Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Television Companion The Official BBC Guide to Every TV Story by David J. Howe ARCHIVAL MUTTERINGS. A collection of interviews, articles, reviews and other writings by David J Howe. Welcome to my writing! For a long time I've wanted to set up an online repository of my interviews, reviews and other writings . and here it is! Use the Subject List to the right to select an author/topic and you will get all the entries which relate to the selected subject. Have fun browsing through! Thursday, 9 May 2013. Transdimensional Texts. The Doctor, the TARDIS, Time Lords, the Master, Cybermen, Daleks … of course we’re talking about television’s most popular science fiction adventure show Doctor Who . The series premiered on BBC television back in November 1963 and ran for 155 stories and twenty six years before being cancelled in 1989. Since then there has been only one serious attempt to revive the show, when the BBC co-funded a 1996 production with Universal in America. This television movie starred Paul McGann as the Doctor and found an unprecidented UK audience of around 9.2 million viewers. Since then, however, the Doctor has been back in limbo, with only the occasional mention in the media to remind everyone that he was still around. Although Paul McGann played the official eighth Doctor, the latest outing for the show introduced a series of possible future Doctors in the earthly forms of Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent and Joanna Lumley. This was during a four part Doctor Who spoof made for the 1999 Comic Relief evening of fundraising. Although Doctor Who may not be on terrestrial television any more – repeats can often be found on the satellite channels – his adventures have been kept alive through a series of popular and well received original novels, originally published by Virgin Publishing, and, since 1997, by the BBC themselves. The first book to be released to tie in with the show was back in June 1964, when Souvenir Press published the first of a number of hardback special books celebrating the Doctor’s greatest enemies, the Daleks. Since then there have been numerous novelisations published of the television adventures, script books, model making and activity books, children’s story books, filofax insert books and anthologies. The original novels were started by Virgin in 1991 following the series’ cancellation on television. ‘The New Adventures’, as the range was called, featured the seventh Doctor along with his companion Ace, and the books were serious and adult in both intent and execution. No flimsy plots here, but real novel-length adventures full of excitement, action, pain, love and loss. From a bimonthly schedule the books swiftly moved to monthly publication. Between 1991 and 1997, Virgin kept the Doctor alive in over sixty original novels and his seventh incarnation enjoyed more of these licensed adventures in print than he ever did on screen. Realising the success of the format, Virgin started publishing original novels featuring earlier Doctors in 1994 and these too enjoyed enormous popularity. In 1996, during the lead-up to the Paul McGann TV Movie, the BBC decided to take over the license to publish original Doctor Who fiction themselves, and so Virgin, having kept the Doctor going for five years in the face of the BBC’s apparent disinterest in the series, found themselves with a successful range of books, but no Doctor. They therefore relaunched the range, still with the umbrella title of ‘The New Adventures’, but featuring the exploits of Bernice Summerfield – an ex-companion of the Doctor’s introduced in an earlier Doctor Who novel, who left him to strike out alone. These novels continue to be published on a bi-monthly basis and are firmly in the style of Virgin’s Doctor Who novels, despite there being no mention of any BBC copyright characters. Over at the BBC, two series of original novels were launched in 1997: one featuring the eighth Doctor and a new companion called Sam, while the other showcased adventures for the earlier Doctors. The books are currently being published at the rate of two a month, and so far over 42 titles have been released. If full length novels are not your cup of tea, then why not try something shorter? The BBC have published two collections: Short Trips and More Short Trips , edited by the BBC’s range editor Stephen Cole, both of which feature short stories involving all the Doctors and numerous companions. With a thirty-plus year history to draw on, there is also a wealth of factual behind the scenes books to seek out. Virgin set the ball rolling with a series of three large format lavishly illustrated books which explored the making of the show. Doctor Who The Sixties , The Seventies and The Eighties , all by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker were published from 1992 onwards and give a detailed and comprehensive overview of each of Doctor Who ’s different decades. Also from Virgin, and from the same writing team, came a series of paperback Handbooks , one for each Doctor. Some of these are now out of print, but most are still available. They cover the history of the show from a different perspective to the ‘decades’ books and the two series are designed to complement each other. If it’s a basic guide to the TV series that you’re after, then in 1998, the BBC published a weighty paperback called