Doctor Who Literature

Happy American Thanksgiving to my listeners in the States. For a Sylvester McCoy novelization on Doctor Who Literature, ya gotta have two guests, not just one. Jim Sangster and Jason Davis, both huge behind-the-scenes influences on the show, come together for the first time as we tackle Paradise Towers, the second serial from Doctor Who's controversial, divisive -- and delightful -- 24th season. The vocals for this week's opening number are by Antony Owen. Music arranged by Jim Sangster. Please visit Jason Davis at Humanity Is My Business and consider supporting his Patreon. An interview with J.G. Ballard. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – Paradise Towers" features cover art by Alister Pearson. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Having a first-time guest last week worked so well, that we've done it again this week: Jim Allenby from the What's in the Box? podcast, makes his Doctor Who Literature debut. Our story for the week is The Smugglers, but Jim A. and I also recorded our conversation on November 23, 2024: Doctor Who's 61st anniversary, and, coincidentally, the 40th anniversary of Jason discovering the show to begin with. Jim A. and I discuss An Unearthly Child, our respective fandom origin stories, and the special edition announced on the anniversary and being released in December 2024: The War Games, in color, and with new footage! If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Smugglers" features cover art by Alister Pearson. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Remember, Doctor Who Literature's primary social media presence is now on BlueSky. Welcoming to the show this week Geoff Wessel, comic book writer (I may have misstated this in the intro) and radio DJ. Geoff's been an online friend for nearly 30 years but we'd never spoken face to face before this recording. It's a wild one! Those curious about "The Uncle Floyd Show" can find his limited online presence here. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. Doctor Who – The Edge of Destruction" features cover art by Alister Pearson. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Our third of four episodes in our Trial of a Time Lord season features the conclusion of the Trial arc... but not the conclusion of the novelizations of the Trial arc. The traditional American protest song "John Brown's Body", sampled in this episode, is from the ⁠Pete Seeger recording⁠. And, with that out of the way, let's talk Doctor Who Literature with Mark and Conrad from ⁠The Trap One Podcast⁠. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at ⁠https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels⁠. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels⁠. "Doctor Who – The Ultimate Foe" features cover art by Alister Pearson. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the ⁠Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network⁠. Please e-mail the pod at ⁠DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com⁠. You can catch all past episodes at ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit⁠.

Stacey Smith? joins me from another exotic locale to discuss a rare bird -- the highly-sought-after novelization of "The Wheel in Space". Is the book worth the exorbitant cover price on the secondary market? Is the TV serial a fitting capstone to David Whitaker's legacy? If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Wheel in Space" features cover art by Ian Burgess. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

This week we extend a warm Doctor Who Literature to author Nigel Robinson, who penned this week's Doctor Who novelization, an adaptation of the infamous -- but also wonderful -- 1967 Patrick Troughton adventure, The Underwater Menace. Nigel also walks us through the rest of his prolific career as a writer and editor, as we cover almost 60 years of fandom in just under 60 minutes. Thanks so much to Nigel Robinson for his time in the recording of this episode. This week's opening number was recorded by Jim Sangster. You can also hear Jason, Si, and Frazer on Trap One discussing the animated release of Underwater Menace earlier in 2024. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Underwater Menace" features cover art by Alister Pearson. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

The novelization of Vengeance on Varos was published two years behind schedule, meaning that book number 106, which was skipped in the Target Doctor Who novelization release order in 1986, is belatedly plugged in -- immediately after the previous two novelizations were both assigned number 127. Got that? This week's Doctor Who Literature guest is David Barsky. David and Jason have lots of TV and international travel to discuss. And, occasionally, Vengeance on Varos, a controversial story and a novelization tending towards the... verbose. Sound clips in this episode include: --The 1969 Encyclopedia Britannica short film adaptation of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"; --A Season 3 "Simpsons" riff also on "The Lottery"; --"Family Guy", like David Barsky, did not care for The Godfather; --The venerable U.S. game show "The Price is Right", which has been on the air since, like, 1911, has memorable sound bites here and here. Not heard in the episode, but highly recommended, is both the trailer for and the movie LOCK-UP (1989), starring Sylvester Stallone (not McCoy), the late Donald Sutherland, and the late John Amos (whose death was announced the day this episode was recorded). If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – Vengeance on Varos" features cover art by David McAllister. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Welcome to the beginning of the end of Doctor Who Literature. It's May 1988, and the paperback release of the first of the 12 Sylvester McCoy-era Doctor Who novelizations by Target Books. The Target run had a finite lifespan, and from here on out, with the last Classic Series Doctor finally joining the Target stable, the end is in sight. We will have two guests for each of the Sylvester McCoy books. First up this week is Jim Sangster, who is now officially co-host of the show and the producer of our YouTube channel and video content. Jim has a new song for us this week. We also have an archival interview with Joe Ford from July 2021 extolling the virtues of Time and the Rani, from Jason's first attempt at a podcast, unreleased after all this time until now. Please purchase Andrew Cartmel's Script Doctor from Ten Acre Films. "16 Going on 17" comes from The Sound of Music. Doctor Who Literature expressly refutes Rolfe's political affiliation. As does Family Guy. The history of the Topps 1980 baseball card set is here. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

