Tuesday 29 December 2015

Quatermass and the New Covers...

I've not done much since the current series of Doctor Who ended - mostly on account that Christmas is a bit of a busy time for me.

In what little spare time I had, I managed to revisit the original BBC Quatermass serials again. 

As long time followers of the blog know, I was never too impressed with the cover that the BBC gave the trilogy when they released it on DVD back in 2005. I knocked up one of my own instead based on the old Penguin books template. It was one of my first efforts in designing such things in Photoshop.

I've gone back to that design and created some faux paperback covers for the series. All of the images were originally black and white and have been tinted by me. I also had to sneak a pic from the Hammer film of Quatermass II as the sum total of usable on set stills from that serial numbers only two. 

I think they capture the flavour of the serials. I hope you like them. 






















Monday 7 December 2015

Doctor Who Series One - Soon To Be Available On BBC Video

This is an old chestnut. New Doctor Who on VHS. 

One of my earliest posts suggested that the BBC forgot to disband their BBCVideo department in the early 2000s and that it was still bubbling away, waiting for something to release. That came with the new series of Doctor Who in 2005 - after all, it was one of their highest earning series. 

I only did a handful of front covers but recently I was sorting through an old box of VHSs when I came across the video of "Daleks - The Early Years". Inside the inlay was a gaudy pastel coloured ad for other titles in the range. 

I couldn't really resist going back to the new series VHS range and producing this...



The following are full size versions of the artwork which you can right-click on to save. If you print them out back-to-back and cut the sheet down to size, it can be inserted into a clear amaray VHS case. You can then place it on your bookshelf or coffee table to amuse friends, if you're that way inclined...




Some Third Doctor Adventures from the Dawn of Target Books...


I had a few enquiries - well, one - asking if I was going to continue doing my vintage Target book covers into the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who

The simple answer to that is "No, I'm not.

However, I have done a handful following a viewing of the DVD of 'Day of the Daleks' - where the production subtitles offered a tantalising hint of an early version of Louis Marks' script without the Daleks. 

These are three Pertwee stories novelised and utilising early working titles. I'm particularly fond of 'Doctor Who and the Black Hole' - the cover of which completely omits the unique selling points of the televised production...


Saturday 5 December 2015

Target: Capaldi - part two

With Doctor Who series nine now complete, here is the full run down of all of my Target book designs from the past 12 weeks. 

Click on each image for larger.


























Thursday 3 December 2015

Elizabeth Shepherd as Emma Peel...

The actress Elizabeth Shepherd appeared at QUAD in Derby last week to introduce a screening of the Roger Corman movie 'Tomb of Ligeia'. Mt mate Steve Hardy interviewed her and she revealed plenty of anecdotes from not just the movie but her TV appearances in the sublime and surreal 'The Corridor People' and the very brief time she was Emma Peel in 'The Avengers' 

Sadly I couldn't make it to the event but I put together these little efforts to publicise it on Twitter. 

Tuesday 1 December 2015

An Real Live Zarbi Farm - for Christmas!

It's that time of the year when the thoughts of the young - and old - Doctor Who fan turn to what they want at the top of their Christmas present list.

I want my own pet Doctor Who monster and to that end I've adapted a popular educational toy into something that will give that dream a reality...

I present the Official Real-Live Zarbi Farm!  

(Mini Zarbi supplied separately!)