One of the contributors of a fantastic new Doctor Who book has been in touch with details of a new title, chronicling the history of the Blackpool Doctor Who Exhibition. Below is the press release from the website, where you can also download the books for FREE:

Blackpool Remembered and Blackpool Revisited are FREE digital publications, collated and edited by John Collier. They celebrate the original Doctor Who Exhibition on Blackpool’s Golden Mile, which ran from 1974 to 1985, and the Doctor Who Museum, which ran from 2004 to 2009.

Both books are a labour of love for their creator John Collier and project collaborator Alex Storer. These projects are the first of their kind: in-depth, full-colour, vividly detailed and illustrated accounts of the Doctor Who exhibitions as told by the fans who visited and the people who made them possible. Explore year-by-year floor plans and hundreds of photographs alongside personal recollections and nostalgia of the era, publicity materials, merchandise and everything that made visiting Doctor Who exhibitions so special.

Whether you visited either exhibition in the years gone by or missed out completely, now is your chance to step back in time to visit the TARDIS and defy the Daleks.

Although there have since been many Doctor Who exhibitions, Blackpool was unlike any other and remains fondly remembered by generations of fans. These are their stories.

+ Download the books via the Blackpool Remembered & Revisited website!
+ Follow @Blackpool7485 on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: Philip Brennan]

Hello Doctor Who Online Community

My Name is Barry Aldridge and I did an article back in 2018 called “Doctor Who, Autism and Me” which I'm really happy to have put out there. Big thanks to the DWO team, including Seb Brook who believed in me to talk about the issue, which gave me real confidence.

Now I am back to talk about my favourite Doctor Who Story of all time. To me this is an all-time classic that I believe, 50 years on, still holds the test of the time. It stars my favourite Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and features my favourite villains of all time; The Daleks! It was broadcasted between 20th May 1967-1st July 1967. Only one of the episodes has survived in the archives and it was the first appearance of Deborah Watling as Victoria Waterfield, which was Episode 2. The story I am talking about is The Evil Of The Daleks, written by David Whitaker and directed by Derek Martinus.

It's a story/serial of 7 episodes or 7 parts, which I know can be a turn off for some people, but I love long stories that go on for many weeks - especially with Patrick Troughton at the helm.

I first heard about this story back in 2003/2004 - I think, when I was getting into the show after a rest between 1999-2003, as I was more focused on college and early University. This was good in a way as it meant I could get the excitement back for the show, which I needed. I was going through different shows and remember Troughton’s performances from stories like The Dominators, The Mind Robber and The War Games. Also, around that time I had a friend who had The Tomb Of The Cybermen DVD and I loved that story! I thought of looking at more of Troughton’s era of the show and found out the shocking news that a lot of his episodes were missing from the BBC archives.

I actually saw a clip of Episode 2 of The Evil Of The Daleks, where the Doctor, Edward Waterfield and Theodore Maxtible were discussing the villain, where the Doctor was finding out why he was sent back in time and where his TARDIS had gone. Then... the villians of the hour; The Daleks! I remember Troughton’s facial expressions going from fear to being brave in a matter of seconds and it was this reaction that was a major key to me wanting to find out what happens in this story.

Around 2006, when I watched Genesis Of The Daleks “Dalek Tapes” and they briefly touched on The Evil Of The Daleks, and they said how fantastic it is and admired David Whitaker’s writing, which was the first time I heard his name, strangely, but, again, it got me wanting to find out more.

I went back and forth with the story and was looking online for the The Evil Of The Daleks scripts, and I was blown away by how he was able to write the story and keep it going for 7 episodes / parts - which amazes me! It's not an easy feat to do, as some writers can find it hard to pull off even 6 episodes. I love how Whitaker was able to create characters and give them development throughout the story. John Bailey and Marius Goring (from Episode 2) were able to make their characters believable, owing to with Whitaker’s writing. I also only found out recently that it featured Windsor Davies who starred in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.

In my view David Whitaker is one of the most underrated writers in the history of Doctor Who. As mentioned, he knows how to write great characters - other examples can be seen in The Edge Of Destruction and The Rescue from William Hartnell's era. He worked with Dalek creator, Terry Nation, quite a bit during his year as Script Editor - this surely lends itself to the fact he understood how to write for the Daleks, and keep up with the pace and make it in interesting to watch.

