Because the first 200 issues of DWM are easily accessable on Archive (Doctor Who Magazine Archive : Doctor Who Magazine : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive), I thought it would to get discussions going on each issue. Be it about the comics, articles, short stories, how fandom has changed over the last 30-45 years, etc. This thread is specifically for DWM #175.
I chose to do this one next because itâs the issue that covers Timewyrm: Genesys which we all recently read for the Book Club.
1 Like
Good choice. Iâll have to have a look at this one.
1 Like
This was pretty interesting. The Timewyrm feature was basically just the entire first chapter of the novel, together with a short message from John Peel saying how excited he is 
It was also interesting how they were optimistic about the show possibly returning in 1992 or 1993. The most interesting thing was the letters page. People were discussing how bad The City of Death is (not seeing that opinion much these days), complaining about newer fans being overly harsh on the latest era of the show (sounds familiar, right?) and speculation about a possible female Doctor (with Joanna Lumley suggested, and sheâd of course go on to play a female incarnation in The Curse of Fatal Death). Very little has changed in 33 years!
2 Likes
I know this is verging further off topic, but favourite iteration of Mike being obscured is the Disney Plus example
Talk about playing the long game with a gag!
Iâm slowly working my way through this and greatly enjoyed the little interview with Jacqueline Hill. Also didnât know the story about Jon Pertwee shipping his Bugati to Liverpool on the front of a destroyer.
Iâm reading about that now. From what Iâve heard from various sources such DVD special features and youtube videos (maybe the forum members who were there like @deltaandthebannermen can attest to this), Doctor Who was never offically cancelled. It just never came back for Season 27. I remember reading that it took a few years for the BBC to actually come out and call it cancelled. Thus, any little rumor was jumped on by the fans.
I find it fascinating that a section on Doctor Who in Australia gets excited "âŚwith The Web Planet now on sale on one tape at $39.95." I remember the days of VHS, when a VHS of Star Trek only had two episodes per tape. Itâs rather fun looking at these historical artifacts.
Reading John Peelâs little blurb at the start of the Timewyrm section in DWM 175 and got to this: âPeter and I were in full accord with the BBC in ensuring that the Doctor and Ace as you will see them in the book will still be the same characters in every way as their television counterparts.â Eventually it felt like they were the Seventh Doctor and Ace, but not at the start of the book. I kinda skipped over the preview itself as I just read the book. Iâm really finding this look into the past rather fun though.
Read the little Dr Whoâs Grating Adventures comic with all the âalmostâ story titles. The comic isnât to my personal taste, but the amusing aspect is that two of these actually became Big Finish stories (The One Doctor which is a Sixth Doctor and Mel story, and An Earthly Child which is the first Big Finish to reunite Susan and the Eighth Doctor).
Interesting to see the little discussion of having a female Doctor there, with Joanna Lumley, Glenda Jackson, and Kate OâMara listed as possibilities.
Obviously Joanna came the closest on that, actually getting cast as the Doctor. Kate as the Doctor does sound like it wouldâve been a fun changeup, tooâŚ
And, of course, I like them having interviews with Jacqueline Hill and Louise Jameson. (And Jacqueline talking about Maureen OâBrian not liking the amount of screaming she had to do as VickiâŚ)
1 Like
There we go. I finished this issue. Here are my final comments. Looking at the Fanzine section and plesently surprised to see future Who writers Peter Angelhides and Justin Richards mentioned as the writers of the fanzine In-Vision, and seeing About Time author Tat Wood running the fanzine Spectrox.
An interesting review by Gary Russell for Marc Plattâs novelization of Battlefield. Itâs funny that Season 24 still splits fandom a bit (maybe not to the extent that it did then as we got plenty of new stuff to split fandom now). As others have said, the interview with Louise Jameson is quite enjoyable.
The main comic story in this issue: The Good Soldier: Part 1 is quite good with excellent art and an excellent story, plus the reveal of Modasian Cybermen emerging from the sand at the end. Iâm rather interesting in reading Cartmelâs New Adventures novels when we get to them.
Thanks for making me feel ancient @DarthGallifrey! 
And yes, youâre correct. It wasnât officially cancelled - not in the same way we get actual announcements nowadays. It just went into limbo and never came back. The cast were told they werenât doing Season 27 but the BBC were decidely vague about it whenever people asked.
And then, of course, there was the infamous âDay of Actionâ where fans - allegedly - tried to jam the switchboards of the BBC as part of a campaign to get the show back on our screens.
You do have to wonder at the mentality of some in fandom if they ever thought that would do anything other than convince the BBC that fans are a bunch of nutters!
2 Likes
Sorry about that Delta. But yours was the name that sprang to mind to confirm the point I was making.
1 Like