In Their Own Words 5

For almost 30 years, Doctor Who Magazine has documented the making of this unique television series, interviewing every major player, be they actors, directors, producers, designers, writers... even monsters! This Special Edition gathers together the best of these interviews, as the cast and crew themselves recall their part in the history of Doctor Who, making for a frank, forthright, and insightful memoir – in turns funny, poignant, and surprising. To illustrate their story, DWM has selected hundreds of amazing pictures – iconic images from the BBC archives, alongside less familiar shots from private collections.
In Their Own Words – Volume 5 covers one of the most creative and innovative periods in the history of the series, beginning with the first appearance of the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. It follows the events of the late 1980s, when the Doctor was redefined as being ‘more than just a Time Lord’ and a Machiavellian figure who was prepared to use his companion, Ace, as a pawn in his fight against evil. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, find out why powers at the BBC decided to end the run of the UK’s longest running science-fiction show – and how a new series of novels, a Children in Need Special, radio adventures and made-for-video productions filled the gap left behind by the TV series. And discover how the series made its comeback with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 TV Movie – as Doctor Who simply refused to die.
Paul Cornell, author of the highly acclaimed Doctor Who stories Father’s Day (2005) and Human Nature/Family of Blood (2007), writes exclusively for the special on how the Sylvester McCoy era inspired him:
“I have a romantic attachment to the experimental nature of this era, to how much Andrew Cartmel [script editor] and his team were trying new ideas. To how young everyone was. I was captivated at the time by the ‘dark Doctor’ stuff, as in love with it as I was with the work of Alan Moore and Frank Miller, the zeitgeist beside which this direction made such sense. I waited urgently to see how the legend developed. I hung on the asides and hints, and filled in the gaps with my imagination. It was only the second time a production team had looked at Doctor Who since it began, and said ‘let’s try it in an entirely different way’.”

Out on: 20th November 2008

Priced: £5.99