Doctor Who: The Television Companion by David J Howe and Stephen James Walker. This official guide to the series reveals plots, cast, crew, facts and figures about the show, and also includes a critical commentary of every one of the Doctor’s televised adventures, as well as a checklist to their availability as novelisations, audio or video releases. In the same year, the BBC also published Doctor Who From A to Z by Gary Gillatt, the current editor of Marvel Comics’ Doctor Who magazine. Not an A-Z of Doctor Who subjects as the title may suggest, instead it is a series of twenty six insightful essays each looking at different aspects of the show and exploring how and why the series came to enjoy the levels of popularity that it did. Gillatt’s work is informative and thought provoking and is as much about the impact of popular culture on our lives as it is about Doctor Who . One final reference book to watch out for is Doctor Who: Regeneration by Philip Segal with Gary Russell, which tells the behind the scenes story of the making of the 1996 Paul McGann movie. Segal was Executive Producer on that project, and this is the definitive account of how it all came to be. Regeneration is another large format glossy hardcover from Virgin and is published in June 1999. If it’s the actors you’re interested in, then there are several biographical works available. Jessica Carney wrote in 1996, Who’s There? , a detailed biography of her grandfather, the very first Doctor, William Hartnell, and actor Jon Pertwee had just completed work on his Doctor Who autobiography a week before he tragically died from a heart attack in May of the same year. I Am The Doctor , co-written with David J Howe, was published posthumously later the same year by Virgin. The same publishers also picked up Five Rounds Rapid! , the 1998 autobiography of actor Nicholas Courtney, who played the Brigadier in the series. Frazer Hines’ story of his life, Films, Farms and Fillies was published by Boxtree in 1996 and includes anecdotes about the time the actor spent playing the Doctor’s companion Jamie in the late sixties. Finally, in 1997, actor Tom Baker wrote his ribald and uncompromising autobiography Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? which was published by HarperCollins. As of writing there is no let up in the number of books being published featuring the good Doctor, his adventures, and the background to the series. Indeed, Doctor Who is the only television series no longer in production in any form for which there is an ongoing and successful range of original novels and factual books, not to mention the plethora of other merchandise. The latest news is that Doctor Who is about to be relaunched as a new series of original audio dramas on cassette and CD. Big Finish productions have obtained the rights to this format, and the first adventure, The Sirens of Time , should be hitting the shops around June. It’s a four part adventure starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy and following this, the company hopes to release a new adventure every two months. David J Howe is a well known researcher, collector and writer of all things Doctor Who . He is currently working on a complete guide to all Doctor Who merchandise for publication some time in 2000. Current New Adventures (Virgin Publishing): Dead Romance by Lawrence Miles Tears of the Oracle by Justin Richards. Current Novels (BBC Books): Revolution Man by Paul Leonard Players by Terrance Dicks Dominion by Nick Walters Divided Loyalties by Gary Russell. Short Story Collections (BBC Books): Short Trips ed. Steve Cole More Short Trips ed. Steve Cole. Factual Books (Virgin Publishing): Doctor Who The Sixties by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Seventies by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Eighties by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Handbook The First Doctor by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Handbook The Second Doctor by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Handbook The Third Doctor by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Handbook The Fourth Doctor by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Handbook The Fifth Doctor by David J Howe and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Handbook The Sixth Doctor by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who The Handbook The Seventh Doctor by David J Howe and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who Regeneration by Philip Segal with Gary Russell. Factual Books (BBC Books): Doctor Who The Television Companion by David J Howe and Stephen James Walker Doctor Who From A to Z by Gary Gillatt. Biographical: Who’s There by Jessica Carney (Virgin) I Am The Doctor by Jon Pertwee and David J Howe (Virgin) Films, Farms and Fillies by Frazer Hines (Boxtree) Five Rounds Rapid by Nicholas Courtney (Virgin) Who On Earth Is Tom Baker by Tom Baker (HarperCollins) NOTE: PLEASE CHECK THE AVAILABILITY OF THE BOOKS BEFORE SUPPLYING PURCHASING LINKS. SOME MAY BE SOLD OUT AND UNAVAILABLE. SOME OF THE ‘DECADES’ HARDBACKS MAY ONLY BE AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK. The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who. Title: The Television Companion: The Unofficial and. Publisher: Telos Publishing. Publication Date: 2004. Binding: Hard Cover. Book Condition: Very Good. Signed: Signed. Edition: