from Big Finish (I'm afraid there's a risk you'll end up with one of mine) and a postcard of Lee Binding's cover art for The Women Who Lived.

I'll be signing the book later this week - at Forbidden Planet in London on Friday evening from 6 pm and at Forbidden Planet in Bristol on Saturday afternoon from 1 pm - along with my co-author Christel Dee and some of the artists involved.

And you can win a copy of the book by paying careful attention to this interview with me and Christel conducted by Phil Hawkins:

Two Eleventh Doctor things

Michael Pickwoad

I was very sad to hear of the death of Michael Pickwoad, Doctor Who's brilliant production designer between 2010 and 2017. I've posted my interview with Pickwoad for Doctor Who Magazine in 2014, and hope it conveys his intelligence, warmth and eagerness to help.

I'd been a fan of his for years, and pestered then editor Tom Spilsbury to run a feature on him, whether or not I got to do it. Pickwoad readily accepted, and invited me to the studio at Roath Lock in Cardiff where the series was busy being made - insisting I close my eyes as he led me through a room full of designs for the forthcoming Series 8.

Also, Hero Collector have published a timeline of companion Amy Pond, which I wrote to accompany my feature on her costumes for the first of the Companion Sets from Doctor Who Figurines Collection.

Doctor Who Figurine Collection

I've been working for a while on the partwork Doctor Who Figurine Collection, my job to write 1,200 words on the costumes of particular characters from the whole history of Doctor Who, as assigned to me by editor Neil Corry.

It's fun and fiddly, involving lots of research and the tracking down of people to interview, as always in the hope of unearthing new detail or insight. For my own record, here are the issues I've done. 

ETA - I've kept this list updated as we've gone. Sadly, on 12 July 2022 it was announced that published Eaglessmoss has filed for administration.

100 - The Master
Specifically, the significance of the Nehru suit worn by actor Roger Delgado for the Master's first appearance in the opening scenes of Terror of the Autons (1971).

113 - Robot Santas 
The modified design from The Runaway Bride (2006), rather than the originals from The Christmas Invasion (2005).

114 - Ice Queen Iraxxa 
From The Empress of Mars (2017), including interview with writer Mark Gatiss. I also spoke to Gary Russell and Lee Sullivan about the design of the female Ice Warrior, Shssur Luass, seen in the Doctor Who comic strip published in Radio Times in 1996.

115 - Auton
In blue overalls, from Spearhead in Space (1970).

117 - Omega
From Arc of Infinity (1983); I try to uncover why he looks nothing like he did in his previous story, The Three Doctors (1972-3).

118 - Spacesuit Zombie
From Oxygen (2017), including interview with actor Tim Dane Reid.

119 - Emojibot
From Smile (2017), including interview with writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce and SFX producer Kate Walshe.

120 - The First Doctor
From The Doctor Falls and Twice Upon a Time (2017), including interview with costume designer Hayley Nebauer.

121 - Truth Monk
From Extremis, The Pyramid at the End of the World and The Lie of the Land (2017), including interviews with actor Tim Dane Reid, SFX producer Kate Walshe and costume designer Hayley Nebauer.

122 - Eliza
From Knock Knock (2017), including interview with sculptor Gary Pollard and SFX producer Kate Walshe.

125 - Silurian
From Warriors of the Deep (1984), including excerpts from correspondence from writer Johnny Byrne to fan Sarah Groenewegen in 1983.

126 - The Second Doctor
Specifically, the costume from his first story, The Power of the Daleks (1966).

127 - Winder
From The Beast Below (2010), examining an earlier version of the script.

132 - The Fourth Doctor
Specifically, June Hudson's redesign of the costume for The Leisure Hive (1980). I spoke to Hudson, and also to Ron Davies from Angel's Costumiers, who cut the coat.

135 - Pig Slave
From Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks (2007).

136 - Koquillion
From The Rescue (1965). I'm especially pleased about this as Koquillion is a favourite monster - so much so that I named another of my blogs after him.

138 - The Thirteenth Doctor
Including interviews with Jodie Whittaker and costume designer Ray Holman.

141 - Pirate Captain
From the 1978 story The Pirate Planet.

142 - The Third Doctor
In the costume worn during his debut series (1970).

144 - The Master
As played by Anthony Ainley in the costume first seen in the closing moments of The Keeper of Traken (1981).

