Target Trawl

Saturday, 6 July 2019 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The latest book to be released by Pencil Tip Publishing is Target Trawl, by Nick Mellish:

Target Trawl (Credit: Pencil Tip Publishing)For Doctor Who fans of a certain age, the Target novelizations of the series are one of its crowning triumphs. Back in 2006, when no-one knew what 'Brexit' meant and the show was off-air between seasons, writer and fan Nick Mellish started to review these books in publication order for the fanzine Whotopia. Now in 2019, when no-one knows what 'Brexit' means and the show is off-air between seasons, his journey is complete. Target Trawl contains every installment of his article, redrafted and up-to-date, and carries on reviewing every novelization, as well as reviews of the Sarah Jane Adventures novelizations, Douglas Adams adaptations and more besides.

For many, the words Doctor Who and Target novelization go together like jelly and baby, or Yartek and Voord. In a time where recording TV was often impossible, these novelizations offered fans a chance to relive the very best the show had to offer, and Timelash.

Sometimes they were slavishly accurate to what had been transmitted. Sometimes they were anything but. Often they had rather nice covers.

Join writer and fan Nick Mellish as he reads and reviews them all, and writes the words 'Terrance' and 'Dicks' more than any man rightly should.

From David Whitaker to Jodie Whittaker, Target Trawl is a celebration of Doctor Who in its literary form, from the sublime to the ridiculously sublime.

Target Trawl is available to purchase print on demand from Lulu.com.





FILTER: - Books

Glyn Houston 1925-2019

Thursday, 4 July 2019 - Reported by Marcus
The actor Glyn Houston has died at the age of 93.

Glyn Houston appeared in two Doctor Who stories. In 1976 he played Professor Watson, the director of the Nunton Experimental Complex, in the Fourth Doctor story The Hand of Fear.

In he came up against the fifth Doctor playing Colonel Wolsey in the 1984 story The Awakening.

Glyn Houston had over 200 television credits dating back to the 1950s, appearing in some of the most loved programmes in British TV history.

Houston was born in Rhondda, in the Welsh Valleys, and brought up by his Widowed Grandmother, after his Mother died young and his Father disappeared.

He served in the Royal Signal Regiment during World War II and was briefly a stand-up comedian performing to soldiers. He made his first film appearance playing a barrow boy in The Blue Lamp in 1950. In the 1970s he played Lord Peter Wimsey's valet Bunter opposite Ian Carmichael in the teleplays of several of Dorothy Sayers tales. He played Ronald Judge in The Sherman Plays and Bernard Ingham in Thatcher: The Final Days.

Other appearances include Better Days, Inspector Morse, Keep It in the Family, Minder, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, The Sea Wolves, Breakaway, Shoestring, A Horseman Riding By, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Target, The XYY Man, Robin's Nest, Are You Being Served? , Beasts, Five Red Herrings, The Nine Tailors, Dixon of Dock Green, Sporting Scenes, Reg Varney, Jackanory, Clouds of Witness, Z Cars, Softly, Softly: Task Force.

Glyn Houston was the younger brother of film star Donald Houston and was a close friend of fellow Welsh actors Richard Burton and Stanley Baker. In 2009 he was presented with the BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award.

His friend and biographer Dean Powell announced his death with deep regret.
He was kind, generous and an incredibly funny man who was a pleasure to know for over twenty years.

He enjoyed his career and was proud of his achievements and although I think he genuinely wanted to be a comic more than an actor, his vast quantity of work will remain a great legacy to the man and his natural talent.

Glyn enjoyed life, his family and his hobbies and didn’t let work get in the way of that. He always had time to speak to you, showed a genuine interest in other people’s lives.

Although he left the South Wales valleys seven decades ago, he had all of the great qualities of a working-class Welshman at heart.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Obituary

David Tennant Specials Blu-ray Steelbook

Wednesday, 3 July 2019 - Reported by Marcus
David Tennant Specials (Credit: BBC Studios)BBC Studios is to release the Doctor Who: David Tennant Specials on limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook

Fans can re-live the action of David Tennant’s five Doctor Who specials on limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook featuring new and exclusive artwork. It will be released on Monday 2nd September and is available now for pre-orders from Amazon.

Broadcast between 2008 and 2010, the ‘specials’ bridged the gap between the fourth and fifth series of Doctor Who, marking the end of the era of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Russell T Davis as the lead writer and showrunner. They included the appearances of a number of one-off companions played by David Morrissey, Velile Tshabalala, Michelle Ryan, Lindsay Duncan and Bernard Cribbins along with returning cast members Catherine Tate, Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman, Noel Clarke, John Barrowman, Elisabeth Sladen and John Simm.

The specials are:
  • The Next Doctor
  • Planet of the Dead
  • The Waters of Mars
  • The End of Time, Part One
  • The End of Time, Part Two
The Blu-rays also the following special features: commentary with cast & crew, deleted scenes, exclusive David Tennant video diary, Doctor Who Confidential, Doctor Who at the Proms, Doctor Who at Comic-Con and more.

This limited edition Steelbook contains a bonus disc including two animated episodes: Dreamland and The Infinite Quest.

The Steelbook features bespoke artwork created by illustrator Tom Webster.

Release date: Monday 2nd September 2019

Pre-order link: Amazon.

David Tennant Specials (Credit: BBC Studios)David Tennant Specials (Credit: BBC Studios)David Tennant Specials (Credit: BBC Studios)David Tennant Specials (Credit: BBC Studios)




FILTER: -

Black Archive Wins Award

Tuesday, 2 July 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Full Circle (Credit: Obverse Books)The Black Archive book on the Fourth Doctor story Full Circle has won the prestigious Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Professional Publication.

The Book series, published by Obverse Books, looks in detail at the making of individual Doctor Who stories. The 16th in the series, investigating Full Circle, was written by John Toon and published last year.

Editor Philip Purser-Hallard said
Both of John's books for the Black Archive have been a joy to edit -- really sharp and clear-headed, approaching the Doctor Who stories they analyse from fascinating angles. This recognition of his work is well deserved.
This is Toon’s third SJV Award, having previously won for the award for best fan writer in 2013 and 2016, but this is his first award in a professional category. Asked about this victory, he said
This thrilling win - against strong competition! - wouldn't have been possible without Phil's editorial input, Blair and Cody's stylish cover design and Stuart's professional touch. They all deserve credit for this award, although I'm sure they'll understand that I'm totally keeping the trophy!




FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Books