Exploring the world of David Tennant’s Doctor Who

Former Worthing and Shoreham Heralds reporter Jamie Hailstone is in print with the unofficial guide to David Tennant’s time as the tenth Doctor Who.
Jamie HailstoneJamie Hailstone
Jamie Hailstone

Doctor Who – The David Tennant Years: An Episode Guide is published by Sonic Bond Publishing at £14.99 on July 30, available on Amazon and through book shops.

David Tennant’s time as the tenth Doctor officially started with the 2005 festive special The Christmas Invasion and concluded with The End of Time (Part 2) on New Year’s Day 2010.

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Jamie Hailstone, aged 47, who lives in East Preston, said: “Every episode of the David Tennant era has been reviewed for the book. There are also comprehensive cast lists for each story, as well as behind the scenes information, like the locations used.

“The book is designed to be a reference guide for anyone getting into Doctor Who or who wants to find out more.

“As well as being a journalist, I’m a lifelong Doctor Who fan.

“When I worked on the Worthing and Shoreham Heralds (2001-2005), I managed to interview several of the programme’s stars, including Colin Baker, Mary Tamm, Louise Jameson and Paul Darrow.

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“In fact, one of the last pieces I ever wrote for the Herald, back in 2005, was an interview with that year’s panto producer, Barnaby Edwards.

“Barnaby is better known to Doctor Who fans as one of the Dalek operators and a prolific writer and director for Big Finish, who produce the official audio adventure range.

“And in 2010, I achieved a lifetime ambition of writing a Doctor Who story, when Big Finish recorded my Third Doctor story A True Gentlemen for a CD called Short Trips: Volume 1.

“As well as the Sonic Bond book, I’ve also got another Professor Howe novel being released this month (July). The Professor Howe books are a series of parodies of well-known Doctor Who stories, which are released by Long Scarf Publications to raise money for Children in Need.

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“My latest entry in the series is called Professor Howe and the Crafty Count, which is a parody of the 1989 Sylvester McCoy story The Curse of Fenric.

“The Professor Howe books are available online, through the Long Scarf Publications website or the Professor Howe Facebook group.

“In terms of the David Tennant guidebook, I was approached by the publisher to write it. It’s as simple as that.

“My abiding memories of writing it are driving up and down the M4, looking for some of the locations, which were used in the series.

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“The creative team behind Doctor Who really made the best of some stunning locations, including Castell Coch, Wells Cathedral and, of course, Cardiff Bay.

“Despite what you might think, the sun always shines in Wales, or at least, it does when I’m taking pictures.

“The starting point for the Professor Howe book was a trip to the BFI in London a few years ago, when I saw Mark Kermode and Eddie Marsan discuss the relative merits of the Carry On movies.

“They both singled out Carry On Screaming as one of their favourites and showed the famous ‘Do you mind if I smoke?’ clip with Fenella Fielding and Harry H Corbett.

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“I always felt the vampires in Curse of Fenric lacked bite, no pun intended.

“So, I took the spirit of the Carry On films and spliced into the 1980s Doctor Who adventure. The result is a much more Hammer-esque farce, with the comedy turned up to 11.

“In this tale, an unlucky vampire arrives in England on a dark and stormy night, determined to make a name for himself, much like his more illustrious cousin.

“All he needs is a willing accomplice and the Count will take over the world.

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“But when a mysterious traveller in time and space, called Professor Howe, arrives, things start to go a little bit wrong. “

Jamie added: “I’ve been a journalist for 20 years. After leaving the Herald in 2005, I worked up in Westminster for almost a decade, covering politics and local government for the Municipal Journal.

“At the same time, I also freelanced for Classic Rock and have interviewed the likes of Chris Rea, Joe Bonamassa and Deacon Blue. I’m still writing about politics today.

“But I’m also covering the environment for titles like Air Quality News.

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“I’ve also had short stories published by Big Finish, Obverse and Red Ted Books.”

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