145 - Sutekh
From 1975 story Pyramids of Mars, including an interview with Egyptologist John J Johnston.

147 - The Chief Clown
The villain from The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1988-9).

149 - The Ghost
As seen in 2016 Christmas special The Return of Doctor Mysterio. I interviewed costume designer Hayley Nebauer, prop maker Rob Allsopp and actor Justin Chatwin.

150 - The Valeyard
I spoke to actor Michael Jayston about being an evil, future version of the Doctor, see in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986).

151 - Tzim-Sha
As seen in 2018's The Woman Who Fell to Earth and The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos. I interviewed costume designer Ray Holman, SFX producer Kate Walshe from Millennium FX, actor Samuel Oatley and prop maker Rob Allsopp.

153 - Kerblam Man
For the postmen and team-mates in 2018's Kerblam! I spoke to costume designer Ray Holman and prop maker Rob Allsopp.

154 - Broton
As seen in 1975's Terror of the Zygons.

155 - Sniperbot
From 2018's The Ghost Monument and The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos. I spoke to Ray Holman and Rob Allsopp.

156 - Cybershade
As seen in 2008's The Next Doctor.

160 - Anne Droid
From 2005's Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways.

161 - Ribbons
I spoke to costume designer Ray Holman about this character played by the actor Kevin Eldon in 2018's It Takes You Away.

162 - Thijarian
As seen in Demons of the Punjab (2018), I spoke to writer Vinay Patel, costume designer Ray Holman and prop maker Rob Allsopp.

163 - Morax 
I spoke to writer Joy Wilkinson, costume designer Ray Holman and SFX producer Kate Walshe from Millennium FX about this mud monster from 2018's The Witchfinders.

165 - Lin-Dalek
Actress Charlotte Ritchie, costume designer Ray Holman and prop maker Rob Allsop told me about the figure-hugging Dalek creature seen in 2019's Resolution.

166 - Magnus Greel
Acclaimed costume designer John Bloomfield told me about making Magnus Greel's costume for The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977) - and the blockbuster Hollywood movie the costume then appeared in!

167 - Sixth Doctor blue costume
I wrote the whole issue (not just the costume bit) devoted to 2002 webcast Real Time. Writer and director Gary Russell, artist Lee Sullivan, and BBC web producer James Goss all provided details.

169 - Tzim-Sha II
Having spoken to him for issue 151, I spoke to actor Sam Oatley again about his return to the series in 2018's The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos.

170 - Stor
The Sontaran commander seen in 1978's The Invasion of Time.

172 - Nimon

From 1979-80 story The Horns of Nimon.

176 - Angels

177 - Pol-Kon-Don Judoon

Including an interview with Jim Sangster about our late friend Paul Condon, after whom the Judoon commander seen in 2020's Fugitive of the Judoon was named.

179 - River Song

We spoke to actress Alex Kingston about the costume she wears in Day of the Moon and A Good Man Goes To War (both 2011).

180 - Thirteenth Doctor in tuxedo

I interviewed costume designer Ray Holman about the Doctor's tuxedo, seen in 2020 episode Spyfall part one.

181 - Ambassador

The titular villains from 1970 story The Ambassadors of Death.

182 - The Dregs

As seen in 2020's Orphan 45. Includes some of my interview with costume designer Ray Holman.

183 - Eldrad

I spoke to actress Judith Paris about playing Eldrad in 1976 story The Hand of Fear.

184 - Hame

The cat nun seen in 2006 story New Earth and 2007's Gridlock.

186 - Skithra Queen

I spoke to Ray Holman, the team at Millennium FX and actress Anjli Mohindra answered my questions about the scorpion-monster seen in 2020's Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror.

187 - Master

Ray Holman and Sasha Dharwan told me about the new look for the new Master, introduced in 2020's Spyfall.

188 - Fugitive Doctor

Ray Holman and Jo Martin talked to me about the look for the new Doctor introduced in 2020 story Fugitive of the Judoon.

189 - Snowman

I spoke to Saul Metzstein, director of 2012 Christmas special The Snowmen.

190 - The Haunting of Villa Diodati

I wrote the Q&A relating to this 2020 story, plus a profile of prop maker Rob Allsopp.

191 - Celestial Toymaker

A feature on the titular baddie from this 1966 story. I spoke to actress Anneke Wills about her memories of her former husband Michael Gough playing the role, and wrote a profile of him.

