Tuesday 7 May 2013

COMPANIONS AUTHOR INTERVIEWED

Candy Jar Books is taking its first step into the world of Doctor Who publishing at the end of June, with the ultimate guide to the companions of Doctor Who, aptly called Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants We managed to track down the author, Andy Frankham-Allen, to answer a few questions about his view on Who and the importance of his book.

Author, Andy Frankham-Allen and his Doctor Who DVD collection

How did you get into Doctor Who? What made you a fan?
Growing up in the '70s and 80s it was very hard to escape Doctor Who, much like now really. And being a science fiction fan from an early age, drifting to Doctor Who was an obvious thing. I wasn't an avid follower as a child, but I did watch many episodes. Oddly enough, I didn't really get into the show until 1987, when I found myself watching episode two of Time and the Rani (yeah, I know, what an episode to come back to!), and I haven't missed an episode since. Naturally enough, though, when I started getting into it again, it got cancelled. The '90s were, in some respects, a dark time for Who, but also very exciting with the plethora of novels being released!


Why did you decide to write this book?
I was asked. No, seriously, I was known to the director of Candy Jar Books and he's a huge fan and he wanted to publish a Who related book for the anniversary. He asked me because I know my stuff, and figured it'd be fun to work with me on it. We took a while to decide about what to write, however; he suggested a book looking at what went wrong during the '80s, but I came back with an idea about a guide to the companions. We've not had one of those properly since David Howe's book back in the Virgin days, and a lot has happened with Who since then. A lot!

Cover by Terry Cooper, Copyright Candy Jar Books 2013
Doctor Who is very popular in America; is this book tailored for that market?
It's been translated by the TARDIS telepathic circuits! Honestly, like Doctor Who itself, this book is designed for every fan out there. Old or new, it doesn't matter, there'll be something for everyone.

Why do you think this book is important at this time?
Because it's been so long since we've had a guide talking about the companions. I believe it was in 1996 that Howe released his book, and we've had innumerable books, audio CDs, and TV episodes since then. Loads of new information has been revealed on TV since 2005 that relates to the companions of old, that it's nice to put these things into some kind of context. Plus, since 2005 the majority of Doctor Who merchandise has been closely regulated by the BBC (which is fine; it's a very important brand now!), and so doing an unofficial guide means I don't need to tow the party line, and can look at things with an honest eye. Doctor Who is awesome, best thing on British TV, but it's not perfect, and neither are all the Doctor's companions.

You mentioned the books and CDs; is the Expanded Universe integral to Doctor Who as a whole?
 It's essential. It's easy these days, with Doctor Who being a regular feature on TV, to forget that the fans went through sixteen years without any ongoing series (bar one television movie in 1996). From 1990 all the way through to 2005 Doctor Who was the Expanded Universe. The novels, and latterly the Big Finish audios, were the lifeblood of Doctor Who. They kept the property alive and told, in my view, some of the best stories in the entire fifty years. And, as noted in Companions, the books set up much of what we see on television today. Certainly what we've seen with Rose and Donna, and indeed Amy & Rory, is nothing new to Doctor Who; merely an expansion of what was explored in the novels and, to a lesser extent, in the Big Finish audios. It's a shame that, in some ways, the majority of the books and audios will remain overlooked because they're not part of the television canon. Certainly by a large percentage of the audience brought to the property via the new series. Another reason why Companions is so important; to show the more recent fans how rich a history Doctor Who has.
  
Which companion did you most enjoy writing about?
Hmm, tough one. Rose and Jack, for sure. I'm not a huge fan of these characters, and fail to understand why Rose is so popular. She's really not a nice person at all. Don't get me wrong, Billie Piper did an amazing job, but the character is far from the best kind of person. Jack I've never really got - it was my view that he's a very different character in Torchwood to how he is in Doctor Who and this has jarred with me ever since Torchwood began. So writing up his entry, and really studying him, has made me realise that, actually, he is the same character and something very clever is done with him - intentional or not, I don't know, but read his entry and decide for yourself. Of course, I loved writing for Donna! In fact, writing the end of her entry nearly brought a tear to my eye. And then there's Sarah... Ah, so many!

Will this be your only entry into Doctor Who reference work, or is it back to fiction for you?
Oh, fiction is my first love - always will be. But, there are more reference works in the pipeline. One Who related and one that isn't. Writing this book has been a whole different kind of challenge - seriously hard work, but it's been fun, too. But, yeah, back to fiction for a month and then onto the next reference work. Better get the coffee ready; I'm gonna need it!

Thanks for your time, Andy, we'll let you get back onto your work now. Looks like some fun times ahead.

Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants is released June 27th, and can be pre-ordered from the Candy Jar website (and all good online book sellers).


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