I saw the second episode for the first time in 2009 when I got the Lost In Time DVD box-set, which contained surviving episodes of missing stories, including The Crusade, The Daleks Master Plan, The Enemy Of The World (now complete), The Web Of Fear (now nearly complete) and The Space Pirates - to name a few. When watching the episode at the opening, then hearing Roy Skelton’s Dalek voice is, to me, one of the best Dalek voices ever

Whist not the best episode in the story, I loved everything about it! It featured brilliant performances from Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, John Bailey, Marius Goring, and Windsor Davies. It was really well put together through the direction of Derek Martinus, who knew how to put shots together and knew how to direct the actors on the screen -  especially when the Doctor found out the Daleks were behind the whole thing. Let's not forget the fantastic music cues from Dudley Simpson - so well done, and it really makes the episode much more tense.

The Lost In Time box-set did contain a rough version of the finale of Episode 7, and I thought it was amazing, and if this was going to be the final end of the Daleks, I think this would have been so perfect, making the Daleks eternally memorable in the audience’s eyes.

In the early 2010’s I decided to get the audio of the story on CD and I really enjoyed Frazer Hines' narration, which helped to bridge the gap with the story. I loved the tension between the Doctor and the Emperor of the Daleks in Episode 6. I won’t spoil what happens there but it leads into Episode 7 in such an epic way. The 3 hour adventure went by so quickly that it felt like 90 minutes which is what I want in an excellent story.

I remember winning the vinyl from Zoom back in August 2019 and I couldn’t believe that I had won the vinyl of my favourite Doctor Who Story of all time. I still haven’t played it as I need the record player and I will not be selling it. It's great to have another version of the story, that I'm yet to discover.

I would still put this story at the top for years to come. When they started to do more animations from 2016, when they were doing it for the 50th Anniversary of Patrick Troughton’s debut The Power Of The Daleks, I was thinking to myself that maybe one day The Evil Of The Daleks would get the animated treatment and I would be over the moon! After they finished working on Shada, The Macra Terror, The Faceless Ones, The Power Of The Daleks: Special Edition, Fury From The Deep and The Web Of Fear, and I read that the next animated adventure being worked on was The Evil Of The Daleks, I had one reaction... Holy [expletive]!

I found out on Thursday the 1st July 2021, when I was on my final day of holiday down in Weymouth, Dorset. I switched on YouTube and watched the trailer. I was blown away! 

I just want to finish up by saying that I think we should spread positivity within the Doctor Who community. Yes, we all have different opinions on how we feel in terms of favourite doctors, stories, companions, villains, aliens, character development, political messages e.t.c, but I feel we should be more respectful to each other and more kind to each other. Sometimes there can be tension in fandom, but I think overall, Doctor Who fans are wonderful, brilliant, kind, knowledgeable and great to be around. 

Thank you for reading!

Barry

+ Follow @BarryAldridge on Twitter!
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[Source: DWO]

Publisher: Self Published

Written By: Nathan Jones

RRP: £7.99 / $9.99 (Paperback) | £2.99 / $4.12 (Kindle)

Reviewed by: Sebastian J. Brook

Imagine, if you will, a world that blends The Matrix, Mortal Engines and TRON, - this would go some way to giving you just a taste of the mind-blowingly brilliant world that Nathan Jones has given us in Travelling Without Moving. In fact, it's fair to say that, right from the off, this book, even in light of the comparisons, is genuinely unlike anything we've ever read before.

Focusing on Napalm Carton, the story explores his self awareness of the world he lives in (Kaputt) and the suspicions he has about the very reality around him. A mystery that takes you right up to the last drops of ink to unravel.

The exploration of multi-faceted aspects of reality is realised in lavish detail. From the moment we see Mokey taking Napalm's Willy Wonka-esque, mind-enhancing concoction we are catapulted into his game like world - and like all good stories, it has a beginning, a middle and an end. Jones' world-building is king here; the lore, the sounds, the shapes and the very fabric of the detail he paints, enwraps the reader in totality. It's like putting on a VR headset and being immersed in a new world; you completely forget everything around you and focus only on everything before you.

The disparity between The Americas (the Western half of Kaputt) and Kaputt Real (the Eastern half), is almost akin to The Man In The High Castle; the West VS East 'us and them' duality, almost serves as an underlying theme throughout the book - in many different forms. On this front, Jones' work feels very much on a higher intellectual plain than you may at first think. There's purpose and planning that slowly reveals itself in several 'Aha!' moments, or even back-pocketed until the very end. It's impressive to say the least. 