193 - Chameleons

I spoke to the team behind the new animation of largely missing 1967 story The Faceless Ones.

195 - Bok

From The Daemons (1971), which included tracking down photographs of actor Stanley Mason in the Countdown annual and an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

196 - Mestor

I interviewed Steven Wickham, who played one of the other Gastropods in 1984 story The Twin Dilemma.

197 - Cloister Wraith

As played by director Rachel Talalay in 2015 story Hell Bent. 

199 - The Evil of the Daleks

I wrote a short history of the production of this 1967 story.

200 - Time Lords

I wrote a short history of the Time Lords' costumes.

202 - Salamander

From 1967-68 story The Enemy of the World.

203 - Primord

From Inferno (1970)

204 - Navrino

From Delta and the Bannermen (1987)

205 - Mutt

From The Mutants (1972)

206 - Borad

From Timelash (1985)

208 - Raston Warrior Robot

From The Five Doctors (1983)

210 - Dream Lord

From Amy's Choice (2010)

213 - Santa

From Last Christmas (2014)

215 - Styggron

From The Android Invasion (1975)

216 - Karvanista

From 2021's Flux, with interviews with costume designer Ray Holman, writer Chris Chibnall and actor Craig Els.

217 - Movellan

From 1979's Destiny of the Daleks.

218 - Swarm

From 2021's Flux, with interviews with costume designer Ray Holman and actor Sam Spruell.

Also written: Bellal from Death to the Daleks (1974); the Black Guardian from Mawdryn Undead, Terminus and Enlightenment (1983); Vinder from Flux (2021); Ood Elder from The End of Time (2009-10).

Companion set 1 - Amy Pond and The Eleventh Doctor
Covering their costumes between The Eleventh Hour (2010) and The Angels Take Manhattan (2012).

Companion set 2 - The Tenth Doctor and Rose
Using material from my previous interviews with costume designer Louise Page.

Companion set 3 - Sarah Jane Smith and The Fourth Doctor
Covering their costumes between Robot (1974-5) and The Hand of Fear (1976). I spoke to Lee Bender of Bus Stop about why Sarah Jane was dressed for the disco.

Companion set 4 - The Twelfth Doctor and Bill Potts
I spoke to costume designer Hayley Nebauer.

Companion set 5 - The Ninth Doctor and "Captain Jack Harkness"
Including an interview with actor John Barrowman.

Companion set 6 - Jamie McCrimmon and the Second Doctor
I interviewed Frazer Hines about everything he wore in the series.

Companion set 7 - The Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin Khan, Ryan Sinclair and Graham O'Brien
I interviewed costume designer Ray Holman.

Companion set 8 - The First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Susan Foreman and Barbara Wright

Companion set 11 - The Seventh Doctor and Ace

We spoke to actress Sophie Aldred.

Companion set 12 - The Third Doctor, Jo Grant, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton

I spoke to actress Katy Manning, and also to David Hobday whose detailed analysis of UNIT uniforms can be found at https://unituniforms.blogspot.com. 

Companion set 13 - The Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa & Tegan Jovanka

With contributions from Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton.

Companion set 14 - The Sixth Doctor & Peri Brown 

Mega issue - The Fourth Doctor

Mega issue - The Eleventh Doctor

Special 23 - Yeti

Also written: material for a special issue devoted to 1977 story Image of the Fendahl.

The World of Doctor Who

In shops now, The World of Doctor Who is the latest - and 50th - special edition of Doctor Who Magazine, and examines the past, present and future of fandom.

I've written three features:

SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION
'Calling all Doctor Who fans...' The Doctor Who Appreciation Society was launched in 1976. Paul Winter, the current Co-ordinator, explains how its role has changed over the years.

THE FAN SHOWS
From humble beginnings in the early 70s, fan productions have grown increasingly sophisticated, nurturing careers and featuring numerous stars from television Doctor Who.
(I spoke to animator Lucy Crewe from Creative Cat FX, director Kevin Jon Davies, Den Valdron who wrote The Great Unauthorized Doctor Stories, producer Keith Barnfather, puppeteer Alisa Stern and the team behind Devious - Ashley Nealfuller, David Clarke, Stephen Cranford and Mark Jones.)

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
What began in a church in London in 1977 has now become a crucial part of many fans' social calendars. This is the essential guide to Doctor Who conventions.
(I spoke to Dexter O'Neill at Fantom, Oni Hartstein of (Re)Generation Who, and fans Prakash Bakrani, Jennifer and Ed Comstock, Yashoda Sampath, Jenny Shirt and Andrea @TARDISParrot.) 

