Fish Fingers and Custard - A Doctor Who Fanzine - FFAC2

Download Issues 1-8

2012-01-20T20:42:00.000Z

We've collated all 8 Issues of Fish Custard together into one easy-to-download file for your reading pleasure. Simply right-click (or whichever button you use) here and save the file to your computer.

And you've still got plenty of time to contribute to Issue 9, the deadline is the 24th Feb. See here for more information.

Cheers!

It’s Been A Wonderful Adventure…

2012-01-12T17:30:00.004Z

I've seen amazing things out there in space, but strange things can happen wherever you are. I have learned that life on Earth can be an adventure too. In all the universe, I never expected to find a family.

I’ve become somewhat obsessed with the word ‘project’ in recent years. I’ve mainly heard the words said from a minority of people in television circles, who are actually interested in being creative, rather than just going all out to make a short-term profit. I think we’re missing something in life these days – what has happened to working on something and developing it? People in television (as well as life in general) these days are very impatient and expect instant success. Causal viewers, fans & bosses of television just don’t seem to want to watch/work on something which could potentially do well. Is it the age in which we live in, where we can get information in a matter of seconds?

Elsewhere in this fanzine, you’ll read an article about how the BBC have got things horribly wrong, but with The Sarah Jane Adventures, they got it completely right. In my opinion, Children’s Television in the 21st Century just hasn’t been up to scratch – what with re-runs of programming from when we were kids, despite it having the advantages of new technologies and it own channels. What the Sarah Jane Adventures showed is that it is worth going that extra mile in order to deliver something proper for children to watch and it being relevant to them at the same time. Throw some of the subjects the show has tackled into that, then it makes a case for CBBC to be pushing for more big-budget Children’s Drama in the future. Just like Doctor Who pushed for more big-budget family drama on BBC One.

Television networks have a huge role to play in the development of children, considering the amount of time we spend around it these days. The plan of ‘get them into The Sarah Jane Adventures, then into Doctor Who’ has worked brilliantly. From there they can branch off into other shows (like there are any others!) and hopefully be inspired and entertained by what they see. It’s a simple, yet brilliant way of keeping viewers. It’s like when you’ve got football clubs who have their own youth teams and, apart from training them up to be better footballers, they grow up in the culture of the club, learn everything about it and what it means to people to be a part of it. The Sarah Jane Adventures viewers will go on and grow up with Doctor Who, and a good percentage of them will be soon calling for Moffat’s head, buying crap merchandise or coming up with more reasons why Time and The Rani is greatest piece of television in the history of the world…

One massive reason why Doctor Who is a success is because it’s long-running. It was already 23 years old when the BBC hierarchy started to mess with it in 1986. 23 years! The revived (or as we say – continuation of the) show has already been confirmed to go into an eighth year, with (surely) many more years after that. How many current drama series’ have been running for 8 years? Not many I would imagine. But that’s how you keep viewers and keep something successful. By developing it over a period of time.

The Sarah Jane Adventures was an ambitious project. Could they develop a successful spin-off from a program that itself was historically a children’s educational program? Despite a shaky start (Bubbleshock – no pun intended) it settled down, found a home and grew as time went on. RTD did the right thing and stepped aside to let Phil Ford become the head writer and things got better and better. The young kids grew more confident, their acting skills improved and with that – the storylines improved too. That’s how you develop something. Using the way of thinking which is rife in today’s life – it would never got past the Pilot stage. It helped that Doctor Who was a success of course, but again, anyone can see the potential in a spin-off from it. As fans keep saying after every single new episode!

But back to what I was saying before and you can see, even in the 3 stories we had this series, that the show was developing. With the kids getting older (Daniel Anthony is now 24!) things have to change as the audience themselves develop into older people with older tastes, so in comes young Sky to connect with those youngsters who are coming up and are beginning to watch television properly. She was one for the future and her development as a character (and the actress, as a person) would have been well looked after by the staff on the show. I mean, how can you not be inspired by a lady in her 60’s, who looks at least 10 years younger and has the energy to match? Reading the comments on the Newsround website, from young viewers on the show, just after Liz passed away, just showed that they feel the same as we do about her and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The second story of the series The Curse of Clyde Langer should, by rights, win some kind of award for tackling the subject of homelessness (and indeed, young people being homeless) so well. The story was just quality and would easily transfer to adult viewing. Daniel Anthony has been magnificent in the role of Clyde since day 1 and I hope he’ll go on to have a great career. If any of the actors go on and do well in the future, then it would have been this television series that has learnt them their trade. As I said, development and patience. It works!