There was a section in the book that reminded me of a kids TV show I watched, growing up, called Knightmare, in which a team of kids enter a virtual reality type game world, where they have to survive on their wits, whilst making smart choices along the way. Every now and then they would arrive in a room with a table which has a selection of items you need to choose from - I couldn't help but feel pangs on nostalgia as I read that paragraph:

"The scullery door, yes, a scullery door, was locked. He didn’t have the key, and he needed to get out. That was all that mattered. On the table sat a selection of items: a pocketknife, a compass, a box of matches, a tin pot of glue, a length of copper wire, and a hessian sack of quick-rice.   ‘Ok,’ he said, his voice flat and mechanical.  ‘Classic locked room puzzle, I reckon.  How do we get out of here?’

It also made me sit up and realise just how worrying the prospect is of being trapped somewhere you *know* just doesn’t feel right. That every move you make is somehow pre-determined or destined to be outplayed. It can be a real rabbit-hold moment for the reader if you truly allow yourself to be immersed in the allegory.

From the clockwork sun of Kaputt's bio-dome, to the rich tapestry of realities, characters, cultures and devices, Travelling Without Moving is truly a ground-breaking piece of literature that captivates the imagination, frees the mind and ensnares the reader in Jones' mastery.

There's a hell of a cliffhanger, too - one that Doctor Who itself would be proud of. With the seeming promise of more adventures to come, this epic work - and it really IS epic - will take some beating. 

+  Travelling Without Moving is Out Now!
+  Buy this book from Amazon.co.uk!
+  Buy this book from Amazon.com!
+  Follow @NathanJonesBook (Nathan Jones) on Twitter.
+  Follow @SebastianJBrook (Sebastian J. Brook) on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline (Doctor Who Online) on Twitter.  

Publisher: The Pencil Princess Workshop

Written By: R.L.S. Hoff

RRP: £9.44 / $12.99 (Paperback) | £2.43 / $3.34 (Kindle)

Reviewed by: Sebastian J. Brook

R.L.S. Hoff's Leaving Hope is a futuristic SciFi story that focuses on Anya - a strong female lead who is desperate to live up to the book's title by leaving the titular spaceship 'Hope' and join the team colonising the planet Shindashir. The wonderful thing about Anya’s s strength is how it builds throughout the course of the book - yes you have that strong-willed seed at the beginning, but there’s a hell of a journey for her. 

Hoff's world-building has to be commended first and foremost. Every word on the page has meaning and purpose and through her deliciously descriptive writing, Anya's life and her immediate world, jumps out of the book in such a rich, detailed way. 

Sometimes in life there are paths that are set before us that we don't want to take; choices that are made for us that we don't necessarily want to act on. This theme, for us at least, was the beating heart of Leaving Hope. The ability to know what is expected of you and the conflict of what you *really* want to do, was palpable here, and every wall Anya smashes through results in an air punch moment for the reader.

Leaving Hope lends a warm comparison to The Little Mermaid, but in space; a girl who has dreams and aspirations beyond her position, going against her father's wishes. This is no bad thing, by the way, it merely represents an interesting narrative that clearly follows a trend throughout history - even fictional nautical tales! Just like its comparative counterpart, you realise the safety and assurance in what's set before you, but long for the excitement of that alternative path.

Worthy of note is just how diverse the story is; there are a fantastic set of characters - each with poignance and purpose, and each with varying backgrounds. Ethnicity also plays an important role, and it's so refreshing that it isn't just touched on or glanced over, but intrinsic to plot points throughout.

The ending is magnificent; we won't spoil it, but despite being a book series, it's self contained and leaves the reader more than satisfied. We particularly loved the arc in which Anya has throughout the book, and where she ultimately ends up. So much can be said for strong female leads, but to see one written in such an interesting, intelligent, and well-thought-out way that Hoff manages to do so effortlessly, makes the journey she has, so much more poignant. A genuinely brilliant read and cannot wait to see what's next in store for the series.

+  Leaving Hope is Out Now!
+  Buy this book from Amazon.co.uk!
+  Buy this book from Amazon.com!
+  Follow @RRachelH55965605 (R.L.S. Hoff) on Twitter.
+  Follow @SebastianJBrook (Sebastian J. Brook) on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline (Doctor Who Online) on Twitter.