Limited/Numbered. About this title. Everything you ever wanted to know about the cult BBC Television series Doctor Who which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2003. On its first publication, The Television Companion was hailed as possibly the best guide ever to the BBC's cult science fiction show Doctor Who. Now re- issued in a revised and updated edition, the book remains the definitive guide to the television worlds and adventures of the Doctor and his companions. Every story is covered in depth in all aspects of production, including plot details, cast and crew lists, episode endings, transmission dates, memorable quotes and popular myths. In addition there is a comprehensive analysis of every adventure, utilising reviews both contemporary and retrospective from a wide variety of sources. This book is the essential companion for every trip you will ever take into the TV universe of Doctor Who. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title. I am happy to accept payment via Credit Card, PayPal.com or bank wire transfer. CALIFORNIA buyers are subject to an 8.5% sales tax. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required. David J. Howe. David J. Howe is a British writer, journalist, publisher, and media historian. Contents. Biography. David Howe was born 24 August 1961 and established himself (in the early 1980s) as an authoritative media historian through writing articles for fanzines (notably The Frame ) and other publications. In the early 1990s, he began to write the first in-depth critical texts of the British television series Doctor Who , and as a result has become closely associated with the show's history. [1] [2] He has written or co-written over thirty titles about the show, and continues to be involved with a variety of publications, often acting as consultant or reviewer. In particular, Howe collaborated on some of the key texts in Virgin Publishing's range of Doctor Who reference works, including the three Decades books (with Stephen James Walker and Mark Stammers), considered to be some of the most in-depth works about the production history of the show. [1] [2] [3] The same authors followed these with guide books which covered the individual tenures of each Doctor in turn. [2] Howe and Stephen James Walker set up the publishing house Telos Publishing in 2000. The first publication under the Telos name was the first edition of Howe's Transcendental Toybox , written by Howe and Arnold T. Blumberg. [4] (A later edition was described by the BBC's Doctor Who website as a "definitive collector's guide to Doctor Who merchandise".) [5] Telos' second publication was a collection of tie-in fiction to the Channel 5 horror series Urban Gothic . Telos published Doctor Who novellas from 2001 to 2004, when BBC Worldwide declined to renew its license. [1] [6] Telos continues to publish non- Doctor Who works and unofficial Doctor Who reference works, including The Handbook , collecting the previously written Virgin Publishing guide books Doctor Who The Handbook in one volume in 2005, and the 2003 book The Television Companion (by Howe and Walker, and previously released as Doctor Who: The Television Companion in 1998 by BBC Publishing; the BBC Doctor Who website described it as the "definitive guide to Doctor Who "). [7] In 2007–2008, Howe also served as the editor for Time's Champion , an independent Doctor Who novel based on Craig Hinton's final unpublished novel and completed by his friend Chris McKeon, which features the Sixth Doctor and the Valeyard. Howe also wrote Dæmos Rising , an original film directed by Keith Barnfarther. [1] He also wrote a story for the first Virgin Decalog short story collection, his only piece of licensed Doctor Who fiction to be published. He continues to work as co-director of Telos Publishing, which has expanded to publish a wide range of classic and new science fiction stories. In 2011 Howe published talespinning , a collection of short fiction, including several horror stories, Doctor Who fiction and drabbles. [8] [9] Howe also has one of the largest collections of Doctor Who merchandise in the world. [1] His collection was featured in the television programme Collectors Lot and on a special Doctor Who edition of Antiques Roadshow . [10] Aside from his Doctor Who work, Howe was the reviews editor for the horror film magazine Shivers from 1994 to 2008, when it ceased publication. He was also a contributing editor to Starburst magazine from 1984 to 2001, and edited the book reviews column for that magazine for sixteen years. Howe has also contributed reviews, articles and interviews to publications including Fear , Dreamwatch , Infinity , The Stage , The Dark Side , Doctor Who Magazine , The Guardian , Film Review , SFX , Sci-Fi Entertainment , Collectors' Gazette , Death Ray , Doctor Who Insider and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Howe edited the British Fantasy Society's bi-monthly newsletter from 1992 to 1995, and was the chair of that organisation from September 2010 to October 2011. [8] [11] The Television Companion. Unlike other fictional universes, the Doctor Who universe is created solely by fiction. To us, this is not a valid source . Information from this source can only be used in "behind the scenes" sections, or on pages about real world topics. The Television Companion. Written by: Release date: Publisher: Format: The Television Companion