This week Jim bids a sad farewell to the legendary David Graham, contributor of voices (and two live-action roles) to Doctor Who, and who did voice work for almost every other British series that mattered, up to and including "Peppa Pig". Stacey Smith? rejoins Jason for a look at the first Trial of a Time Lord story, The Mysterious Planet. It's Robert Holmes' final completed Doctor Who serial, and -- in story order -- Terrance Dicks' final Doctor Who novelization. Stacey also digs deep into the rec.arts.drwho archives and finds a Jason comedy post from 1996... which Jim narrates and performs. This week's episode's got it all. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet" features cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

The Time Meddler is a seminal moment in Doctor Who history. No Doctor Who podcast can be complete without acknowledging it, and no podcast about Doctor Who Literature can be complete without discussing its novelization. Frazer Gregory, one of my most frequent and popular guests, rejoins me for the first time since Episode 100. We have a lot to say about this story, including a discussion of its geography -- where in Northumbria does it take place, and on what precise day does it take place? Frazer has a theory, and it involves, perhaps, the very week that we're talking to you. There are also games to be played, not just the one that I have for Frazer, but the one that he has for me ... If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Find Doctor Who Literature at ⁠https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels⁠. Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels⁠. "Doctor Who –The Time Meddler features cover art by Jeff Cummins. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the ⁠Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network⁠. Please e-mail the pod at ⁠DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com⁠. You can catch all past episodes at ⁠https://⁠⁠podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/⁠⁠doctorwholit⁠.

Welcome to Part One of our intermittent ongoing look at The Trial of a Time Lord, a single 14-part Doctor Who serial that comprised the whole of Season 23, televised between September and December 1986, but broken up into four separate novelizations. Confusingly released out of order and non-consecutively. Jim Sangster, Doctor Who Literature's multi-talented co-producer, logo designer, and in-house band, adapted and performed this week's introductory number, appeared as a talking head on the Trial of a Time Lord DVDs (recorded 16 years prior to the production of this episode), and is this week's guest. We'll about about Liverpool and its many connections to Doctor Who, and speculate just when does Trial take place relevant to the Sixth Doctor's own timeline? If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us!] Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Trial of a Time Lord: Terror of the Vervoids" features near-pornographic cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the ⁠Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network⁠. Please e-mail the pod at ⁠DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.⁠ You can catch all past episodes at ⁠https://⁠⁠podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/⁠⁠doctorwholit⁠.

Please give a warm Doctor Who Literature welcome to Jeff from Gallifrey's Most Wanted. The Rescue is one of Jeff's favorite Doctor Who episodes and it's great to hear him discuss. Sampled is an audio encore of Jason's favorite Harvey Keitel interview. You might also recognize some dialogue from The Big Lebowski. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Rescue" features cover art by Tony Clark. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Welcome to an extra long episode of Doctor Who Literature, but one of the deepest and most rewarding ones we've ever produced. The subject is the February 1966 Doctor Who episode The Massacre, a troubled production where the original author tried to disclaim credit, the video is lost and only a few publicity photos survived, and the surviving audio is hard to untangle as William Hartnell only appears in a small handful of scenes. We have three guests this week to help unravel the story: --Repeat DWLit guest Denise Sutton joins Jason for a specially-recorded live introduction in Central London. --Repeat DWLit guest Ian Potter, a Black Archives writer, helps Jason try to unravel the troubled production (and troubled production team!) at the heart of the TV serial. --The Rev. Jerrod Hugenot, an American Baptist minister and Doctor Who fan, whose surname ties into this story, helps us understand the historical and religious context of August 1572. And although he doesn't appear in this episode, we could not have produced this week without James Cooray Smith, who ⁠literally wrote the book on The Massacre⁠. We'll be back next week to cover another William Hartnell adventure, with a much shorter episode! If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Massacre" features cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the ⁠Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network⁠. Please e-mail the pod at ⁠DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com⁠. You can catch all past episodes at ⁠https://⁠⁠podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/⁠⁠doctorwholit⁠.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels "Doctor Who – The Macra Terror" features cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the https://directionpoint.org/. Please e-mail the pod at mailto:DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

