Contact Information
I welcome suggestions and feedback and will consider interesting guest posts. If you would like to email please click on the picture to view contact details.
Articles by each writer:
By the same blogger:
Tag Archives: Master
Orphan 55
Why do I watch Doctor Who? What is it about it that makes me keep watching? Why has it been my favourite television show for the vast majority of my life? It’s a very hard question to answer, because there … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, Thirteenth Doctor
Tagged Graham, Jodie Whittaker, Master, Orphan 55, Ryan, Yasmin
2 Comments
Spyfall
The most important question a writer should ask himself is “why?” That needs to be asked throughout a story. Why am I doing this as a writer? Why is this character there? Why is this happening? If a writer fails … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, Thirteenth Doctor
Tagged Graham, Jodie Whittaker, Master, Ryan, Spyfall, Yasmin
9 Comments
Doctor Who Annual 1986
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
Posted in Annuals, Books, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Sixth Doctor
Tagged 1986 Annual, John White, Master, Peri
Leave a comment
Doctor Who Annual 1985
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
Posted in Annuals, Books, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Sixth Doctor
Tagged 1985 Annual, Master, Peri
5 Comments
Doctor Who Annual (1984)
“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
Posted in Annuals, Books, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fifth Doctor, Science Fiction
Tagged 1984 Annual, Master, Peter Davison, Tegan, Turlough
5 Comments
Doctor Who Annual (1983)
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
Posted in Annuals, Books, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fifth Doctor, Science Fiction
Tagged 1983 Annual, Adric, Master, Nyssa, Peter Davison, Tegan
Leave a comment
Cliffhangers: Fifth Doctor
When I wrote about the Fourth Doctor cliffhanger endings, I mentioned how the variety and inventiveness of the cliffhangers had been a diminishing process since the 1960s. That doesn’t just continue for the Fifth Doctor era, it falls off a … Continue reading
Posted in Cliffhangers, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fifth Doctor, Science Fiction, Television
Tagged Master, Nyssa, Peter Davison, Tegan, Turlough
1 Comment
Cliffhangers: Third Doctor 2
Last time we looked at some cliffhangers from the Third Doctor era and noted how limited they had become in comparison to the Sixties episodes. Placing the Doctor and/or his companions in danger was the default cliffhanger. What we didn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Cliffhangers, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Television, Third Doctor
Tagged Jo, Jon Pertwee, Master, Sarah Jane Smith
3 Comments
Cliffhangers: Third Doctor 1
I have watched every Doctor Who episode in order a couple of times, and on both occasions the big slog to get through has been the Third Doctor era. Somehow it always seems like an awful lot of the same … Continue reading
Posted in Cliffhangers, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Television, Third Doctor
Tagged Brigadier, Jo, Jon Pertwee, Liz, Master, Sarah Jane Smith
2 Comments
The Dr Who Annual 1974
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
Posted in Annuals, Books, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Third Doctor
Tagged 1974 Annual, Brigadier, Jo, Jon Pertwee, Master, UNIT
Leave a comment
Doctor Who: The Movie
The original series of Doctor Who came to an end in 1989, and the new series returned to our screens in 2005. But between these two there was one fleeting ray of light, the moment Doctor Who returned for the … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Eighth Doctor, Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television
Tagged Grace, Master, Paul McGann, The Movie
3 Comments
Frontier in Space
The Doctor regained his freedom at the beginning of this series, and it didn’t take long before we get the obvious approach, now that the Earth-bound format is gone: an old-fashioned bit of sci-fi set in the future with galactic … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, Third Doctor
Tagged Daleks, Frontier in Space, Jo, Master
1 Comment
Survival
Survival is the final story of the Classic series of Doctor Who. Remarkably it manages to bookend the series thematically and foreshadow the revival to come, and it does both of these things by accident. We are back in contemporary … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Seventh Doctor, Television
Tagged Ace, Master, Survival, Sylvester McCoy
4 Comments
The Dr Who Annual 1973
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
Posted in Annuals, Books, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Third Doctor
Tagged 1973 Annual, Brigadier, Jo, Jon Pertwee, Master, UNIT
Leave a comment
Planet of Fire
Peter Grimwade had a lot to accomplish with this story. It is one of those shopping list briefs that plague the Davison era: write out Turlough, introduce Peri, reintroduce Kamelion and then write him out, fill in Turlough’s background, resolving … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fifth Doctor, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television
Tagged Kamelion, Master, Peri, Peter Davison, Planet of Fire, Turlough
2 Comments
Castrovalva
There are lots of Doctor Who stories that are inspired by fiction or by films, but these are not the only sources of inspiration available. I have not exactly showered the work of Christopher H. Bidmead with praise so far, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fifth Doctor, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television
Tagged Adric, Castrovalva, Escher, Master, Nyssa, Peter Davison, Tegan
2 Comments
Logopolis
Anyone who has read my other Season 18 articles will have worked out by now that I am not a big fan of Christopher H. Bidmead’s approach to Doctor Who, which basically amounts to rooting it in science. Up to … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fourth Doctor, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television
Tagged Adric, Logopolis, Master, Nyssa, Tegan, Tom Baker
2 Comments
The Keeper of Traken
On Traken there is no evil. Anything evil on the planet turns to stone. The use of that word “evil” will give regular readers of this blog a clue as to what kind of an article this is going to … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fourth Doctor, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television
Tagged Adric, Master, Nyssa, The Keeper of Traken, Tom Baker
2 Comments
The Deadly Assassin
I must have watched The Deadly Assassin half a dozen times, but it was only when I was thinking about writing this article that a thought occurred to me: what exactly is a “panopticon”? Is it just a made up … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Fourth Doctor, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television
Tagged Master, The Deadly Assassin, Tom Baker
3 Comments
Last of the Time Lords
This article covers the episodes The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords, which together form a single Doctor Who story. These are often considered to be part of a trilogy of episodes beginning with Utopia, but we … Continue reading
Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, Tenth Doctor
Tagged David Tennant, Francine, Jack, Last of the Time Lords, Martha, Master, The Sound of Drums, Tish
1 Comment
DrAcrossthePond
Roger Pocock
