BY TARDIS THROUGH THE MULTIVERSE

[Michael Moorcock]

Hmmm. I couldn't get to the Gallifrey site but I can answer the odd question here:

1) I've been watching Dr Who since it began. Haven't liked all the doctors and after Peter Davison stopped watching regularly until the new BBC Wales series.
2) Since the Tom Baker series, a lot of my ideas crept into the stories and so in many ways I'll be writing a story which already echoes my own work.
3)I do have to submit it to editors so they can make sure it fits into the canon and this, of course, is understandable. By saying it wasn't a tie-in I did, of course, mean that it would be an original novel, not one which was linked to previous stories.

I share an enthusiasm for the current Dr Who broadcasts with quite a few friends who are 'literary' novelists and I sense in some of the Gallifrey remarks a suspicion of the 'outsider' which you used to get when someone with a reputation as a non-sf writer would decide to write an sf novel. All I can answer to this is 'wait and see'. I'm certainly not a non-watcher! Neither am I someone who ascribes a kind of religiosity to an enthusiasm. This phenomenon crops up a lot, these days associated with sf/fantasy, LOTR, H.Potter, Twilight and so on. I hate these presumptions of exclusivity either in my own corner of the literary world or elsewhere. Mike Kustow, once director of the Royal Shakespeare Co, described this as 'the anxious ownership syndrome', when faced with his first confrontation with sf fandom in Brighton 1968. He'd found the same sort of expression with Shakespeare fans when someone from 'outside' showed an interest.
I've been asked to write Dr Who scripts or stories almost since the series began, because I was known to enjoy Dr Who. Only recently did the time feel right to me to do one. I'm going to enjoy that, too.

[Josiah Rowe]

Michael, thank you for being so open and available. On behalf of the Doctor Who fan community (for which I am in no way qualified to speak, actually), let me welcome you and say how excited we are about this novel. The "anxious ownership syndrome" you've noticed is real, but not universal: many of us are overjoyed to have new and acclaimed voices. (Between Richard Curtis writing for the television programme and you writing this novel, Doctor Who is going to have about the full breadth of British writing talent next year, and I couldn't be more delighted!)

I don't know how much you know about the history of Doctor Who novels. In addition to the novelisations (adaptations of TV episodes) you're probably aware of, there have been several lines of original novels, starting in the '90s when the series was off the air. These series launched the careers of some writers who have gone on to write for Doctor Who on TV or have had success in other fields; Russell T Davies wrote one, and writers like Paul Cornell and Mark Gatiss got their start with Doctor Who novels, and folks like Paul Magrs have also dipped their toe in the genre. There was also a short series of Doctor Who novellas by people like Kim Newman, Mark Chadbourn and Simon Clark. But there's never been a Doctor Who novel by someone of your literary stature.

When the TV show came back in 2005, the ongoing novel series (which was aimed at a more adult fan audience, and had continuing plotlines and story arcs) was cancelled in favor of stand-alone novels aimed at the new, younger fans who had been introduced to Doctor Who by the new series. That move made commercial sense, but some of the fans who had enjoyed the more sophisticated books during the show's hiatus missed having Doctor Who fiction with a bit of bite. (Most of the novels published since 2005 have just been fairly disposable run-arounds.) So those fans are particularly excited at the prospect of a Doctor Who novel by Michael Moorcock.

Some fans are guessing or hoping that this might be the beginning of a new series of Doctor Who novels aimed at a more adult and literary audience. In your discussions with BBC Books, has the age range of the readership been discussed? Do you know if BBC Books is talking to any other writers? (I'd assume that if this is the case, they'd be launching the series with your book, for maximum publicity.)

Is your novel going to feature the "current" Doctor (by then, Matt Smith), or will you write an "unseen adventure" from a past Doctor (say, the Fourth Doctor with Sarah Jane Smith or something)? Or is that yet to be determined? Is that something that you'll be able to decide yourself, or is it set as part of the commission from BBC Books?

I don't know what difficulties you ran into trying to register at Gallifrey Base, but if you want to try again I can talk to the site administrator. I think that GB runs on the same software as this forum, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get in if you want to.

Again, thanks for being so available, and thanks for letting these mad Who fans into your multiverse!

[UncleDes]

Originally Posted by Michael Moorcock

...LOTR, H.Potter, Twilight and so on.... Mike Kustow, once director of the Royal Shakespeare Co, described this as 'the anxious ownership syndrome', when faced with his first confrontation with sf fandom in Brighton 1968. He'd found the same sort of expression with Shakespeare fans when someone from 'outside' showed an interest...

The huge difference between these examples and Dr Who is that there is no single author/mentor/guiding hand for Dr Who, unless you count Terrance Dicks...

or Davros.

.

Others like Russell T are all Johnny-come-latelys.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Des

[Pietro_Mercurios]

Seeing as it's all over Gallifrey Base, I've mentioned the news, over on the Fortean Times website, with a link back to this Thread.

