Artron Energy podcast #18

The latest Artron Energy podcast is an interview with me about my various Doctor Who related scribblings, conducted by Freddie Hull and Brad Mell in August last year. It is available wherever you get your podcasts, but here are some links:

• Simon Guerrier Artron Energy on Apple podcasts
• Simon Guerrier Artron Energy on Spotify
• Simon Guerrier Artron Energy on Buzzsprout

Bernice Summerfield documentary

The team at Big Finish has posted a video on YouTube to celebrate 25 years of space-travelling archaeologist Bernice Summerfield. 

For this, on 26 June 2023 (which was 25 years to the day since they were recording their first audio production, Oh No It Isn't!) they convened Lisa Bowerman, Paul Cornell, James Goss, Gary Russell Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery, plus - to represent younger fans - er, me.

I bought the tee-shirt especially.

Vworp's 62nd in Manchester tomorrow

A bit last minute, but I'll be one of the guests as Vworp's event in Manchester tomorrow afternoon to mark 62 years of Doctor Who. I'll present "The Unseen Terrance Dicks", the talk I originally gave at Target Book Club in London in July. 

Other guests include Susan Twist off of Doctor Who, Rob Shearman (writer of Dalek), Jonathan Carley (Big Finish's War Doctor), Mark Griffiths (BBC Books etc), and Georgia Cook and Fio Trethewey (also BBC Books and Big Finish and whatnot).

Tickets and further details here.

The Baum Bugle, vol 69 no. 2

The latest issue of the Baum Bugle, journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, features a piece by editor-in-chief Sarah K Crotzer, "So...! The Many Heads of Jean Marsh".

It's an illuminated, six-page piece covering Jean's life and career, and includes a few words from me about working with her on several Doctor Who audio stories, beginning with Home Truths. 

There are some amazing photographs of Jean at the premiere of Return to Oz, care of Tricia Trozzi, as well as a feature on the press response to that movie and a checklist of merchandise. Thanks to Sarah K Crotzer for sending me a copy.

Bergcast #39 - The Blu-ray Xperiment

The latest episode of the Bergcast podcast, devoted to all things Nigel Kneale, features an interview with Steve Rogers at Hammer Films, responsible for the current run of deluxe Blu-ray releases including The Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass 2.

I'm also interviewed about the two-part documentary about Kneale I worked on for these releases, with Jon Clarke and Robin Andrews at Eklectics, brother Tom and expert pundits Toby Hadoke, Andy Murray, Brontë Schiltz, Dr Tom Attah, Joel Morris, Jane Asher and Ted Childs.

Excitingly, Hammer are showing Quatermass 2 and the second-half of the documentary TONIGHT, 9pm on 31 October 2025, on YouTube. Quatermass! The rocket guy! Pew!

Both Quatermass films are also being shown at Derby QUAD on 6 December, with talks by Toby Hadoke, Andy Murray, Brontë Schiltz and Jon Dear.

Writers' Guild guide to working with factual material

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain has produced a new, free guide to working with factual material. 

I've been involved in helping put it together, in my role as chair of the guild's Books Committee. Earlier this week, I was quoted by trade paper the Bookseller in its coverage of the free guide. Later this week, on 27 August, I'll be hosting a free online event about it later this week (see below for details).

It's likely to be my last job as chair, as my three-year stint comes to an end next month at the guild's AGM. 

Full blurb for the guide and event details as follows:

The lives of real people and true stories have always provided inspiration for writers. But the practicalities of working with factual material – and the potential to upset an existing person (or their lawyer) – can leave writers feeling anxious.

Which is why WGGB has today (19 August 2025) launched a new free, online guide on working with factual material.

The guidelines cover how copyright law treats factual material and how writers can build relationships with their subjects. They also provide advice on how to avoid being accused of libel or defamation.

The guidelines have been produced by the WGGB Books Committee, but the advice and principles contained in them will also be useful for writers working in other craft areas such as film, TV, theatre or audio.