was a reference guide first published in 1998. Contents. Publisher's summary [ edit | edit source ] First edition [ edit | edit source ] The complete guide to every Doctor Who story ever screened — in one bumper volume! For the first time, here at your fingertips is everything you ever wanted to know about the Doctor's exploits on television, from the very first programme transmitted in 1963 through to the TV movie of 1996. Every story is covered in depth in all aspects of production, including plot details, cast lists, episode endings, transmission dates, memorable quotes and popular myths. In addition, there is an analysis of each story, looking at the highs and lows of every adventure, utilising reviews both contemporary and retrospective from a variety of sources. This book is the essential companion for every trip you will ever take into the TV universe of Doctor Who . Second edition [ edit | edit source ] The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who. Everything you ever wanted to know about the cult BBC Television series Doctor Who which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2003. On its first publication, The Television Companion was hailed as possibly the best guide ever to the BBC's cult science fiction show Doctor Who. Now re-issued in a revised and updated edition, the book remains the definitive guide to the television worlds and adventures of the Doctor and his companions. Every story is covered in depth in all aspects of production, including plot details, cast and crew lists, episode endings, transmission dates, memorable quotes and popular myths. In addition there is a comprehensive analysis of every adventure, utilising reviews both contemporary and retrospective from a wide variety of sources. This book is the essential companion for every trip you will ever take into the TV universe of Doctor Who . Third edition [ edit | edit source ] Everything you ever wanted to know about the cult BBC Television series Doctor Who (1963-1996). On its first publication in 2002, The Television Companion was hailed as possibly the best guide ever to the BBC's cult science fiction show Doctor Who . Now Telos re-issues their own edition of the book in a revised and updated version spanning two volumes, which remains the definitive guide to the television worlds and adventures of the Doctor and his companions. Every story from 1963 to 1996 is covered in depth in all aspects of production, including plot details, cast and crew lists, episode endings, transmission dates, memorable quotes and popular myths. In addition there is a comprehensive analysis of every adventure, utilising reviews both contemporary and retrospective from a wide variety of sources. This is the essential companion for every trip you will ever take into the TV universe of classic Doctor Who . Subject matter [ edit | edit source ] A detailed information for every story through the original run of 1963 to 1989 including the 1996 TV movie. The Television Companion – Vol 2 (“Doctor Who”) Everything you ever wanted to know about the classic era of the cult BBC television series Doctor Who (1963-1996) is contained in the two volume set The Television Companion . Volume 2 covers the stories of Doctors four to eight, portrayed by Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. The essential companion for every trip you will ever take into the TV universe of classic Doctor Who. Volume 2 (Doctors 4-8): 380pp. 6×9 paperback. ISBN 978-1-84583-157-8 Published 3 September 2020. We always aim to ensure that books are sent out as quickly as possible, but sometimes it can take a little longer than usual, so please do not query non-receipt until 28 days after the date the order was placed. Description Additional information Reviews (0) Everything you ever wanted to know about the classic era of the cult BBC television series Doctor Who (1963-1996) is contained in the two- volume set The Television Companion . On its first publication in 1998 by BBC Books, The Television Companion was hailed as possibly the best guide ever to the BBC’s cult science fiction show Doctor Who . Now Telos Publishing re-issues its own edition of the book in a revised and updated two-volume version, which remains the definitive guide to the television worlds and adventures of the Doctor and his companions. Every story from 1963 to 1996 is covered in depth in all aspects of production, including plot details, cast and crew lists, episode endings, transmission dates, memorable quotes and popular myths. In addition there is a comprehensive analysis of every adventure, utilising reviews both contemporary and retrospective from a wide variety of sources. Volume 2 covers the eras of Doctors four to eight, portrayed by Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. This is the essential companion for every trip you will ever take into the TV universe of classic Doctor Who. ‘The bible …’ SFX magazine. ‘Another superior effort from what I consider to be the finest Doctor Who historians around. It is quite a hefty and involved read, and contains (almost) everything you’d want to know about the best SF Tv series ever.’ Reviewer on Amazon.co.uk. ‘If you’re looking for a Doctor Who episode guide, then you can stop looking as this is by far the best book you can buy about the television series.’ Sean Brady on Amazon.co.uk. ‘What is most memorable about The Television Companion is the fact that every story is given a balanced analysis – it’s not decreed that “Timelash” is bad, for example, rather the authors draw upon a wide variety of opposing reviews spanning the years to present a genuinely interesting study of every story – which is altogether far more interesting than cut-and-dried opinions. The Television Companion is indispensable to all fans of the television series, especially because of the detail in which the Hartnell and Troughton stories are studied. The emphasis is no more in-depth than any other era of the show, but seeing as many of their stories no longer exist, it’s highly rewarding and an admirable asset to a potentially video-biased read.’ Brad Schmidt in TSV (#56, October 1998) Volume 2 (Doctors 4-8): 380pp. 6×9 paperback. ISBN 978-1-84583-157-8 Published 3 September 2020. ABOUT THE AUTHORS. David J Howe has been involved with Doctor Who research and writing for over 30 years. He has been consultant to a large number of publishers and manufacturers for their Doctor Who lines, and is author or co-author of over 30 factual titles associated with the show. He also has one of the largest collections of Doctor Who merchandise in the world. David was contributing editor to Starburst magazine for 17 years from 1984-2001. From 1994 he was book reviews editor for Shivers magazine until it ceased publication in 2008. In addition he has written articles, interviews and reviews for a wide number of publications, including Fear , Dreamwatch , Infinity , Stage and Television Today , The Dark Side , Doctor Who Magazine , the Guardian , Film Review , SFX , Sci-Fi Entertainment , Collectors’ Gazette , Deathray and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . He edited the bi-monthly newsletter of the British Fantasy Society from 1992 to 1995, and also edited and published several books for them, including the British and World Fantasy Award shortlisted Manitou Man , a limited edition hardback and paperback collection of short fiction by horror author Graham Masterton. He also edited the BFS’s fortieth anniversary anthology, Full Fathom Forty , published in September 2011. He wrote the book Reflections: The Fantasy Art of Stephen Bradbury for Dragon’s World Publishers and has contributed short fiction to Peeping Tom , Dark Asylum , Decalog , Dark Horizons , Kimota , Perfect Timing , Perfect Timing II , Missing Pieces , Shrouded by Darkness and Murky Depths , and factual articles to James Herbert: By Horror Haunted and The Radio Times Guide to Science Fiction . He wrote the screenplay for Daemos Rising , a film released on DVD by Reeltime Pictures in 2004. He wrote about Doctor Who merchandise for Doctor Who Insider magazine, and contributed liner notes for AudioGO’s range of Doctor Who novelisation CDs. He is currently Editorial Director of Telos Publishing Ltd, a UK based independent press specialising in horror/science fiction novellas, crime novels, and guides to a variety of film and TV shows. In 2006 the company won the World Fantasy Award for their publishing work, and in 2010 celebrated their tenth anniversary while also receiving the British Fantasy Award for Best Small Press. Stephen James Walker became hooked on Doctor Who as a young boy, right from its debut season in 1963/64, and has been a fan ever since. He first got involved in the series’ fandom in the early 1970s, when he became a member of the original Doctor Who Fan Club (DWFC). He joined the Doctor Who Appreciation Society (DWAS) immediately on its formation in May 1976, and was an attendee and steward at the first ever Doctor Who convention in August 1977. He soon began to contribute articles to fanzines, and in the 1980s was editor of the seminal reference work Doctor Who – An Adventure in Space and Time and its sister publication The Data-File Project . He also became a frequent writer for the official Doctor Who Magazine . Between 1987 and 1993 he was co-editor and publisher, with David J Howe and Mark Stammers, of the leading Doctor Who fanzine The Frame . Since that time, he has gone on to write, co-write and edit numerous Doctor Who articles and books – including Doctor Who: The Sixties , Doctor Who: The Seventies , Doctor Who: The Eighties , The Doctor Who Yearbook 1996 , The Handbook (originally published in seven separate volumes) and The Television Companion – and he is now widely acknowledged as one of the foremost chroniclers of the series’ history. He was the initiator and, for the first two volumes, co-editor of Virgin Publishing’s Decalog books – the first ever Doctor Who short story anthology range. More recently, for Telos Publishing he has edited the three-volume Talkback series of Doctor Who interview books and written a range of annual guide books to both 21st Century Doctor Who and Torchwood . He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Physics from University College London, and his many other interests include cult TV, film noir, vintage crime fiction, Laurel and Hardy and an eclectic mix of soul, jazz, R&B and other popular music. Between July 1983 and March 2005 he acted as an adviser to successive Governments, latterly at senior assistant director level, responsible for policy on a range of issues relating mainly to individual employment rights. His working time is now taken up by his writing projects and by his role as co-owner and director of Telos Publishing. He lives in Kent with his wife and family.