The final episode The Man Who Never Was didn’t quite hit the heights of the previous episode (not many, if any, other episodes do) but it’s still a great tale of alien slavery and money-making humans. I found it wholly ironic though, that something like this was being preached to kids, whilst a section of the BBC were busy planning their Conventions and cutting those kids adrift…

The episode also deals with acceptance, as Luke is back and meets his Sister for the first time. It’s something that is true to life, as a viewer may have a younger sibling who is starting to grow up and thus occupies the attention of your parents, who then blame you for drawing on your bedroom walls with crayon, when it was that little shit...sorry I went away for a minute there! The plot-point was well done and you can start to see that torch being passed from Luke to the ‘new generation’ that would have probably come in during a future series’. Clyde, once again, is on top form and delivers probably the funniest line ever heard in The Sarah Jane Adventures. It literally had me laughing out loud for a few minutes at the sheer cheekiness of it. Check it out if you haven’t seen it. The episode I mean, not Mr Harrison’s pen…

The final tribute to Lis is a bit of stock footage from some of her episodes, but it works really well. She utters the line at the top of this article and you can’t help smiling or crying, or both. It ends with the quite marvellous ‘And The Story Goes On. Forever.’ And it will. No need for any clever lines or plot devices, lets just let Sarah carry on forever. There’ll always be room for books and audio readings and of course – fans memories of the character.

We’ll miss the Sarah Jane Adventures and it would have been fascinating to see how it would have developed. Sadly it wasn’t to be, but at least millions of young viewers got to see some decent telly when they came home from school. And who knows? Maybe they’ll be inspired by it? The Sarah Jane Adventures has succeeded in what it was meant to do, and for that very reason, is why it is the best Doctor Who spinoff.

If you’ve never seen The Sarah Jane Adventures, I would implore (whatever that means - I’m using words that I don’t know again!) you to watch it. It has its childish moments (it’s for kids – what do you expect? And as The Doctor once said to Sarah “What’s the point of being grown up, if you can’t be childish sometimes?”) but it works on so many levels and is perfect for you to sit down with your kids and watch.

Go and watch it.

This article was taken from Issue 8 of Fish Fingers and Custard, which you can download from the 'issues' tab on the left.

We're Back...

2012-01-10T17:39:00.002Z

We’re now gratefully accepting contributions for the next issue of the fanzine! In Issue 9 we’ll be looking at ‘The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe’, as well as the usual gubbins we normally have (please make your reviews of the Christmas episode no more than 750 words and no less than 1. Any number between the two is fine!)

If you fancy contributing, please e-mail us at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com and we’ll endeavour to get back to you. If you need any inspiration on what to write, please feel free to have a look at our back issues, which you can access on the left of this page. (We generally accept any reviews, opinion pieces, convention reports, art, spoofs, poems etc)

Even if you’ve never contributed to anything before, this is YOUR CHANCE to get involved with a Doctor Who fanzine that is read all over the world, by every type of person imaginable. Except Justin Bieber fans.

The deadline for all contributions is 24th February

Cheers!

Issue 8 - DOWNLOAD NOW!

2011-12-17T10:19:00.004Z

The final Issue of 2011 - and if the death threats I've been receiving are to be believed - it is the last Issue EVER!

(So we've pulled out all the stops!)

In This Issue

Series 6 (Part 2) Reviews
Convention reports from London and Sydney!
It's Been A Wonderful Adventure - Was The Sarah Jane Adventures a success?
The Other Season 12 - What would it be like if Jon Pertwee had have stayed on?
Dress Karen Gillan - YOUR chance to finger her knick-knacks
And Much More (honest)

You can download this issue by clicking here

If you would like contribute to future issues, please get in touch via e-mail at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

We're also having a (online) Christmas Party on the 21st. If you fancy joining in, check out our event page. Bring beer.

Cheers!

Missing In Action!

2011-12-11T20:42:00.005Z

It's an aspect of Doctor Who that has always fascinated me. Missing episodes. 106 still remain missing, as the BBC made the short-sighted decision to wipe their video tapes. Many were recovered by overseas broadcasters and fans, but as the world grows smaller, finding them all, or just even a few, seemed like a massive uphill task. Like walking up Everest in just your socks.

Today however, the BBC have exclusively revealed that episode 3 of 1965 serial 'Galaxy 4' and episode 2 of 1967's 'The Underwater Menace' were recovered by a private collector in 1980's, and only came to light a few months ago. It's fantastic news for Doctor Who fans everywhere, as apart from getting those episodes back - it also gives us fresh hope that more will be recovered. How many other collectors are sitting on unlabelled film cans? How many Television stations around the world have got film cans that haven't been checked? There's still the long-standing belief that many countries around the world could be a potential goldmine for lost BBC material. It's a fascinating and exciting prospect! I'm hoping the BBC and fans alike can make this news go global, to remind people that they are still searching for a long-lost episode that is held in a dusty film can.

