From November 1986: a rare bit of good news during a bleak period in the history of WHO. DOCTOR WHO BULLETIN 40 reports that, despite soft ratings (see previous posts), the show was being renewed for a 24th season.
Of course, what fandom didn't know yet is that there would be a price to pay...
From January 1982: a pretty beat up copy of the penultimate issue of Marvel UK's decidedly brief BLOCKBUSTER.
The line-up was, as per usual, Iron Fist, the Inhumans and Omega the Unknown.
From October 1986: How times change... 5 million punters might have been a disaster for the new season debut back in 1986 but, in our new fangled modern world, most UK broadcasters would be quite chuffed with a similar audience.
To be honest, I remember seeing the opening installments of the TRIAL OF A TIMELORD season and being distinctly underwhelmed. Not only was the whole idea of a sprawling 14 episode story arc flawed (and poorly executed) but JN-T's legendary showmanship seemed to have abandoned him. With the exception of the impressive motion-controlled miniature to open the story, there was little in the way of spectacle. Had he had served up a REMEMBERANCE OF THE DALEKS, he could have generated some buzz around the show again.
The slump also, of course, played into DWB's narrative that the current production team (read: the producer) needed the boot in order to inject fresh blood. What only became clear later was that JN-T was one of the few people inside the Corporation really to trying to keep the show in business at all.
And just look at some of the stellar ratings that some other regular shows were getting: over 17 million for EASTENDERS (although that almost certainly consolidated the Sunday afternoon omnibus repeat as well... and these were the days before Sunday opening gave millions the opportunity to dodge it), 10 million for DW's arch Saturday evening rivals THE A-TEAM. And even 4 million plus slumping down after school (or work if you'd bunked off exceptionally early) to see BLUE PETER.
From December 1982: the 8th issue of Marvel UK's long forgotten venture into movie magazines: the short-lived CINEMA.
From September 1986: the next in my acquired run of DOCTOR WHO BULLETIN (aka DWB) back issues: number 38. And, it has to be said, another vicious choice of colour for the cover. It's one thing to stand out on the racks (the fanzine's SUN-alike style, along with strong news coverage during a difficult time for the programme, was seeing shop sales rising with every issue... something that BBC Enterprises and Marvel London couldn't help but note) but another to be virtually unreadable.
From October 1993: another launch in the burgeoning line of STAR WARS comic books from Dark Horse: TALES OF THE JEDI.
This was another landmark series because, for the first time, it demonstrated that Star Wars adventures didn't have to be contemporaneous to the film series but could plunder the whole rich history of the expanded universe and feature none of the screen-familiar characters. That, of course, gave the creative teams free reign to really have some fun with concepts and scenarios only hinted at to date... without falling foul of the continuity police. The stories appearing here took place 4,000 years before the first Death Star went bang.
There was also a sourcebook from West End Games that filled in more of the backstory.
This also demonstrated Dark Horse's willingness to push the envelope in terms of expanding the scope of the saga. A policy that would go on to help them build a bewildering diverse range of SW titles and pave the way for other parts of the Lucasfilm merchandising juggernaut to similarly leave the confines of the films behind. It may have even have helped convince Lucas that audiences didn't need all the familiar faces in order to turn out in droves to see a new Star Wars flick.
Although I bought this first issue at the time, I wasn't terribly interested in mining the ancient history of a fictional realm and I didn't bother to pick up another issue.
From June 1986: more from the tumultuous time in WHO's history... issue 35 of DOCTOR WHO BULLETIN.
The death of Robert Holmes not only deprived the show of one of its most highly regarded writers (although his recent track record had been more shaky) but also proved to be the final straw for script editor Eric Saward (who, as previously noted, bailed in spectacular fashion shortly thereafter).
And no surprise that Michael Grade would accept a BBC ENTERPRISES bankrolled trip to the States for a bit of promotional work... and no doubt some sightseeing as well.
From 1986: the cover of the programme for the 1986 BIRMINGHAM COMIC ART SHOW.
I wasn't at the event, held 31 May and 1 June (indeed it would be way over a decade longer before I visited Brun for the first time) and picked this A5 black & white booklet up, for a few pennies, much more recently.
Cover art, which (I think) also graced the advertising for the event (because the whole thing looks familiar from fanzine ads from the time) by Mike Higgs.
Check out the stellar line-up of creative types who attended...and the low (it feels today) admission price. For context a UK weekly was selling for around 35p and an imported US monthly for under a pound. Give or take.
From December1981: the seventh issue of MARVEL UK's ignored-then-and-now BLOCKBUSTER Monthly, unsung home of the Inhuman, Iron Fist and Omega the (completely) Unknown. A stellar line-up to be sure.
From May 1986: Indeed Saward does. Although his blistering, wash-your-dirty-laundry in public, attack on his ex-employer was saved for the pages of Starburst magazine (a story that was subsequently picked up by the national press and hammered a few more nails into the show's coffin).
Its not as if he bowed out on a high: the show had suffered from a run of sub-par stories (although Resurrection of the Daleks was a cracker) which ropey production values couldn't camouflage. But Eric will be reassured to know that it did get even worse after he went... before a drastic swing back into quality as the BBC was preparing to shutter the series.