The guide includes answers to questions that the WGGB is regularly asked. For example:

• Do I need ‘life rights’ to write about a real, living person?
• What if I want to write about a real, deceased person?
• Do I need permission to include a reference to a brand or trademark in my work?
• Do I need a licence to quote an academic or journalistic article in my work?
• Do I need a licence to parody or pastiche something factual in my work?
• What if my sources are in the public domain?
• How do I protect my copyright when doing research/conducting interviews?
• Should my interview subjects sign an NDA?
• How do I work with historical consultants?
• What if my subject wants a cut of the profits from my project?
• I want to base a fictional character on a real person – can I do that?

When it comes to undertaking research and interviews, for example of subjects or specialists in the author’s chosen area, we have published an accompanying template ‘Right to release’ form (as a free download) which the writer can ask the interview subject to sign to confirm that they understand the purpose of the interview and which grants the writer the right to use their material.

Working with factual material guides writers through understanding the differences between libel and defamation, best practice to protect themselves against a legal case, and the implications of writer warranties and indemnities.

WGGB Books Chair Simon Guerrier said: “When it comes to working with factual material, there are clearly many areas in which writers want help and clarification — as WGGB has received numerous enquiries in the past few years.

“This clear, concise publication guides writers through what they need to know and includes some practical tips.

“I’m very grateful to everyone on the WGGB Books Committee and at the union for their hard work in putting these guidelines together.”

Working with factual material – come to our free event on 27 August

WGGB Books Chair Simon Guerrier will be offering some practical advice on this subject and discussing with guests (to be announced) the pitfalls of writing about real-life characters, events and issues, whether contemporary or historical.

Live captions will be available throughout. Please let us know when you register if you have any additional access needs.

5-6pm, 27 August

Online, via Zoom

Price: free

More information and bookings

Target Books Day audio recording

I had a lovely time at Target Books Day on Saturday (19 July), organised by James Goss. He assembled a really fun, engaging series of talks and readings related to the Doctor Who novelisations, including me wanging on about Terrance Dicks - most prolific of the Target authors - and the early days of the range that launched in January 1974, alongside learned critiques and readings from new books that won't be published until next year.

You can now listen to my talk, "The Unseen Terrance Dicks", and lots of the other contributions, as episodes of the Hamster with a Blunt Penknife podcast:

Target Book Club Part One on Apple, Podbean, Spotify

• Gary Gillatt, "Opening Lines"
  Every first line of a Target novelisation, in publication order. Bliss.
  
  
• Simon Guerrier, "The Unseen Terrance Dicks"
  
  
• Jenny Colgan, reading from her forthcoming novelisation of 2010 TV episodes Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone
  
  
• Mags L Halliday, "Romancing the Target"
  Including much love for the loved-up work of David Whitaker

Target Book Club Part Two on Apple, Podbean, Spotify

• Robert Shearman, reading from his forthcoming novelisation of 2002 audio play The Chimes of Midnight
  
  
• John Grindrod, "Terror of the Blurboids"
  On the changing face of back-cover blurbs
  
  
• Nev Fountain, "The Policeman's Face Peeled Away"
  On the work of illustrator Alan Willow 
  
  
• Dr Paul Quinn, "I See The Rumours About You Are True..."
  On sexual predation in the TV version and novelisation of Ghost Light - requiring a trigger warning

Target Book Club Part Three on Apple, Podbean, Spotify

• Stephen Gallagher discusses and reads from the novelisation of his own 1980 TV story Warrior's Gate
  
  
• Steve Cole, "The Wheel of Tara" aka confessions of a books editor
  
  
• Alex Hewitt, "Reading Games with Pip and Jane"
  On literary games for children written by Pip and Jane Baker years before they scrivened for Doctor Who
  
  
• Joe Lidster reading from his forthcoming novelisation of 2005 TV story Alien of London and World War Three
  
  
• Gareth L Powell reading from his newly published novelisation of 2025 TV episode The Well
  
  
• James Goss reading from his newly published novelisation of 2025 TV episode Lux

Backlisted #244: The Ballad of Halo Jones

I'm the guest on the latest episode of books podcast Backlisted. Keen to choose a book that was a formative influence and by an author they'd not previously covered, I chose The Ballad of Halo Jones by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson. Thanks to Dr Una McCormack, Andy Miller and Nicky Birch for inviting me. What fun.