The last discoveries were in 2004 and it seemed unlikely that any more would be found but fans never gave up hope - and here we are. If you read the message boards, it's amazing to see what people (volunteers) actually do, just to find a 40-odd year-old episode of a children's sci-fi series that they love so much. From going through piles and piles of tapes in Africa and Asia, to pulling old film cans out of skips - it would make a decent Panorama documentary (hint, hint BBC - get it sorted!) It's things like this that stands Doctor Who out from the rest of television and shows people that it isn't just a program.

Ironically, the last year or so has seen the BBC turn to Big Finish and their partners, to produce an animated version of 'The Reign of Terror', which has two episodes missing. With the technology available these days, it seems a logical step towards filling those gaps. All the soundtracks of the episodes exist, so it's just the pictures we're missing! But nothing will ever replace those originals broadcasts, grainy footage and all, so it's great news that at least 2 missing episodes won't be animated!

Check your attics and car boot sales!

Missing Episode List

Galaxy 4 Clip

The Underwater Menace Clip

Fish Custard Christmas Party 2011 & Support Your Local Doctor Who Convention!

2011-12-09T19:27:00.004Z

We're delighted to announce the details of this years get together - on the Internet. Bring beer.

Join some like-minded souls for a live watching of the classic Doctor Who adventure Time and The Rani. The legendary story will form the basis of the 2011 Fish Custard Christmas Party on Wednesday 21st December. All you’ll need is alcohol, internet access and to have no taste whatsoever. You don’t even need to wear clothes or talk to anybody. It’ll just be like a school disco.

If you don't have access to the best Doctor Who episode ever, you can whack on any old episode you want and join us for a Doctor Who geek-out. Stay tuned to our various sites for details and the hashtag #welovetherani on Twitter

You can find the event page, on Facebook, here

(or you can just come and say hello and join in some of the games we'll be playing!)

In other news, we'd like you to take a look at another Facebook page Support Your Local Doctor Who Convention. Basically, we've joined forces with fans from all over the world to promote those fan events near you, that you may not even know about. In the wake of the poorly-received 'Official' Doctor Who Convention, this is a great opportunity for fans to get out there and experience fan-run events, which are always great value for money. You can find the page at www.facebook.com/dwcons join up, post links or just read the information! The page will be updated as soon as 2012, and new events, arrive.

Cheers and hope to see you on the 21st December!

Issue 8 - OUT NOW!!!

2011-11-30T14:18:00.004Z

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOW SOLD OUT

The final Issue of 2011 - and if the death threats I've been receiving are to be believed - it is the last Issue EVER!

(So we've pulled out all the stops!)

In This Issue

Series 6 (Part 2) Reviews
Convention reports from London and Sydney!
It's Been A Wonderful Adventure - Was The Sarah Jane Adventures a success?
The Other Season 12 - What would it be like if Jon Pertwee had have stayed on?
Dress Karen Gillan - YOUR chance to finger her knick-knacks
And Much More (honest)

To order this 44-page bundle of joy, simply send the below payments to us via paypal

UK: £2.00
Rest of The World: £3.00
(prices include P+P)

Please send the payment as a gift (along with your name and address) to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

If you don't have PayPal, you can pay via one of the methods below. The payment is undertaken by PayPal, but you won't need to sign up for anything. Please note that the extra 20p is to cover costs. (Yes we're THAT skint!)

If you would like to order any back issues, please get in touch with us via our e-mail address!

Cheers!

Happy 48th Birthday Doctor Who!

2011-11-23T16:32:00.003Z

It's this point of the year where Doctor Who fans all over the world dig out their old episodes and celebrate the birthday of our favourite programme. Not many television programmes can have such an hold over their viewers, which just shows how successful it is. Who would have thought that 8-episode children's show would last 48 years and be so loved all around the world?

Like last year, we've done some digging around and are proud to present a interview with Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and Carole Ann Ford, on Nationwide in 1978 - Doctor Who's 15th anniversary. Tom is on top form and its well worth checking out!

Enjoy and make sure you watch an episode later!

Read All The Issues Online!

2011-11-18T23:27:00.001Z

We're delighted to announce that you can now read all the back Issues of the fanzine online by clicking one of the links below. Or alternatively, by clicking 'Issues' on the left of this page.

Issue 7 - Read Online

Issue 6 - Read Online

Issue 5 - Read Online

Issue 4 - Read Online

Issue 3 - Read Online

Issue 2 - Read Online

Issue 1 - Read Online

Cheers!

