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Doctor Who Magazine

DWM 190

Reviewed by Paul Scoones

The wrap-around cover of this issue - dating back to the Radio Times Tenth Anniversary Special - is rather eye-catching, and the same can be said of its contents.

Despite a singular lack of news on the show, DWM still seems to be coming up with new and interesting features. Admittedly the interview with my namesake, special effects designer Ian Scoones, is rather similar to one that recently appeared in DWB; and the ongoing 'What the Papers Said' feature seems to be an expansion on Peter Haining's The Key to Time book, but these aside, the issue makes for very informative and entertaining reading.

The new 'Prelude' series, with each of the New Adventures authors introducing their book with a short story is a brilliant and inspired idea kicked off by Mark Gatiss' prequel to Nightshade which very definitely leaves you wanting more. This is followed by a review of the book itself, and an interview with the author. I can't wait to read it.

Being rather interested in behind- the-scenes technical information, often my favourite section of DWM is the regular eight-page pull-out Archive booklet. These invariably contain rare photos and hitherto unknown details on the making of a story, and the one on Ghost Light was no exception. In fact I believe this is the best of the ten printed so far. Long may they continue!

I've never been a great fan of the comic strip, however, and Andrew Cartmel's Ravens trilogy which ended this issue did nothing to convert me. Never mind - next issue's comic strip is written by some guy called Warwick Gray. Should be worth looking out for...

DWM 191

Reviewed by Paul Scoones

Another packed issue, the highlight of which is - for me at least - Warwick Gray's comic strip, Memorial. It's a simple but effective tale, pleasingly positive in its resolution after the negativism of recent instalments. John Ridgeway's artwork is as eye-catching as ever.

Australian fan David Carroll has a Brief Encounter story which is surprisingly similar to one I once started writing but never finished.

Of particular interest was the first part of an interview with Donald Tosh. I don't usually find much of note when reading the memories of sixties production personnel, but Tosh gives some eye-opening insights into the Hartnell stories for which he was script editor. I hadn't known for instance that The Massacre episodes didn't have any writer's credit on screen, or that Hartnell ad-libbed a speech during part two of The Time Meddler!

The Leisure Hive Archive was another delight as this particular story has always been a personal favourite of mine. Tied in with this is an interview with its director, Lovett Bickford. Ian Scoones continues his reminisces, and there's a 'free' poster of Alister Pearson's book/video artwork for The Tomb of the Cybermen which seems to have been included as compensation for raising the cover price of the issue.

This item appeared in TSV 30 (September 1992).