Category Archives: Annuals

Doctor Who Annual 1986

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Roger Pocock

We are at the end of a fascinating journey, looking at each and every one of the original run of Doctor Who annuals.  The range started off in the 60s as gloriously bizarre affairs, descending into thrown-together messes in the … Continue reading →

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Doctor Who Annual 1985

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Roger Pocock

Promoted as the “21st Year Anniversary Issue”, although oddly the 20th was never mentioned, the 1985 annual features seven short stories, and two articles that go behind the scenes on the production of Doctor Who.  The first of those is … Continue reading →

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Doctor Who Annual (1984)

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Roger Pocock

“Get back, Doctor!” One step closer and I trigger the bomb!” That’s not a bad opening line for the first story in a Doctor Who annual, is it, but before we get to all that it’s worth mentioning that this … Continue reading →

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Doctor Who Annual (1983)

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Roger Pocock

The 1983 Doctor Who Annual might have the blurriest photographic cover ever, but there seems to be a genuine attempt to make it more appealing to fans of Doctor Who than previous annuals.  The big change is the effort that … Continue reading →

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Doctor Who Annual (1982)

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Roger Pocock

The 1982 Doctor Who Annual (undated, published in 1981) has a split personality.  It’s a Fourth Doctor annual, and it’s a Fifth Doctor annual.  There are six stories and one comic strip, with all but the final two stories featuring … Continue reading →

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Doctor Who Annual 1981

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Roger Pocock

The amount of stories was reduced again for the 1981 Doctor Who Annual, with just one comic strip and five short stories.  However, the child of 1980 had no reason to feel hard-done-by, because the stories are actually all of … Continue reading →

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Doctor Who Annual 1980

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Roger Pocock

The 1980 Doctor Who Annual offers slim pickings once again to fans of Doctor Who fiction, with only five stories and two comic strips.  On the plus side, it’s the first annual for many years to feature recognisable artwork for … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1979

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Roger Pocock

Isn’t it strange how one of the high points of Doctor Who on television was accompanied by the low point of the annual range.  The Fourth Doctor annuals were really made to a very poor standard, and that applies to … Continue reading →

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K9 Annual 1983

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Roger Pocock

On 29th December 1981 a pilot episode for a potential spinoff series from Doctor Who was broadcast, K9 and Company.  Despite good viewing figures, it was not picked up for a full series, falling between the cracks of a change … Continue reading →

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The Dalek Book

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Roger Pocock

54 years ago some lucky children found a very exciting annual in their Christmas stockings: The Dalek Book, subtitled “astounding stories of the outer space robot people of television’s ‘Dr. Who’”.  It was published by Panther Books Ltd in association … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1978

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Roger Pocock

I described the 1977 Annual as the lowpoint of the annual range, and in terms of the artwork that is most certainly the case.  Surprisingly, they managed to find some more downhill for the stories.  For the 1978 Annual there … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1977

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Roger Pocock

So here we have it, the infamous 1977 annual, the low point of the annual range.  It puts you in a bad mood before you have even opened it up, towering over the other annuals and poking out from the … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1976

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Roger Pocock

The 1976 annual has a gorgeous frontispiece, depicting the Doctor and his companions exploring a beautiful alien landscape with monolithic ruins.  However, there is something a bit odd going on.  Who are the companions?  In particular, who is that scraggy … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1975

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Roger Pocock

The Doctor Who annuals continued their slow decline in terms of the artwork, but the quality of the stories actually improved with the 1975 annual.  They are not quite so derivative of the television episodes, but more importantly the end … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1974

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Roger Pocock

The Doctor Who annuals continue their slow decline with this offering, featuring endless boring lucky dips from the children’s encyclopedia.  There are six short stories and two comic strips.  The annuals always did feel out of step with the television … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1973

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Roger Pocock

Observant readers will notice that the last annual we looked at was dated 1971 and this one is 1973, but we haven’t actually missed one out.  Doctor Who was not deemed a successful enough series to warrant an annual for … Continue reading →

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The Dr Who Annual 1971

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Roger Pocock

The five Doctor Who annuals published during the 60s were all written along similar lines, a kind of mashup between The Web Planet and the Cushing movies.  By the time we got to the Troughton era, this was already feeling … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Doctor Who Annual

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Roger Pocock

In line with the other Sixties annuals, the fifth features a good quantity of illustrations, many of which are in full colour. The quality of the artwork is variable, and is generally far superior in the two comic strips, The … Continue reading →

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The Fourth Doctor Who Annual

Posted on February 18, 2018 by Roger Pocock

The children who got this for Christmas 1968 must have been so excited.  Look, there’s a YETI on the back cover!  That Yeti in the Underground story this year was great!  Quick, let’s look through and find the Yeti story! … Continue reading →

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The Third Doctor Who Annual

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Roger Pocock

After two excellent annuals featuring William Hartnell’s Doctor, World Distributors had to adapt to a change of actor in the lead role.  This is the first Troughton annual, published in 1967.  With his debut right at the tail end of … Continue reading →

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