42 to Doomsday - The Fanzine Menace

Episode 39 - Before podcasts, before cosplay, before the discovery of time travel, there was…NOTHING! Well, not entirely. In ye olden days, when fans went to meetings riding on the backs of pterodactyls there was…the (PAPER) FANZINE! Within those hallowed and now yellowed pages, fans would gather together in a papery, non-digital environment to express their ideas, love (and hate – some things will never change!) about the show.

One of the very best of these was none other than TSV, the august fanzine from across the ditch in New Zealand. Mark and Rob chat with TSV editor Paul Scoones. In between bouts of inhaling duplicator fumes, we reminisce about producing fanzines before and after desktop publishing era. We examine how some contributors ascended to the realm of the professional novelist and put the internet in the dock for once again killing something that is fine and previous – damn its eyes!

Plus we also touch on Doctor Who comics and Paul's definitive history of them in his book and his involvement in the recovery of The Lion and his work on the DVD Production notes.

Paul Scoones's website:
Features a blog and additional pages with details about the Comic Strip Companion and the DVD production information text.
www.paulscoones.com

TSV / New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club:
Includes Archive section featuring material from many past issues of TSV, and the fan novelisations. The discussion forum is still active.
www.doctorwho.org.nz

Retrospace Sci-Fi Collectables:
Auckland-based shop (with shipping worldwide) owned and managed by Paul and his wife Rochelle.
www.retrospace.co.nz
The Comic Strip Companion 1964-1979:
Paul's book about early Doctor Who comics, available from Telos Publishing
www.telos.co.uk/product/the-comic-strip-companion-1964-1979/