Cash Cows Go To Cardiff!

2011-11-11T17:43:00.003Z

As I write this, the BBC (or BBC Worldwide) have dropped a bollock by announcing an official convention, with Matt Smith and Steven Moffat. Great news! Well, not really. To get into the convention, you have to part with £99 which doesn’t include autographs (£20/25 per signature, depending on whichever person you want to sign) and photographs at the same price. All that is before you have to think about travel to and from Cardiff, food, drink and hotels...it all mounts up. I’m not for one minute saying that you shouldn’t go, as that’s up to you, but surely you can see that this is just a blatant rip-off? Using Doctor Who as a tool to rake in money in the most obscene way possible – by ripping off the very people who love it.

And I’ve not even mentioned the best bit yet – Children aren’t really welcome...

You heard me right, Children and Families - the very people the show is made for, are NOT advised to attend. What does the convention contain? Lapdancers with Cybermen masks on? I’m sorry, I just don’t understand. Doctor Who is supposed to be for EVERYONE, not just those adults fortunate enough to have bags of money at their disposal. Of course the FAQ’s section of the site gives some half-arsed excuses such as ‘it’ll spoil the magic’. Or perhaps the opportunity to fleece adults with cash on the hip, is too good to turn down?

It’s interesting to note that the last official conventions (in Longleat in the 1980’s) were affordable for all (the equivalent of around a tenner today) and children were permitted. Would it not be better to charge a reasonable price? It’s not as if they’ll be making any losses and the promotion it would give Doctor Who, as a franchise (I do despise that word) would mean that it’ll be received warmly and lauded by the public for giving them the opportunity to meet the stars from their favourite telly show. Instead, all they’re doing is alienating people and it really doesn’t help when they’re flogging tickets 6 weeks before Christmas either…

All of this has made me wonder why Doctor Who has become this cash cow that it doesn’t have to be. Success is a great thing, but it shouldn’t come to the extent that it alienates its loyal fans, the very people who keep it going. I’m not going to the official convention because I can’t afford it. Does that make me less of a fan? Am I missing out? Am I bollocks! I just hope that one day the BBC will think ‘Are we damaging our reputation by rolling out these events and charging prices which the normal working person can’t really afford?’ But they won’t, as they’ve got money to make. Expect another record year for the profits of BBC Worldwide in 2012 (and they’ll still be cutting budgets and sacking people!)

Sadly, fans will still pay it, as they are caught up in the corporate machine that tells them YOU’RE MISSING OUT if you don’t go. You don’t know you’re doing it, but you do. It’s like when you walk into a supermarket for some milk and come out with more items than you intended. It’s automatically there, ingrained in peoples minds “Oooh I’ll never get to see these people again”, you’ll think. You will see them again. It’s called waiting. Maybe if people said NO on principle, maybe the BBC might change their minds? But as I said, people will always pay it, desperate to see two people they see on television. It’ll sell out and the organisers will think its okay to continue to fleece Doctor Who fans, as ‘they’ll snap anything up’. Is there anyone that doesn’t think that’s not quite right? People will probably point out the exhibitions, the various demonstrations and Q&A’s make up for the price. Is that really worth £99 though? You could go to the Doctor Who Experience in London for a lot less. And we had Confidential for many years before the short-sighted decision to axe it. And at least kids could watch and learn from it. But did it spoil the magic for them, I wonder?

I’m in a mind to say: shove your convention up your arse BBC Worldwide, I’d much prefer to hand over cash for a proper fan convention, who actually CARE about the show and its fans.

But I won’t!

Issue 7 - Download Now!!!

2011-10-28T20:26:00.001+01:00

Despite our legal battles with Steven Moffat (we're trying to get more mentions of Fish Fingers and Custard in Doctor Who) we have been busy with a new issue of the fanzine.

We can't believed we've reached 7, and neither can you probably.

Issue 7 contains the following:

Whooverville Review and interview with convention organiser Steve Hatcher
What Does Doctor Who Mean To Kids?
Torchwood: Miracle Day
I Love Who: Harry Sedgewick previews a chapter of his new Doctor Who book, exclusively for the fanzine
31 Things Less Painful Than Watching Journey's End

And Much More!

(It isn't as tedious as it sounds)

You can download the Issue here

Alternatively, you can be a diamond by ordering a fine paper copy (with shiny colour covers!) of this Issue here

Cheers!

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The Scarifyers: The Magic Circle - Reviewed

2011-10-26T23:30:00.004+01:00

It was with mixed emotions when I heard that The Scarifyers would return, following the death of Nicholas Courtney. Delighted that the series would continue of course, but equally sad that Nick wouldn’t be a part of it. How on earth could they make the story work? I wondered. Well I needn’t have worried, as The Magic Circle has, quite easily, become my favourite Scarifyers adventure!

