Fan Scene - CT 1981 Part 1

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society’s monthly newsletter Celestial Toyroom – or CT as everyone called it- was the Whofan’s main news source in the pre Internet days and we can see how the news broke and what else was going on. So lets’ travel back to 1981 to the world of Doctor Who and its fandom…

January

The front page reports the wedding of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward which had taken place on 13 December 1980 and says, slightly surprisingly, that “the couple are still intent on remaining in acting profession.” The DWAS sent a telegram of congratulation to the couple. CT also reported their interest in working on a project together…

Meanwhile “some good news and some bad news”. John Nathan –Turner will be staying on as producer (I think this is the good news) however the 19th season (yes, they were called Seasons and not Series in those days) will return to just 26 episodes, the previous one having had an extra 2 episodes. Actual news for the then current season told us that `The Keeper of Traken` includes one Anthony Ainley playing Tremas. Did anyone spot the anagram? Probably not.

This issue was actually the final one for editor Chris Dunk and he announces his successor will also be his predecessor. Gordon Blows. Mysteriously Gordon can only be contacted via the Society Co-ordinator’s address clearly not wishing to have his home address printed which other members of the society’s executive did. This does seem unusual even for the day when you’d imagine the DWAS would have a post office box address. Meanwhile controversy surfaced with the news of a fan called Tony Atkinson who “is not to be trusted” and unlike Gordon Blows Mr Atkinson’s address is printed for all to see, a tad nasty perhaps. It looks as if he was promising to swap items and then not delivering.

Other somewhat litigious Society news includes DWASFilms’ Mark Sinclair announcing that the tape copying services he was offering in the previous issues had to be discontinued. I wonder why! There’s also going to be a DWASocial to be held in Mitcham, in London. There’s often interesting snippets to be found in the columns written by the Exec members. Co-ordinator David Saunders reports on the departure of Stuart Glazebrook who has run the Society’s Art department since its inception in 1976.

There’s the results of a Target Poll carried out amongst members asking which stories they would most wish to see adapted next. `The Mind of Evil` tops the poll followed by `The Dalek Master Plan`, `Invasion` and `Power of the Daleks`.

One of the things people always looked out for were fanzine adverts of which there were many. Ads cost £2.50 for a half column which most editors chose though if you wanted a full page ad it would set you back £20. This issue included issue one of `Factor 5` edited by Tony Worrall from Preston and amongst the contents listed are a report on Interface 1, features on the Meddling Monk, the Sky Ray Doctor Who lolly ice, The Leisure Hive and some fiction. This one cost 35p plus 15p postage and packing. `Web Planet` issue 2 edited by William Gallagher includes interviews with John Nathan –Turner and Terrance Dicks, features on `Countdown` Doctor Who comics from Feb 71- Mar 72 plus the second part of a story called `Westerley Mill` that seems to include the Meddling Monk. What was it about him in 1981?

The obviously more established `Gallifrey` hits issue 13 and includes articles on black magic in the series, the Daleks, whether the 1980-81 series was a renaissance and Dennis Spooner. Being the market leader this zine costs 50p! Another top title `Frontier Worlds` has it’s sixth issue which includes “the most extensive investigation…ever” of `The Three Doctors`. It has four extra pages “at no extra cost” they say yet the issue is a wallet busting 55p! Issue four of `The Space Museum` edited by Andrew Byford from Ipswich includes a look at the Longleat Exhibition and an episode breakdown of `Talons of Weng Chiang`. It’s 50p plus 15p p&p. Undercutting at 40p per issue `Meglos` 1 and 2 are both advertised in a conceptually heavy format that divides articles into the past, present and future.

CT always had a swap shop colunn and amongst the items on offer this issue was someone with colour slides of the 1980 Blackpool exhibition and a 1977 Weetabix figures set and he wanted TV Comic issues. Someone got a good deal there.

February

With new editor Gordon Blows in the hot seat, this issue looks somewhat different to the previous month’s. Gordon goes for a retro look with what resemble stencilled headings and more typewritery look to the font. He also abandons the words Celestial Toyroom in favour of a more stark CT81. He presents the news from a more opinionated angle declaring that for the new season JNT inherited “a doggy bag” of scripts and ideas left behind. This angle runs through two stories though it has to be said his arguments seem to suggest there was no news that month. He takes a more direct swipe though in a smaller story comparing the appearance of the Foamasi to the Jagaroth. I’m getting the feeling he didn’t much care for the show at this point. His headline `Doctor Fights Buck` though is a prize pun above a story about how the ratings for the season rose after an initial low due to ITV’s Buck Rogers.

This issue you could vote in the Fanzine Awards, you could win a Doctor Who prize every month if you pen the most interesting letter and you could vote in a somewhat tardy Reference department poll for the best story of the 1975 season. 

Fanzines to buy include Gary Russell’s `Shada` issue 4 which includes a Richard Franklin interview and a checklist of all known UNIT members (surely that’s restricted information?). `Gallifrey` whose editors Tim Dollin and Geraint Jones clearly never take a breather have a Tom Baker issue while issue 4/ 5 of `Views, News & Reviews` has interviews with Louise Jameson, Ian Marter and Terrance Dicks and issue 3 of `Kronos` is a Troughton and Baker “extravaganza”.

An ad for issue 4 of `Meglos` may seem somewhat generic telling the history of the Ice Warriors, investigating E-Space and reviewing `Keeper of Traken` yet editor Andrew Harrison would go on to a career in journalism that would eventually take him to be the editor of music magazine Q. Everyone has to start somewhere. Disappointedly he never did feature E-Space in Q.

March

“Vandals!” declares the March edition with a report about thefts of cast lists for Doctor Who’s first three years from Westminster Central Library in London. The other main story is a somewhat belated and tabloid style report about Tom and Lalla’s wedding. Hang on didn’t we do that a couple of issue ago? It talks of “hushed whispers of a strong romance” and how Tom missed Lalla when she left. Meanwhile the ever prickly Gordon Blows has a bit of a moan about the BBC’s TV licence adverts of the day.

Inside there’s a fuss about a fanzine advert from a couple of issue back to the extent that the DWAS “now reserves the right to refuse advertisments it feels not suitable for publication”. The story includes a response from the editor of the ad which somewhat disingenuously declares “True, some people would not find it funny”. After all this it’s a bit of surprise to find ad rates are being reduced. 

“The Plotlines are coming” says a page 2 headline. Not a comment on the just finished season or a new monster but David Howe’s reference department’s new series of publications. Meanwhile Gary Russell’s presence increases with a new column called Fanzine in Focus. “Why bother?” is his opening gambit but happily he is going to bother reviewing fanzines in future issues. Not only that but he also starts an ambitious sounding series of articles titled History of the World. It turns out to be alien intervention in Earth history and you just know some fans would be reading this to try and find an omission.

Adverts this issue include `VNR` 3, the `first ever Doctor Who newspaper` (yes, Gordon B has something to say about that too) which costs- gasp- 10p, issue 3 of `76 Totters Lane` plus the first issue of a zine that seems to be called Images Menu. Or just Images. It’s not entirely clear.

 

Next time (unsurprisingly) April to June 1981!