[The English Assassin]

Excellent excellent news!

[Chris T]

Originally Posted by Michael Moorcock

Neither am I someone who ascribes a kind of religiosity to an enthusiasm. This phenomenon crops up a lot, these days associated with sf/fantasy, LOTR, H.Potter, Twilight and so on. I hate these presumptions of exclusivity either in my own corner of the literary world or elsewhere. Mike Kustow, once director of the Royal Shakespeare Co, described this as 'the anxious ownership syndrome', when faced with his first confrontation with sf fandom in Brighton 1968. He'd found the same sort of expression with Shakespeare fans when someone from 'outside' showed an interest.

It's also termed "fan entitlement" esp. on this blog

It’s a full-on, fan entitlement, “the official canon contradicts my fan-fiction”, “it sucks because it’s not the way I would do it” fantrum spree on every Doctor Who fan-site and message-board.
I’m having fun with it, because, you know me, if it causes this much hair-pulling in fandom, I tend to think it’s probably a good thing.

who also links to this great post by Paul Cornell on being a fan, among other things (I did a search on the former).

But these doubts are mostly wrong-headed. It’s as whole-hearted a celebration of a way of life as any the writer who always interrogates that which he loves has written. Look at that radical final line: this life of odd dislocation from the mainstream, of very personal and difficult moral choices, isn’t just different: ‘it’s better’. It’s better.

[Sir John Barbican Begg]

Michael Moorcock to write Doctor Who novel
guardian.co.uk

Acclaimed science fiction writer Michael Moorcock has moved to calm the concerns of Doctor Who fans after he revealed he would be writing a new novel about the adventures of the Time Lord.

Read more...

[pixi]

Seems the miscellany has made the guardian, great news and it should bring a new generation to Mikes books, by coincidence there was a Dr who special on tv last night where they seemed to be attempting to take the Dr over to the "dark side" a little, it would be nice to see some more ambiguity given to a last member of his race...

[Michael Moorcock]

Didn't get a chance to see it. I think I'll enjoy getting up to speed and intend to do my very best with the Dr Who novel. So far I haven't spoken to anyone about details of story. That still lies a bit in the future, I think. Thanks for the welcome, Josiah. Since I'm a Dr Who fan I'll be writing for myself, of course, within whatever guidelines I get from BBC. I haven't written an sf novel, as such, in years, and am looking forward to returning to the form after so long. I intend to write it with the same sense of elation that I wrote those early serials for SF ADVENTURES and NEW WORLDS.

[Reinart der Fuchs]

Could someone at the Guardian please change the name of the site from "Multiverse" to "Moorcock's Miscellany" in the article? TIA!

[Marca]

Originally Posted by Reinart der Fuchs

Could someone at the Guardian please change the name of the site from "Multiverse" to "Moorcock's Miscellany" in the article? TIA!

Very careless

The news is also on BBCs Teletext service - the first time I can recall Mike getting a mention there. BBC Worldwide seem to be stressing that nothing has been signed yet, perhaps in case the whole thing eventually falls through.

I hope it doesn't...

[Jherek Cornelius]

Mind-blowing news!

The combination of the icon of my childhood -

with the icon of my youth -

Couldn't really get any better than that!

I haven't read any Doctor Who novels since graduating from them to Mike's books, but I'll definitely be checking this one out.

[Reinart der Fuchs]

Times have so improved in my life that the Guardian thing is the worst news I've had all day.

[Michael Moorcock]

I'm now talking to the publisher, so I guess the contract has been worked out to everyone's satisfaction! I'd be surprised if anything went wrong, but of course we all know that there's many a slip. I feel pretty confident, though.

[David Mosley]

Originally Posted by Reinart der Fuchs

Could someone at the Guardian please change the name of the site from "Multiverse" to "Moorcock's Miscellany" in the article? TIA!

I've emailed The Guardian via their 'Contact Us' page with the above change request. Hopefully someone will make the correction in due course.

[Josiah Rowe]

Originally Posted by Michael Moorcock

I intend to write it with the same sense of elation that I wrote those early serials for SF ADVENTURES and NEW WORLDS.

"Elation" seems quite the most appropriate emotion with which to approach Doctor Who. I'm sure the Doctor is in good hands.

[David Mosley]

The story* has now made it to the BBC News website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8362658.stm

The BBC is in talks with the fantasy author Michael Moorcock to write a Doctor Who novel, it has confirmed.

*That Mike's writing a DW novel, not the 'story' itself, of course.

[Reinart der Fuchs]

That's a bit aggravating. BBC article doesn't cite the miscellany or provide a link. Tim Masters, please provide a citation.
We do have a link in the righthand nav, so perhaps I should shut up. I suppose it's fair use.

[opaloka]

I'm in overload. Can't process all the data. Fanboy blue screen. Crash.

Which shelf will the book go on?

[johneffay]

As of writing, it's the eight most read story on the BBC News website