David Warner (who is no stranger to working on audio with various Doctor Who spin-offs) stars as new character, Ex-Police Sergeant Harry Crow, who is enlisted by Dunning (Terry Molloy) to help him search out Lionheart (Courtney), who seems to have gone missing whilst looking at an old police case. But as the pair are trying to get to the bottom of it all, someone (or something!) is attacking certain magicians…

The story, as always, mixes comedy and drama superbly, but with this being more of a poignant story, I thought it was taken to another level. The performances are all top notch, but Terry Molloy is something else. Although I suspect that he wasn’t acting that much, considering the circumstances. I was very impressed with how the writers handled Lionheart’s backstory and provided a very fitting finale to his character.

Warner offers up a very different character than his predecessor, but he has that same quality in his voice that makes you want to listen. Whilst listening to the story, you can slowly see (or hear!) his character developing and I’m already looking forward to hearing more!

One of the other reasons why this particular story is my favourite, is because of the music. I’ve never really noticed it before (apart from the excellent theme) and some people say that you shouldn’t notice good music in drama, on whichever media. But I disagree, you should notice the best music, especially on audio, as it brings the best out of a particular scene and affects your emotions, and the way Edwin Skyes’ music is placed in some scenes, just adds that little bit of quality to an already-excellent release.

Also included is a 20-minute documentary ‘Remembering Nick’ where the cast and crew of The Scarifyers share their memories of Nick’s time on the series. Some genuinely heartfelt words, just confirming about what we as fans, thought about the man. And what’s more – the series was originally written with Nick/The Brig in mind!

I can’t stress enough that you should go out there and get yourself a copy. The Scarifyers is just quality and deserves a much wider audience. Even if you haven’t listened to a Scarifyers story before, you should still enjoy this for what it is. A tribute to Nicholas Courtney.

The Scarifyers: The Magic Circle will be available from http://www.cosmichobo.com/ on CD and download from the 1st November

Don’t forget to check out our interview with Scarifyers writer Simon Barnard in Issue 5 of Fish Fingers and Custard!

Doctor Who: Are You Watching?

2011-10-11T01:18:00.004+01:00

To many people (lazy journalists - I'm looking at you) viewing figures seem to matter above everything else. In Issue 8, we'll be going through the Series 6 viewing figures in full. In the meantime, here's our summary of the viewing figures of Doctor Who from 2005 to the mid-series break in 2011. This article originally appeared in Issue 6 of Fish Fingers and Custard.

(If you don't care about any of this, we'll be having the usual fives and toilet humour in the next Issue. We have something for everyone. Like an episode of Doc Martin)

“DOCTOR WHO SLUMP IN THE RATINGS” scream the tabloid media. Well that’s not exactly true is it? By the sounds of it, the media would have people believe that Doctor Who has seen a Heroes-style slump and had its figures slashed by 60%. Not true, in fact Doctor Who has never been so popular. It’s currently smashing all kinds of records for BBC America, Space (Canada) and the BBC IPlayer.

So to dispel this myth we actually went out and did some research into the viewing figures, with a cup of tea and several chocolate digestives. Now I understand that press-types don’t comprehend what research is, not when you can copy and paste people’s views from a message board or Twitter anyway, so I’ve broken it down into an easy-to-understand guide. I’ve decided to look at the regular series of Doctor Who - NOT the specials. I think looking at 13 regular episodes of Doctor Who will give us a better insight into viewing figures, as they’re broadcast over consecutive weeks and rely on pulling people in to tune in each week. The Specials are (on the whole) one-off episodes which are broadcast standalone and on a significant day in the calendar, so adding them to the figures would be unfair.

I’ve decided to calculate all the figures of each series, add them together and then average them out to provide us a figure to work with. I’ve also displayed the highest and lowest figures of each series, which will help to show how consistent with its figures each series is.

Viewing Figures

So according to the above, Series 3 is statistically the lowest-watched series so far. It’s interesting to note that BLINK has the lowest viewing figures of the series at only 6.62 Million. The numbers are pretty consistent throughout the series though (in fact, Series 3 is the most consistent) with only 1.9 million separating the highest and lowest figures. Series 5 is the next lowest, with 3.64 million separating the highest and lowest figures. I think its worthy to note however, that there was a 2 year gap in between Series 5 and Series 4, with the specials in between. Those 2 years saw an upturn in people investing in new technologies, such as PVR recorders, HD digital services and the BBC IPlayer, but more about that later.