• Backlisted #244: The Ballad of Halo Jones by Alan Moore

In our natter, we mention other works by Alan Moore. You might like to read the big essay I wrote for my MA on V for Vendetta. 

The episode also mentions something that was announced on Saturday at the excellent Target Books Day: I am currently at work on a biography of Terrance Dicks, to be published by Ten Acre Films (who published by previous biography, David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television). More of all that anon.

Target Book Club, 19 July 2025

James Goss, the master brain behind Target Book Club, a celebration of the Doctor Who novelisations, has announced that I'm one of this year's speakers.

Target Book Club takes place from 10 am on Saturday 19 July 2025 at the Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, London.

• Buy tickets for Target Book Club 2025

My 15-minute talk, "The Unseen Terrance Dicks", will include some newly discovered facts about the most prolific of the Target authors. "Secrets from his files," says James. Yes, indeed.

I'm reading a lot of Terrance's work at the moment and blogged on his novelisation of The Wheel in Space just last week. You may also enjoy this 2015 interview I conducted with Terrance, in which he told me - very amiably - that I was talking nonsense.

The Go-Between, by Osman Yousefzada

Something a bit different for Easter: this Sunday at 2 pm, I'm interviewing author and artist Osman Yousefzada about his extraordinary memoir, The Go-Between, at a free online event as part of Macfest. 

• Sign up for free tickets at Eventbrite

Blurb as follows:

Join Osman Yousefzada, an internationally renowned artist and writer.

He will discuss his Memoir The Go-Between reviewed by Stephen Fry as ‘one of the greatest childhood memoirs of our time’. The book is narrated through the eyes of a child, trying to make sense of the adult world. 

His visual art practice, has been shown internationally and his works explore themes of rupture, migration, intergenerational tacit knowledge, and these conversations take forms in sculpture, textiles and installation work. Yousefzada says ‘he copies his mother to become an artist. 

Hosted by: Simon Guerrier, writer, producer, author of Sherlock Holmes - The Great War (Titan, 2021) and chair of the Books Committee for the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.

ETA: I made some notes in advance of the interview and present them here, revised to incorporate some of what he told me.

Osman is roughly my age, born in Birmingham to migrant parents from Pakistan. His mother could not speak English; his parents were both illiterate in English and their mother tongue of Pashto. The Go-Between movingly tells the story of Osman's childhood and adolescence, as part of a strictly observant Muslim household and community in Birmingham in the 1980s. It’s honest and insightful, often funny and sometimes harrowing. I found it compelling.

Particularly effective is the way it’s almost all told from his childhood perspective, as he understood things (or didn't) at the time. In this way, he is direct witness to evocative sights, textures and flavours - and to threats of violence inside and outside the home - but takes all these things as they come, without judgment. When, for example, he describes a sleepover with other boys where they gang up and pull down his trousers. He describes the adults taking this seriously but doesn't quite understand why. We, as readers, do.

That’s not to say this memoir is uncritical. We can, I think, infer what he feels now in many cases. More than that, in telling this story of an insular way of living, Osman is also constantly making connections. For example, one chapter tells about about girls who “come of age” (reach puberty) and are withdrawn from school and view, and in some cases sent away to Pakistan, as dictated by their fathers and the other men of the community. Then Osman, who is not allowed to watch TV and rarely looks at a newspaper, spots headlines about Margaret Thatcher.

“She herself had been sent away, from her house at Number 10, by her very own men.” (p. 224)

Osman is a shrewd observer, the memoir pepper with vivid, telling detail. He's also had access - for a time - to a rarely glimpsed hidden world. His original title for the book was  “God and Jelly” but I think The Go-Between is a better fit. So much of what he describes here is a world of strictly observed binary divisions: Muslim and non-Muslim, immigrant and born-here, white and non-white, male and female, the rules in the house and for navigating outside...