Doctor Who Magazine Yearbook 2018

The Doctor Who Magazine Yearbook 2018 is out in shops now. Among its myriad delights are some things I did the typing on:

WET LOOK
An interview with Stephanie Hyam, who played Heather - the enigmatic student, spooky puddle and love interest of Bill Potts.

NOISES OFF
Sound engineer Cathy Robinson details how the especially unsettling "binaural" sound mix for Knock, Knock was achieved.

THE HERMAPHRODITE CIVIL SERVANT
Ysanne Churchman tells me about returning to Doctor Who after 43 years to reprise the role of Alpha Centauri.

Many of my previous interviews with Doctor Who cast and crew can be read on the Koquillion site.

The Essential Doctor Who - Time Travel

From my munificent masters at Doctor Who Magazine comes The Essential Doctor Who - Time Travel, available in shops and for download.

I've written five pieces for it:

ORIGINAL EVIL
How 1967 story The Evil of the Daleks might have been very different, as I pick over the original outline (published here for the first time) and speak to the woman originally cast as Victoria - all taken from my Black Archive book on The Evil of the Daleks.

THE AGONY OF PERPETUITY
Actor David Collings discusses how he utterly terrified me as a child as the alien Mawdryn in 1983 story Mawdryn Undead.

HOLMES ON HOLMES
Using archive interviews with the great Robert Holmes to explore 1985 story The Two Doctors - in his own words.

CREATING ANGELS
I journey to the church in Suffolk that inspired the Weeping Angels, first seen in 2007 story, Blink.

WE OUGHT TO BE DOING THINGS
When Doctor Who began it was impossible to alter the past - so what changed?

Doctor Who Magazine #517

Oops. I'd meant to post some things - about books I've been reading and nonsense in my head - but have been Busy. And now another issue of Doctor Who Magazine is out, when I'd only just mentioned the last one.

It's a little alarming that it marks 30 years of the Seventh Doctor, who I still can't help but think of as "new".

Anyway, as well as all the usual hijinks, issue #517 includes my interview with composer Dominic Glynn about the release of his soundtrack for 1989 story Survival - which I adore.

I'm also interviewed about my new book Whoniversal Records (out next week) and new audio play The Outliers (out next month), and there's a nice review of Paper Dolls (out now).

Oh, and tomorrow me and James Goss will be monsters-in-residence at Uxbridge Library from 6.30 pm. There will be shenanigans and maybe even shobogans.

Doctor Who Magazine #516

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine - the first under the whip of new editor Marcus Hearn - features interviews with Jodie Whittaker, Russell T Davies and the horrifically clever monster-makers at Millennium FX.

I've also interviewed Nicholas Briggs about providing the voices for the Mondasian Cybermen in the last two episodes of Doctor Who. He also tells me about Peter Capaldi's emotional last day of recording on the forthcoming Christmas special...

Paper Dolls Q&A

The We Are Cult site has interviewed me and Ben Morris about our new book, Doctor Who Paper Dolls.

Referencing the Doctor

The new Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition is out in shops, this one devoted to Referencing the Doctor. It's full of wonders, including Alistair McGown's piece on the greatest book about Doctor Who ever, The Doctor Who Monster Book (1975).

I've written a few bits and bobs for the mag, too:

STINFO MANIACS
In the days before Doctor Who Magazine, the devotees of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society went to extraordinary lengths to chart the history of their favourite programme. (Interviews with DWAS's Jan Vincent-Rudzki and Jeremy Bentham.)

MAIL ORDER MAN
For two decades, John Fitton provided an essential service to Doctor Who fans - supplying books and other merchandise direct to their doors.

THE BOOKKEEPER
Doctor Who's account brand manager Edward Russell is the ultimate authority on what goes into a reference book.

Plus Robert Fairclough talks to m'colleagues Steve O'Brien and Ben Morris about our 2016 book, Whographica. Mark Wright talks to BBC Books's publishing director Albert DePetrillo about titles including my The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who and the forthcoming Paper Dolls and The Book of Whoniversal Records. There's even mention of my book on The Evil of the Daleks. And I provided some details about The Writer's Guide produced by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain - edited by Malcolm Hulke and commissioned by David Whitaker.