TV Action - February 1973

Exactly forty years ago this month, the recently renamed TV Action comic had The Doctor concluding Deadly Choice, before an unusual seven-page self-contained story in issue 104 (warranting a return to the cover).
Missing two weeks, The Doctor would return in issue 107.

Issue 105 has a small feature on the men inside the Daleks, with a photograph of John Scott Martin sitting in a Dalek base between takes on the closing scenes of Frontier In Space.

Issue 106 carried a letter from reader James Russell in London, changeling the letter in issue 101.

The original letter asked how the voices of the Daleks were achieved, and the answer referred to a photograph the publishers forgot to include! This omission was corrected alongside the new letter.

Click the issue title to view
the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 103

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Deadly Choice pt 3

art by Gerry Haylock

also Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, Droopy, UFO, Alias Smith And Jones, Dad’s Army, The Persuaders!

Issue 104

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Who Is The Stranger

art by Gerry Haylock

also The Protectors, Hawaii Five-O, Droopy, UFO, Alias Smith And Jones, Dad’s Army, The Persuaders!

Issue 105

No Doctor Who strip in this issue

also Hawaii Five-O, The Protectors, Cannon, Droopy, UFO, Alias Smith And Jones, Dad’s Army, The Persuaders!

Issue 106

No Doctor Who strip in this issue

also The Persuaders!, The Protectors, Cannon, Droopy, UFO, Alias Smith And Jones, Dad’s Army, Mission: Impossible

TV ACTION + Countdown - January 1973

Exactly forty years ago this month, TV Action + Countdown comic had The Doctor continuing his adventure Zeron Invasion, concluding in issue 100.

Not strictly Doctor Who related, but issue 100 has an interesting feature about the building of New York’s Twin Towers, including a photo of them being finished off.

Issue 101 saw the start of a new story, Deadly Choice – and a massive change to the comic, when the Countdown name finally disappear forever.





Back in issue 46 the TV Action name was introduced as a byline to the title, becoming Countdown for TV Action. Over the course of future issues, the Countdown name was progressively pushed to second billing. From issue 57 it became TV Action in Countdown; issue 59 saw the title become TV Action + Countdown, with the former taking the prominent place; and from issue 101 it became TV Action outright.

The revamp also saw Doctor Who dropped from its regular place on the cover, having appeared there unbroken for the previous forty-two issues.

In the letter page of issue 101, reader Andrew McGibbon of Twickenham asked to know how the voices of the Daleks were made.

The reply included a call to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop who explained how it was done. The answer makes reference to a picture of a ring modulator in use – but for an unknown reason the picture was not published!



Issue 101 carried news of the theft of two Daleks from outside the offices of a record company on Newman Street on 5th December 1972. The Daleks were on loan to promote the record Who Is The Doctor.

The story carried on in issue 102, with a photograph of one of the missing Daleks.
It also outlined the single featuring the voice of Jon Pertwee, printing some of the lyrics.

I cross the void beyond the mind,
the empty spec that circus time.
I see where others stumble blind,
to seek a truth they never find.
Eternal wisdom is my guide –
I am, The Doctor!

Issue 102 also saw a reference to the Cybermen. It was in the form a of letter from a reader bemoaning the lack of the silver fiends since 1969.

Sadly there was no news of their return to report.

Click the issue title to view
the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 99

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Zeron Invasion pt 6

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 100

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Zeron Invasion pt 7 (misslabelled as part Six)

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Autocat and Motormouse

Issue 101

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Deadly Choice pt 1

art by Gerry Haylock

also The Protectors, Hawaii Five-O, Droopy, Mission: Impossible, Dad’s Army, The Persuaders!

Issue 102

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Deadly Choice pt 2

art by Gerry Haylock

also Canon, Hawaii Five-O, Droopy, Mission: Impossible, Dad’s Army, The Persuaders!

TV ACTION + Countdown - December 1972

Exactly forty years ago this month, TV Action + Countdown comic had The Doctor starting a new adventure, Zeron Invasion.

The back cover of issue 98 as a profile of Katy Manning, alias Jo Grant, in the same format as Jon Pertwee’s profile that adorned the back cover of issue 93 last month.

Click the issue title to view the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 94

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Zeron Invasion pt 1

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 95

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Zeron Invasion pt 2

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 96

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Zeron Invasion pt 3

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 97

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Zeron Invasion pt 4

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 98

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Zeron Invasion pt 5

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Bonhams auction - 12th December 2012

It’s nearly December, and that means yet another Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia sale.

As usual Doctor Who gets a look in, with a range of eras represented, including a stunningly colourful poster for the second Peter Cushing Dalek film, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150AD.

But the main items on offer cover the now finished spin-off series, Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures. Since both these series had the bulk of their runs alongside the Tennant era, I have listed them in my Coat blog.

Here is the only item from the Pertwee era.

Bonhams sale 1793
(12th December 2012)
Entertainment Memorabilia

As usual I have separated the items by Doctor era, and you can see the rest of the items here:

Lots 154
1st Doctor (1963-1966)

Lot 144
4th Doctor (1975-1980)

Lot 145
6th Doctor (1984-1986)

Lots 146 - 147
7th Doctor (1987-1989)

Lots 148 & 161
11th Doctor (2010-2013)

Lots 150 - 163
Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures

Here are just the lots relating to the Third Doctor era

Lot 143
Doctor Who - The Planet Of The Spiders: A group of original scripts, March-May 1974, comprising rehearsal scripts for Episodes 1-5, and camera scripts for Episodes 3-6, with some annotations, together with a statement confirming provenance
Estimate: £1,200 - 1,500
Sold for £875

Footnotes
This story was the last to feature Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, ending with his transformation into Tom Baker. These scripts were obtained from a member of the Special Effects team.

