Editorial

'TSV gives quite a lot of attention to Virgin's New Adventures, perhaps suggesting that they are the future for new Doctor Who.' - John Ainsworth, The Fanzine Trap, Doctor Who Magazine 211

I found the above comment, made in conclusion to a complimentary review of TSV 37, rather thought-provoking; oddly enough, I'd never thought of the New Adventures as anything other than the latest Doctor Who. To me, these books are a continuation of the series - only the medium has changed.

To disregard the New Adventures is to abandon some of the best writing and plotting - not to mention some of the most dramatic moments - ever to come out of Doctor Who.

I have no time for fans that won't even look at the New Adventures because they're 'not part of the canon' (i.e. the television series). Sure, there's been a few less than wonderful novels - but isn't that equally true of the television stories?

I concede the point well made by Morgan Davie in TSV 38 that there is a problem of accessibility; the New Adventures are not as easily obtainable as televised episodes. I like to feel, however, that TSV is helping to broaden that access. In one obvious sense, the TSV Catalogue offers the books cheaper than they can be bought in bookstores, but in another way the reviews and associated articles are providing prospective readers and buyers with material from which to make an informed choice of which titles to purchase and or read.

'The future for new Doctor Who'? I think so. I'd rather read 'classics' such as Time's Crucible, Love and War or The Left-Handed Hummingbird (to name but three) than watch almost any episodes of the television series you'd care to mention. I'm not impatient for Doctor Who to return, because for me it returned three years ago - and in September this year, the Seventh Doctor will overtake the Fourth as the longest-serving. I'll be celebrating; will you?

Paul

So it's coming back? An American production of Doctor Who is certain to have quite a different mood from the British one; more emotional, but even less controversial subject matter, I predict. Even if a British actor is cast as the Doctor, I think the character will be Americanized. Look at the two 'English' doctors in the current US science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and seaQuest DSV for examples. This is not to say that such changes will produce a substandard programme and Doctor Who may well become more appealing to a wider selection of viewers. It will certainly be interesting to see. With Amblin, the company producing seaQuest, turning to Doctor Who next, I'm skeptical about the casting of the new companion. My guess is that it will be a Lucas clone with the personality of the dolphin!

Felicity