It was Forty years ago today, on Saturday 8th October 1977, that we first met the Doctor's 'Tin' Dog, when K-9 made his debut appearance in Doctor Who.

K-9 was the invention of writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin, who created the character for their fourth Doctor story The Invisible Enemy. Although originally intended to appear in that one story, the character was retained after producer Graham Williams saw its potential appeal to younger fans of the series.

K-9 was voiced by John Leeson, who had been contracted to provide the voice of the Nucleus for the story and was also asked to voice the robot Dog. Apart from Season 17, when the character was voiced by David Brierley, Leason has voiced the character ever since.

Making the character a permanent member of the crew was not without its problems for the production team. The radio controlled model was prone to operational problems in the studio and Directors found it difficult to compose a shot comprising the lanky frame of Tom Baker and the squat shape of K-9. However, the character did prove popular with the audience and rapidly became an icon of the series,

A new improved model was introduced at the start of season 16, with improved electronics, but the character still had its limits, being written out of some stories altogether.

When John Nathan Turner took over as the producer in 1980, he decided to have the character written out, and at the end of the story Warrior's Gate, K-9 finally left the Doctor. Just a year later the character was back, alongside former companion Elisabeth Sladen, in a one-off adventure K-9 and Company. The first television spin-off from the main series of Doctor Who.

K-9 made a final classic series appearance in the twentieth-anniversary story The Five Doctors.

It was in 2006 that the character returned to the screen in the revamped version of Doctor Who in a story by Toby Whithouse. School Reunion also brought Sarah Jane Smith, in the person of Elisabeth Sladen back into Doctor Who, an appearance that would lead to the commissioning of The Sarah Jane Adventures, also featuring the Robot Dog.

In 2010 an Australian produced series, featuring a redesigned K-9, was broadcast, consisting of 26, 30-minute episodes. The series was produced independently of the BBC, so no BBC owned characters could appear. The series was shown on Channel 10 in Australia and Channel 5 in the UK.

Forty years after his first appearance, K-9's character is still in production, with original co-creator Bob Baker, along with Paul Tams working on a feature film, K9: TimeQuake which will feature the robot dog up against classic Doctor Who villain Omega.

Two unofficial books about the visual effects work of twentieth century Doctor Who, previously only available to a mainly UK fanbase and via various offline avenues, have now been made available to purchase worldwide online.

The books were written by Steve Cambden, who worked on the show as one of K9's operators. The first, The Doctor's Affect (1999), chronicles how he achieved his dream as a teenager to work on the series, with in-depth accounts of the recording of Destiny of the Daleks, Nightmare of Eden, The Horns of Nimon, Shada, Meglos, Full Circle and State of Decay, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs and a comprehensive account of K9’s creation.

The second, The Doctor’s Effects, features interviews with many of the visual effects and design legends who worked on Doctor Who throughout the 'classic era', covering over a hundred productions including stories such as The Daleks, The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Sea Devils, Genesis of the Daleks, Terror of the Zygons, The Awakening and The Trial of a Timelord. The book includes many previously unseen photographs and includes interviews with Bernard Wilkie, Jack Kine, John Friedlander, Ian Scoones, Mat Irvine and Ray Cusick.


The online initiative has been organised by Steve's long-term friend Simon Meade, of The Ark in Space Facebook group and Twitter feed:

Full details about the books - which will be personally signed - and how to purchase them can be found via the sevenzero.net website.

The new design for The Doctor's favourite tin dog, K-9 has been revealed at the DWAS convention being held this weekend in Sussex.

The robot dog will feature in a new movie, TimeQuake, due to be released next year.

The new design was unveiled by the Robot's creator, Bob Baker and by Paul Tams, the producer of the upcoming film and one of the men behind the Australian TV series K-9

The new film will see the robot dog battle against Omega, another character created by Bob Baker along with his late partner Dave Martin.

The new design was created using a 3D printer using the films CGI model as a blueprint. It was unveiled at the Doctor Who Appreciation Society Event, The Capitol, being held in Crawley, West Sussex, this weekend.

K9Official have announced plans to take K9 to the big screen:

The producers told Doctor Who News:

Series producer Paul Tams has reported to us that there will shortly be an annoucement over the future of K-9, who appeared in his own series back in 2009.

The announcement will be made by him and K-9 co-creator Bob Baker at the DWAS convention Back to the Eighties, which takes place on the 24th October.

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Meanwhile, the duo will also be signing copies of their book, The Essentia Book of K-9, at The Comic Guru store in Cardiff on Saturday 10th October, which celebrates twelve years of comic and sci-fi/Doctor Who specialities.


The book can be ordered directly from the K-9 Official website.

A campaign is currently in progress to raise funds to publish a new book about the Doctor's second best friend^*, K-9. The initiative is being driven by K-9 series co-creator Paul Tams, and will explore the character's many lives through Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and in his own series.

Paul Tams says:

Funding for the book is being organised through IndieGoGo, and there are a number of perks that can be chosen by those who participate in the campaign.


Details on the modern series of K-9 can be found at the K9 Official website.

Tonight sees the return of Stargazing Live to BBC Television on BBC2/BBCHD. The series sees presenters Professor Brian Cox and Dara O'Briain bring their enthusiasm for astronomy to life, inviting viewers to appreciate the sky and the visible objects that surround us each evening.

Each show is followed by a half-hour discussion about the evening's theme and discoveries, with the two presenters joined by guests and a studio audience. This year, Back to Earth also features a special guest in the form of K9! The Doctor's second-best friend will be on hand to offer his own unique knowledge of the stars from his travels.

This week's shows look at Mars, charting history through the stars, and then meteors, asteroids and comets.

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K9 isn't the first reference to Doctor Who in Stargazing Live; back in the first series guest Jonathan Ross was quite insistent he had spotted Gallifrey in the night sky! The clip is available to watch via the BBC's YouTube channel.

The US broadcaster SyFy are to show the entire first series of K-9 on Christmas Day.

The mammoth run kicks off with Regeneration from 10:00am ET, followed by every episode back-to-back in half-hour intervals leading up to the series finale, Eclipse Of The Korven, from 10:30pm ET.

The press release follows below:

K9 series producer Paul Tams has kindly provided us with an update on how things are progressing with the second series:


Meanwhile, the first series is to be broadcast from September on the Canadian channel BBC Kids, which will see the show running alongside The Sarah Jane Adventures! An announcement is also to be made soon about the show's premiere within the United States during the Autumn.

You can follow updates etc. about the series via the K9 Official website and through Facebook.

Back when the first series of K9 premiered on Channel 5 during the festive period last year, we reported that a second series was in development. Producer Paul Tams has updated us with its progress:
In the meantime both the first and second volumes of Series One are still available on DVD.

Merchandise

The Complete Book of K9 is to be released next year, with pre-orders expected to begin in February. The glossy hardback book is in full colour featuring the life and career of K9, from his travels in time and space with the Doctor to appearing in his very own series. With anecdotes from many of the people involved with K9 over the years, the volume also features exclusive never seen before designs, photos and behind the scenes stories.

Delayed from September, The K9 Story Book is now expected to be released to tie in with a repeat run of Series One on Channel 5 next year (dates to be confirmed). The full colour book features short stories, comic strips and behind-the-scenes features.

Also released imminently is a collectible K9 Figurine, a display figure designed to complement the Character Options range. A limited edition version with signed postcards has been made available through The Who Shop, and the figurine will be generally available from other retailers from 10th December (pre-order from Forbidden Planet).


Updates on merchandise etc. can be found via the K9 Official website and through Facebook.