Near the end of the book, he describes a formative time as an art student in London, going out to clubs with his friend Emma, where he, “saw genders become fluid” (p. 340). Throughout this story, he has been fluid, somewhere between the two binaries - a boy among the girls and women, a child of his parents’ community and the world outside it. But he’s not alone: other children must navigate the nuances between these two worlds, there are his mother’s friends who wear lipstick or go without a veil, whose husbands - gasp! - serve them tea.

By conveying the vibrant colour and texture of his early life, he demonstrates that none of us live in black and white.

Remembering / Forgetting The Savages

The animation of otherwise-missing 1966 Doctor Who story The Savages is out now. It includes Stuart Denman's 100-minute documentary Remembering / Forgetting The Savages, in which Toby Hadoke explores in depth the history, context and meaning of this lost adventure.

I'm one of the punters involved, asked about such things as The Joy of Sex and the Doctor's reacting vibrator (yes, really). 

The Savages sees the departure of companion Steven Taylor, played by Peter Purves. You can find out what happened to him next in the audio stories The War to End All Wars, The Founding Fathers and The Locked Room.

Macfest interview with Shirin Shamsi

Tomorrow, as part of Macfest, I'll be interviewing children's author Shirin Shamsi in a free online event. 

Shirin will read her book Zahra’s Blessing - A Ramadan Story, and we'll talk about that and her other work. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.

The blurb for the event says:

Shirin Shamsi is an award-winning author of children’s books. Born and raised in the United Kingdom to Pakistani immigrants, she moved to the USA with her husband, over thirty years ago, where they have raised three children. Now empty nesters, they live with their cat Bramble in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

With a background in Early Childhood, children have always been Shirin’s priority and focus. She writes with the hope that every child will see themselves represented in books. Having lived on three continents, Shirin sees herself as a global citizen. She feels passionately about sharing stories that represent global themes and diversity; stories that inspire curiosity, compassion, kindness, and empathy.

This is the third Macfest I've been part of. Last year I interviewed Seti Atta about her novel A Bit of Difference. The year before, I interviewed Fatima Manji about her book Hidden Histories.

ETA that the video of my interview with Shirin Shamsi is now up on YouTube:

Quoted in the Bookseller

I'm quoted in The Bookseller, in Heloise Wood's piece, 'Carelessness rife' in UK publishing fact-checking as concerns grow over workloads, AI and 'status bias'. You need to register to read it.

As I say, a key issue is the ability to identify credible sources. Ironically - as if I've tempted fate by speaking out - I've recently learned that something I state as fact in my 2023 biography David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television, and which I based on what seemed to be sound evidence, isn't true. More on that, and a full correction, soon.

Power of 3 podcast #351: The Time Travellers

The latest episode of Kenny Smith's Power of 3 podcast is about my Doctor Who novel The Time Travellers, first published in 2005 and so 20 years old. (Of no interest to anyone, but I delivered the first draft on 29 April 2005, the day before Dalek was broadcast.)

The episode includes an interview with me, struggling to remember whatever it was I was thinking at the time - other than "Eeeeeeeee I'm writing a book!"

Last year, I spoke to the same podcast about my 2007 Doctor Who novel The Pirate Loop and, separately, my new book Doctor Who - The Time Travelling Alamanac. And the year before, I spoke to them about David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television.

The Power of 3 podcast #316: The Time-Travelling Almanac

I spoke to Kenny Smith for his Power of 3 podcast about my new book, Doctor Who: The Time-Travelling Almanac, which would of course make the ideal Christmas gift for the Doctor Who fans in your life...

• Power of 3 #316: The Time-Travelling Almanac

I spoke to Kenny last year about another of my books, David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television; that podcast is available here and you can still buy the book.

(The photograph above right shows two copies of the Time-Travelling Almanac plus my copy of Kate Orman's 1994 Doctor Who novel The Left-Handed Hummingbird.)

Something Who podcast #102 and #103

The latest episodes of Doctor Who podcast Something Who compare 1975 story The Ark in Space with 2010 episode The Beast Below. I thought I knew both adventures pretty well, but the juxtaposition really helps to open up both. You can probably hear the tired old cogs of my brain clacking away... 

Joining host Richard Smith are astronomy writer Giles Sparrow, Rick aka @brickpandorica and me.