Audience Share Index (AI)

The BBC doesn’t just take viewing figures into consideration when reviewing programs, unlike commercial channels who rely on good figures to attract advertisers. The BBC also uses an AI (audience appreciation) Index which sees a number of people marking an episode out of 10, before a percentage is calculated. This is an important marker to gauge to how much the general audience (and I must stress the GENERAL Audience, as Doctor Who is made for them, not some fanboy smashing at his keyboard when replying to a cheeky tweet from Steven Moffat) enjoys the episode. An ‘average’ rating is 70, whereas anything above that is considered ‘very good’, with 85+ considered ‘excellent’ (no Cyberman voices, please)

I’ve done the same calculations to the AI rating throughout the series, as the above viewing figures

The figures above show that Series 4 was the highest rated amongst viewers, with Series 3 next, followed by Series 5. This is very interesting if you note that 3 & 5 had the lowest viewing figures of any series so far. Series 1 lags behind somewhat, but I think this is a case of the series being fresh and not established yet - from Series 2 onwards, people are used to the series and that will affect their ratings. Whether or not the AI is a fair system (91% for The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End?) is another question, but the BBC like to take these figures into account and they’re all constantly high, so no worries here.

The Audience Share

Now, the audience share is probably the most crucial rating for any television program. The percentage gives the figure of how many households, who were watching television at the time, were watching a particular channel. This helps us to get a better idea the proportion of people who were watching, as high viewing figures doesn’t automatically mean a huge share of the audience, the same going for low ratings. With Doctor Who broadcast over the summer these days, the figures are always going to be a bit erratic. We do like our weather over here in the UK. When we get some that is.

Bizarrely, despite being broadcast alongside the FIFA World Cup, Series 2 has the largest share of the audience. Although some episodes were directly preceded by a game, so a large percentage may have carried over. Then again, ITV would show a game at around 7pm, so the figure is still very impressive. Series 1 is adrift by just 0.32%, with Series 3 (the lowest rated series, in terms of viewing figures) just 1.37% behind. I think it’s also interesting to note that Series 4, with its high figures, saw its average audience share down from the previous year, whilst a gap of two years saw a 1.81% drop off from Series 5.

Series 6

At the moment Series 6 is averaging 7.65 million and the figures have been pretty consistent, with 2.1 million separating the highest (The Impossible Astronaut) and the lowest (The Almost People), which was quite an unusual dip for the series. Overall, along with Series 3, it’s currently the most consistent with its viewing figures and it should be interesting to see if the 2nd half continues in the same vein. The AI is currently very high and is second only to Series 4 and again, is very consistent with only 3% difference between its highest and lowest figures. The audience share has seen a significant drop of 1.91% from Series 5.

It’s difficult to say what state the figures of Series 6 will be once all 13 episodes have aired, but we will, of course, work them out in due course. With it being ‘half-time’ in the series, a shift to the autumn and darker and colder nights should see an upturn in figures. As there are only 6 episodes remaining (rather than 7), the average figure will be higher if the series continues to attract a consistent 7 million viewers. The AI for series 6 is so far the 2nd best placed after 7 episodes. Now it’s very difficult to say whether these figures will rise or fall, as the AI is based on the actual quality of the episodes, as voted for by supposed neutrals.

Impact of The BBC iPlayer and On Demand Services

I think it’s worthy to note that PVR recordings ARE included in the figures whereas iPlayer figures are NOT. People don’t need to tune in at whatever time Doctor Who is on now, which will affect the figures somewhat. The iPlayer itself was introduced during the 4th series of Doctor Who in 2008, since then the number of people using the IPlayer has rocketed in the 2 year gap between Series 4 & 5 - Series 5 lost an average of 300,000 viewers on Series 4. If you consider the IPlayer figures (more about that below), then Series 5 would seem to have been watched by MORE pairs of eyeballs than Series 4. If we go back to the missing 300,000 and compare them to previous years, then Series 5 comes out quite nicely. It’s actually 200,000 up on Series 3 and only 90,000 adrift of Series 2, all this AND with the iPlayer and other outlets to battle against.

The opening episode of Series 5 (The Eleventh Hour) was notable for smashing iPlayer request records, with 1.27 million people streaming the episode from the BBC Website IN A WEEK and is still the record-holder for the BBC with over 2.5 million requests. Every episode of Series 6, apart from the Almost People, has had more than 1 million requests, with The Impossible Astronaut’s 1.7 million only being beat out of the Number 1 spot of iPlayer request in 2011 by an episode of Come Fly With Me. It’s clear to anyone, that Doctor Who is one of (if not THE, considering the number of episodes) most popular programmes over the BBC’s various platforms.