A warm Doctor Who Literature welcome-back to Kate and Jon, last heard together on this show discussing The Talons of Weng-Chiang in July 2022. Two years and many books later, we are gonna get deep into The Ambassadors of Death. You can find several new works by Kate and Jon, as discussed during the episode: --Saltier, a short story by Kate. --United Nations and Intelligence Taskforce, two recent Lethbridge-Stewart novels by Jon from Candy Jar Books. --and Meanwhile, Turlough, a bonus-download Big Finish audio by Jon. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels "Doctor Who – The Ambassadors of Death" features cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Long-time listeners of Doctor Who Literature know that this podcast is a K-9 house. We are all about K-9 here. This week, his first TV spinoff, the Christmas 1981 special gets its own novelization, the final book of the short-lived Companions of Doctor Who line. Joining Jason this week are two great friends making their first appearance on the show: Drew and Brent, from Who & Company. And yes, it's coincidence that they're showing up to discuss K-9 & Company. Jason appeared on Who & Company a few months ago. Jason has also recently been on Trap One to discuss the Celestial Toymaker Blu-ray animation and a tribute to the late William Russell. I recommend audio clips from The Simpsons' "Kamp Krusty" and the legit banger that is the Ian Levine & Fiachra Trench K-9 & Company theme. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "The Companions of Doctor Who –K-9 & Company" features cover art by Peter Kelly. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Welcome to the final week of our four-episode William Hartnell mini-season. The Romans is released in paperback in September 1987 and is the fourth straight Doctor Who novelization to come out of the First Doctor era. Here on Doctor Who Literature, Jason Davis is back for the week to talk us through The Romans in both its print and TV incarnation. We also discuss lots of classic film and TV contents, and the particular perils of being an American Doctor Who working retail in the late 1990s. Follow the Jason Davis by signing up for his irregularly offered newsletter at HumanityIsMyBusiness.com. Buy his book, Writing the X-Files, there or at Amazon, or books he edited from their respective authors: Stuntlady by Sandra Gimpel and Pleasure Thresholds by Patricia Tallman. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. Doctor Who – The Romans" features cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

Denise Sutton rejoins Doctor Who Literature during Week 3 of a 4-week stretch of four consecutive William Hartnell novelizations. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels. "Doctor Who – The Reign of Terror" features cover art by Tony Masero. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit

Much has been said about the 1964 Doctor Who serial The Sensorites. Not all of it positive. We at Doctor Who Literature are here to reverse that trend. The Sensorites is awesome. Except when it isn't, but when it lands, it really lands. This week's guest is Black Archives writer Jon Arnold. Here is one of Jon's many recent appearances on Strangers in Space. Cover artist of The Sensorites novelization, Nick Spender, passed away recently. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels "Doctor Who – The Sensorites" features cover art by Nick Spender. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

We open at the BFI in London where Conrad Westmaas from Big Finish appears live on the show to interview Jason! David Barsky then joins Jason by Skype from Los Angeles to rap about The Space Museum, and to vigorously debate the most recent Disney+-streamed season of Doctor Who. In the audio essay, Jason compares all four extant versions of Space Museum: TV, novelization, and both surviving scripts. With comparisons to the music of Elvis Costello. Audio heard in this episode sourced from YouTube: --Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney studio version of Veronica. --Elvis Costello's studio version of My Brave Face. --Elvis Costello's infamous 1977 appearance on Saturday Night Live. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us! Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels "Doctor Who – The Space Museum" features cover art by David McAllister. Doctor Who Literature is a member of the Direction Point Doctor Who podcast network. Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com. You can catch all past episodes at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.