It's not the Doctor Who aspect to the story that is so interesting but the reminder that what the electronic and digital ages have really provided is the archive and with it the repeats:
Overall, it's impossible to divorce the Target books from the period we are talking about. Scarcely anything was repeated on TV in those days, except last Christmas' Mike Yarwood Show so, if you missed something, you missed it. In an age before video and DVD, the Target novelsiations were a chance to re-live the television adventures. Many of the black and white 1960s stories had been wiped by the BBC altogether, so the books were the only record. Through them you could experience stories that had disappeared into the programme's folklore.
The archive is the thing but there are things I will never understand not being made available on DVD like Expos games and the complete history of The Beachcombers, the show that our UK cousins laughed about but secretly thought represented 97% of Canadian life. We should have had this for yoinks already yet, when cable TV expanded enough to generate TV channels dedicated to repeats (the dross of unwatched summer broadcasting prior to that point culturally) it was no representations of entire classic NHL playoffs that we got - it was Three's Company. Who are they holding the good stuff back for and when will we be able to control the archive ourselves? When you had the complete set - of books or comics or 8-tracks for that matter - that's what you got: control.
Comments
seanie - June 23, 2009 4:46 PM
I have heard through the grapevine that we may have Beachcombers on DVD in 2011...
I have a whack of those Target books at home. If you are looking for a source, let me know. There is one shop in town, maybe two that have a lot of them on the shelves.
Alan - June 23, 2009 5:31 PM
Where would they be? You can get them for a penny a pop on eBay but I might like to test drive one first.
seanie - June 24, 2009 4:46 PM
The Paperbacks used book shop just east of the LCBO at the former roundabout where Bath and Princess meet usually has quite a few, newer ones as well.
The Bookland used book shop at the other end of town in the strip mall where Seim Reip is (excellent Cambodian food IMHO) has fluctuating numbers of them.
seanie - July 18, 2009 5:06 PM
(insert sound of teletype machine)
Alan, I was wandering the mall where Walmart used to be (is that the Frontenac?) and in that "Half Price Book Sale" store, along the south wall I found a plethora of new DW books for sale. Most are of the newer variety and new stories, but some older ones too. Not all that badly priced and some of them are decent enough read for a hot, well, middling hot summers day.
s
Alan - July 18, 2009 6:08 PM
Thanks! The kids are eating them at a great pace.
seanie - July 20, 2009 12:46 PM
Have you tried listening to any of the "Big Finish" audio DW books yet? Quite well produced but terribly expensive even on eBay. A friend who works in IT gave me three cds full of the books at reduced quality so as to fit on disk. Very good for long drives.
Alan - July 20, 2009 1:02 PM
Bought one in the Gallifry series but didn't like it much. I have a hard time with radio drama or audio books.
seanie - July 20, 2009 3:07 PM
I find the ones starring original Doctors that are just new stories are pretty decent. The ones that are offshoots like the "companions" series are, well, dumb.
As far as radio dramas go, nothing matches the old CBS Radio Mystery Theatre. I have about 300 eps on CD for long drives.
Seanie - September 4, 2009 9:30 AM
BTW. Just received the Masque of Mandragora and Deadly Assassin. Excellent cleanup of the video, great voiceover commentary from Tom B. If you want to borrow any let me know.
Alan - September 4, 2009 11:55 AM
Thanks but I am amassing my own empire of vids and DVDs. Recently got "The Curse of the Fatal Death"