• Something Who #102: 70s Flare (The Ark in Space)
• Something Who #103: A Whale of a Time (The Beast Below)

Giles was an advisor on my recently published book Doctor Who: The Time-Travelling Almanac. Also pertinent to the discussion is the audio version of the first-draft scripts for The Ark in Space, which I produced last year.

Whotopia #43

Issue 43

The new issue of free online Doctor Who fanzine Whotopia* is now available, and includes a tribute to the late actor William Russell plus "Exciting Adventures" - an interview with me by Reecy Pontiff.

• Download Whotopia #43 (PDF)
• Whotopia website
• Reecy Pontiff's website

* Not to be confused with the book Whotopia for which I did some of the writing.

Follow Your Curiosity podcast #241

I'm interviewed by Nancy Norbeck on the latest episode of the Follow Your Curiosity podcast, which you can find on YouTube and all these podcasty places.

Nancy says:

The Evolving Landscape of AI in the Arts 

My guest this week is Simon Guerrier, a writer and producer who has written numerous books related to Doctor Who, produced five documentaries for BBC radio, and more than 70 audio plays for Big Finish Productions, as well as comics and short stories. He also chairs the Books Committee for the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Simon talks with me about how he got his start in writing and producing—including just what a producer does—the value of negotiating arrangements that work in everyone’s best interest, the impact of new tools like ChatGPT on creative careers and the creative process, his new book about television pioneer David Whitaker, and more. 

A Bit of Difference, by Sefi Atta

Deola Bello works for a company in London that audits charities and NGOs around the world. She arranges one assignment so that she'll be back in Nigeria in time for the fifth anniversary of the death of her father. But facing her extended family means a whole load of questions - about what she's doing with her life, what she wants and where she belongs...

Yesterday, I interviewed author Sefi Atta about this 2013 novel for an online event hosted by Macfest - ETA the full interview is now up on YouTube. Sefi is a prolific author - of novels, short stories and plays (for both radio and the stage) - but chose this novel as the focus of our discussion.

She told me that she'd consciously endeavoured to avoid the cliches and stereotypes she'd observed at the time of writing, as expressed in the novel by Deola in a conversation with a writer friend.

"African novels are too exotic for her. Reading them, she often feels they are meant for Western readers, who are more likely to be impressed." (p. 190)

These readers seem to be drawn to tales of catastrophe, as the writer friend responds:

"The more death the better. It is like literary genocide. Kill off all your African characters and you're home and dry. They certainly don't want to hear from the likes of me, writing about trivialities like love." (p. 191).

Deola counters that,

"Love is not trivial. ... Love is epic." (p. 192)

For all we might hear, repeatedly, of the danger of "armed robbers" while Deola is in Nigeria, that threat never materialises. In fact, the only armed conflict here is the protests in London to the ongoing Gulf War (the novel set in 2003). There's corruption in Nigeria but that dovetails with the way Deola is treated, belittled and overlooked by her employers in London, who express disappointment that her report based on first-hand experience is not what they wanted to hear.

Instead, the focus here is on the personal: Deola's friendships, her family, a man she meets in Nigeria and what happens between them. In the course of all this, she's wrestling with her sense of self - her identity and future. For all the backdrop of Gulf War (in London) and poverty, AIDS crisis and corruption (in Nigeria), it's a warm, funny novel full of sharp observations because it's all told from Deola's perspective; her character, concerns and passions set the tone.

Doctor Who Literature #105: Timelash

I'm a guest on the latest edition of the Doctor Who Literature Podcast, this time discussing the novelisation Timelash by Glen McCoy, first published in December 1985 and based on his TV story broadcast earlier that same year.

• Doctor Who Literature #105: Timelash on Spotify
• Doctor Who Literature #105: Timelash on Apple

We recorded this at the Gallifrey convention in LA last weekend and you can hear me being constantly distracted by the extraordinary spectacle of people in ever more inventive costumes milling about us. At one point, even the unflappable Jason is left speechless by the Sisterhood of Karn assembling beside us for a photo.

As well as Timelash, we also discuss the talk I gave on the history of television prior to Doctor Who, my book David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television and what I did on Whotopia.