Series 7

Series 7 is already confirmed and, at the time of writing, seems to be split up to run in 2012-2013. Now I’m not going to go into the politics of this (you can read that elsewhere) but from the figures I’ve shown here, another gap could potentially harm figures again. What the show needs now is some consistency and we just don’t have that at the moment. It’s always on early in the evening and always at different times. This is not meant to be a criticism of Steven Moffat, but RTD was always up against the BBC on this issue, and normally won. See the Series 4 figures for an example. Consistency is the key to keeping something successful and the episodes are very consistent with its figures but to get these higher, it needs to be on at a consistent time, or else people won’t be bothered to watch it live. If this is a creative decision by Steven Moffat, then I do hope he knows what he’s doing!

Conclusion

It’s clear from the figures given that the number of people watching Doctor Who live on BBC One has fallen. On the other hand, it’s also clear that new technologies such as the iPlayer, PVR’s and Catch-Up Services severely affect viewing figures, not just for Doctor Who, but for almost every other program on television. It’s a result of the age we live in, where sadly, people just don’t get around the television to watch something live anymore, as it’s a lot easier to catch it later. As mentioned, the iPlayer only came into being during 2008 and only really established itself after Doctor Who’s ‘gap year’ in 2009. Doctor Who is a program that is perfect for gathering families around to watch and anything above a 30% share in the television audience is still an excellent figure, considering that means almost 1 in 3 people watching television at the time, will be watching Doctor Who! It’s a shame that Doctor Who has set itself unbelievable figures in the past, so that when they fall, people say it’s on the decline when they don’t know the full facts.

Doctor Who is still the highest rated program outside the ‘Big Two’ soaps (Coronation Street and Eastenders), reality shows and major sporting events. The current audience share of 34.9% (lets just call it 35) means that 35 out of 100 households, who are watching the telly at the time, watch Doctor Who. That’s an incredible figure and if you don’t think so, I would like you to show me another teatime drama series that achieves higher figures over a similar period of time.

There’s no reason to be concerned with the viewing figures, historically Doctor Who has always had differing viewing figures each year. Series 6 in 1968 only had an average audience of 6.5 million and this is with just THREE channels to watch at the time. A year later colour television and Jon Pertwee were introduced, but even then figures were still on the level, or even lower, than they are today. For Doctor Who today, to get 7+ million at 6pm, in this multi-channel age, is just extraordinary and fan or not, you just can’t argue with that. It may sound like I’m making excuses for the show (I know you cynical people will be thinking so) but just look at the figures in-depth and you’ll come to the same conclusion.

I strongly believe that the above figures prove that Doctor Who is in an healthy state going forward and with a Seventh Series confirmed, the BBC seem to think so too.

So to borrow a phrase from a well-loved Doctor Who writer DON’T PANIC

With thanks to The Doctor Who News Page and The Mind Robber.co.uk

Contribute To Issue 8 and Other Stories

2011-10-05T09:03:00.003+01:00

With the debt collectors shoo-ed away, we can start work on the final Issue of the year! For Issue 8 we're mainly looking for reviews of the 2nd half of Series 6. Please make your reviews no more than 700 words and send to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com The same e-mail address also applies to ANYTHING else that you are able to knock up, too! (apart from your Girlfriends. I know I'm handsome, but you should take responsibility for the situations that arise from using the contents of your pants)

With the series, bar the Christmas episode, on ice for 9 months, we'll be regularly updating this blog with more (some will say, ignorant) opinion pieces and 'classic' stuff from the fanzine. Hey, if Justin Bieber (who styled himself on Adric) can release an autobiography at the veteran age of 17, then surely we can dredge up a few past articles? So look out for that!

The fanzine's Twitter and Facebook feeds will also be regularly used during the off-season and I may even go out and take some videos to add to our YouTube site too! God knows what I'm going to film, I don't suppose drunk people being sick, doesn't go down well these days?

Anyway enough waffling on, please contribute, keep an eye out here and don't forget that there's plenty of Classic (that's 'Proper Classic') Doctor Who out there for you to enjoy.

Cheers and thanks for your support!

Confidential, Cut Down

2011-09-28T18:05:00.009+01:00

I've praised Doctor Who and the BBC in the fanzine for bringing us such an informative behind-the-scenes look at our favourite show, in the form of Doctor Who Confidential. Educational for adults and children alike, it was the perfect companion for a show that has single-handily revived big budget family drama in the UK. After watching an episode of DWC, with its detailed look at how an episode was made, how certain effects were done etc - how many people would learn off that? How many children would say how 'cool' it is, and then be inspired to be an actor/director/effects maker etc, after watching it?

But now its been axed.