TV ACTION + Countdown - November 1972

Exactly forty years ago this month, TV Action + Countdown comic had The Doctor concluding his battle against the mysterious Steel Fist.

Strangely, the villain of the piece bear an uncanny resemblance to an Ice Warrior, last seen earlier that year in The Curse Of Peladon.

The back cover of issue 93 has a profile of Jon Pertwee, alias The Doctor.

It’s interesting to see his character name listed correctly for once, as he was continually misbilled as Doctor Who.

Click the issue title to view the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 90

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Steel Fist pt 2

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 91

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Steel Fist pt 3

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 92

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Steel Fist pt 4 (mislabelled as part Three)

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 93

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Steel Fist pt 5 (mislabelled as part Four)

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat and Motormouse, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Original 3rd Doctor items - on eBay!

Over the past couple of weeks there has been a small flurry of original Doctor Who Props and costumes for sale on eBay. It’s been like a mini Bonhams auction!

Here’s what’s been on offer for Third Doctor fans.

The Sea Devils
Sea Devil Mask

SOLD FOR £136

ORIGINAL DR WHO FILM PROP/ MASK

ORIGINAL 'SEA DEVIL' MASK FROM 1972 SEASON NINE DR WHO

COLLECTABLE ITEM WHICH IS IN TATTY CONDITION

THE SIZE IS TO FIT AN ACTOR SO IT IS ROUGHLY HUMAN MEASUREMENTS!

There were also eBay listings
relating to other Doctors

4th Doctor Costumes on eBay!

5th Doctor Costumes on eBay!

6th Doctor Costumes on eBay!

7th Doctor Costumes on eBay!

TV ACTION + Countdown - October 1972

Exactly forty years ago this month, TV Action + Countdown comic had The Doctor concluding The Ugrakks, defeating the aliens designed by reader Ian Farrington, before starting a new adventure, Steel Fist.

Click the issue title to view
the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 86

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 8

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Zero X, Hawaii Five-O, The Persuaders!, Tightrope, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 87

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 9 (mislabelled as part Ten)

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Zero X, Hawaii Five-O, The Persuaders! Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 88

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 10

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 89

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - Steel Fist pt 1

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Zero X, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

I had the extreme pleasure of seeing the original artwork for the cover of issue 89 at a recent exhibition of Doctor Who comic art at the Cartoon Museum in London.

As you can see, it was missing the overlays for the Doctor Who title and adventure name.
It was wonderful to see it in such perfect condition.

You can read all about it in a posting I did over on my Fourth Doctor Costume Blog.

My 4th Doctor Costume:
Vrooop! Vrooop! Vrooop!

Radio Times - DVD of the week

Just to show how even classic Doctor Who is becoming mainstream, the DVD of the week this week is The Ambassadors Of Death.

TV ACTION + Countdown - September 1972

Exactly forty years ago this month, TV Action + Countdown comic had The Doctor continuing his battle with The Ugrakks.

Click the issue title to view
the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 81

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 3

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat And Motormouse, Captain Scarlet, Hawaii Five-O, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Tightrope

Issue 82

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 4

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Captain Scarlet, Hawaii Five-O, Tightrope, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 83

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 5

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Autocat And Motormouse, Zero X, Hawaii Five-O, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Tightrope

Issue 84

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 6

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Zero X, Hawaii Five-O, The Persuaders!, Tightrope, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 85

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 7

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Zero X, Hawaii Five-O, The Persuaders!, Tightrope, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

TV ACTION + Countdown - August 1972

Exactly forty years ago this month, Countdown comic had The Doctor concluding The Enemy from Nowhere, before starting a new adventure, The Ugrakks featuring a monster from the imagination of reader Ian Fairnington, who won the competition to win a colour tv, launched back in issues 59 and 60.

Click the issue title to view
the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 77

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Enemy From Nowhere pt 7

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Thunderbirds, Tightrope, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 78

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Enemy From Nowhere pt 8

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Captain Scarlet, Tightrope The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 79

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 1

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Captain Scarlet, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Tightrope, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 80

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Ugrakks pt 2

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Caprtain Scarlet, Hawaii Five-O, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Tightrope, Autocat And Motormouse

TV ACTION + Countdown - July 1972

This month The Doctor’s adventure the Enemy From Nowhere continued, and the title strip Countdown still failed to appear. The dominance of TV ACTION in the title was slowly making the Countdown name redundant. Its days were numbered...

Click the issue title to view
the complete comic in PDF format.

Issue 72

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Enemy From Nowhere pt 2

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Thunderbirds, Tightrope, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5, Autocat And Motormouse

Issue 73

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Enemy From Nowhere pt 3

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Thunderbirds, Tightrope, Autocat And Motormouse, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 74

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Enemy From Nowhere pt 4

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Thunderbirds, Tightrope, Autocat And Motormouse, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5

Issue 75

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Enemy From Nowhere pt 5

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Thunderbirds, Tightrope, The Persuaders!, Autocat And Motormouse, Fireball XL5

Issue 76

Contains comic strips of
Doctor Who - The Enemy From Nowhere pt 6

art by Gerry Haylock

also UFO, Hawaii Five-O, Thunderbirds, Tightrope, Autocat And Motormouse, The Persuaders!, Fireball XL5