Downtime – The Lost Years of Doctor Who was a reference book published by Obverse Books in 2016. Uniquely, the book covered the detailed history of the spin-offs of Doctor Who which appeared near the end of the original run and continued up into the 2010s, starting with Wartime in 1987. The book notably covers the history of many relatively obscure stories in heavy detail. While relying on interviews available at the time, the book also features information produced from new interviews with over 40 people once involved in these specials.
Publisher's summary[]
During the interregnum between the Seventh Doctor’s final adventures in 1989 and the relaunch of the series in 2005, BBC One broadcast only three new Doctor Who stories – a TV movie and two comic versions raising money for charity. Elsewhere, books and comic strips (and eventually licensed audios) kept the flame alive, but it seemed the BBC had little interest in reinvigorating the franchise on television.
Meanwhile, seemingly almost forgotten, some of the Doctor's friends, enemies and legally dubious clones continued their adventures in the direct to video market and their own spin off audio adventures, written by and starring many of the cast/crew who had worked on the original series, and several who would work on the relaunched version.
Downtime – The Lost Worlds of Doctor Who combines archive interviews and articles along with over forty new interviews conducted by the author in order to tell the story of these dramas and their impact and influence, and to celebrate the dedication and ingenuity of fandom.
Downtime is written by Dylan Rees who has previously contributed articles to Celestial Toyroom, You and Who Else and Breakin' Point Magazine. Outside of writing he is a freelance Production Manager and Producer within the film and TV industry.
Subject matter[]
Downtime features in-depth retrospectives on the subject of many semi-liscensed stories created since 1986, including those created by BBV Productions, Reeltime Pictures, and Magic Bullet Productions. The full list of covered stories, taken from the book's appendix, is as follows:
- Wartime
- The Stranger: Summoned By Shadows
- The Stranger: More than a Messiah
- The Stranger: In Memory Alone
- The AirZone Solution
- The Stranger: The Terror Game
- The Stranger: Breach of the Peace
- Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans
- P.R.O.B.E.: The Zero Imperative
- The Stranger Chronicles: The Last Mission
- The Stranger Chronicles: Eye of The Storm
- The Stranger: Eye of The Beholder
- P.R.O.B.E.: The Devil of Winterborne
- Downtime
- P.R.O.B.E.: Unnatural Selection
- P.R.O.B.E.: Ghosts of Winterborne
- Auton
- The Time Travellers
- Mindgame
- Sentinel
- The Wanderer
- Adventures in a Pocket Universe: The Choice
- Mindgame: Trilogy
- Zygons: Homeland
- Adventures in a Pocket Universe: The Search
- Zygons: Absolution
- Krynoids: The Root of All Evil
- Sontarans: Silent Warrior
- Awakening
- Cyberons: Cybergeddon
- The Dominie: Punchline
- Sontarans: Old Soldiers
- Infidel’s Comet
- The Pattern
- I Scream
- Sontarans: Conduct Unbecoming
- The Rani: The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind
- Cyberon
- Wirrn: Race Memory
- The Barnacled Baby
- Faction Paradox: The Eleven Day Empire
- Faction Paradox: The Shadow Play
- Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet?
- Kaldor City: Occam's Razor
- The Green Man
- Kaldor City: Death's Head
- The Killing Stone
- In 2 Minds
- The Quality of Mercy
- Kaldor City: Hidden Persuaders
- Faction Paradox: Sabbath Dei
- Kaldor City: Taren Capel
- Faction Paradox: In the Year of the Cat
- Kaldor City: Checkmate
- Faction Paradox: Movers
- Dæmos Rising
- Faction: Paradox: A Labyrinth of Histories
- Kaldor City: The Prisoner
- Kaldor City: Storm Mine
- The True History of Faction Paradox Volume I: Coming to Dust
- The True History of Faction Paradox — Volume II: The Ship of a Billion Years
- When Being You Just Isn't Enough
- The True History of Faction Paradox — Volume III: Body Politic
- The True History of Faction Paradox — Volume IV: Words from Nine Divinities
- The True History of Faction Paradox — Volume V: Ozymandias
- The True History of Faction Paradox — Volume VI: The Judgment of Sutekh
- The Minister of Chance
- P.R.O.B.E. — When to Die
Notable features[]
to be added
Notes[]
to be added
External links[]
- Official Downtime – The Lost Years of Doctor Who page at Obverse Books