Anyone who knows me will know how much I utterly despise reality shows that involve singing. You've got corporations and networks spending millions, so that greedy record companies can leech off some kid for a year, before they move on to someone else to carry on their vampiric tendencies. It doesn't inspire anybody, only brainwashing millions and producing some utterly shit music in the process.

Where am I going with this? Read on...

The BBC have axed or cut budgets on a shedload of programmes. Be it drama, comedy or educational. Yet they still feel fit to pay an INITIAL £22,000,000 on reality show 'The Voice'. To me, it just smacks of desperation, so they can compete in a 'my singing contest is better than your singing contest' dick-measuring competition with ITV. I'm sorry, I thought the BBC was above all that. Always at the forefront, always producing new and exciting things. That's what DWC was. It may have tired in recent years, but all that needed was a simple refreshing of the show, not axing it. Where will children look for inspiration now? Will their dream job be that of filling out an application form, so they'll be sold out by a nasty record company? You just have to look around, hear people speak, to see how much television affects people these days.

This isn't even an argument about the demise of DWC anymore, it's about the state of television today. Why is OUR BBC spending so much money on something that is tacky and doomed to fail (Fame Academy anyone?) and yet cutting budgets for everything else? This is NOT what the people want, what we want is for the BBC to carry on being exciting, original and inspiring. Buying a Dutch-made singing contest made big in America, isn't exciting, original or inspiring. It's shit. A big white doggy piece at that.

However, this may not be the end of DWC. You'll just have to put your hand in your pocket to pick it up on a DVD boxset. How many 7 year-olds can afford to do that? I can't even afford to do that!

(This is just my POV btw...)

Issue 7 - Out Now!!!

2011-09-23T13:55:00.003+01:00

Whooverville Review and interview with convention organiser Steve Hatcher
What Does Doctor Who Mean To Kids?
Torchwood: Miracle Day
I Love Who: Harry Sedgewick previews a chapter of his new Doctor Who book, exclusively for the fanzine
31 Things Less Painful Than Watching Journey's End

And Much More!

(It isn't as tedious as it sounds)

You can purchase a copy of this fine publication by slipping us one of the following payments via PayPal.

UK: £2

Rest of The World: £3

As always, please make the payment as a gift, enclose your name and address and send to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

If you don't have PayPal, you can still purchase a copy by credit/debit card, by using the box below. The process is undertaken by PayPal, but you do not need to sign up to anything. Just select which option applies to you and once you are on the ordering page, scroll downwards and select the 'payment by card' option. Please note the extra cost is to cover our PayPal fees!

We also have copies of Issue 6 on sale, as well as Issue 2's at a reduced price!

Bored? (After Saturday's Episode)

2011-08-26T05:12:00.000+01:00

Then come and join our forum for discussion on the episode and general banter with fellow readers and contributors to the fanzine! As we try and build up a community, we welcome anyone who is able to put in words, their thoughts, feelings and beliefs about an episode or anything else. And you have to be up for a laugh too!

You can access the forum on the side of this page. The direct link is http://z15.invisionfree.com/Fish_Custard_Fanzine/index.php

Cheers and enjoy the episodes!

Next Stop: Derby

2011-08-23T23:55:00.004+01:00

On what's fast turning out to be a Fish Custard Tour, we'll be attending Whooverville, which is a one-day convention held at the Quad Centre in Derby. Ran by local group The Whoovers, the convention has already established itself on the UK Con scene and is fast becoming one of the most-popular fan-run events.

The guests for Whooverville 3 include the likes of Nicola Bryant, Sarah Sutton, Frazer Hines, Tristan Peatfield, Maurice Roeves and Ian McNiece, amongst others. There'll also be various Q&A's, live podcasting, merchandising room and monster appearances, amongst other events going on during the day! Whooverville is ideally situated for almost anyone in the UK to attend and Derby is a lovely city for a day or weekend break. We'll be doing the weekend, so that's your guarantee of quality right there! We will also be handing out free copies of the fanzine, so come and say hello if you're about!

Whooverville 3 is on Saturday 3rd September and tickets are £35 for adults, £15 for under 16's or £85 for a family of four. Tickets can be booked here, or you can just pay on the day! For more information on The Whoovers, click here to visit their website.

(P.S. For those wondering - the Whooverville team are working on showing a broadcast of the Doctor Who episode scheduled for that day!)

Fancy (reviewing) Jack & Gwen?

2011-08-03T17:57:00.002+01:00

For Issue 7 of Fish Fingers and Custard we are going to dedicate a bit of it to the new series of Torchwood and we need reviewers to look at the series as an whole. If you would like to contribute, please send a blank e-mail with TORCHWOOD in the subject header and I'll get back to you asap with further details. Don't worry if you've never written a review before, we're always on the lookout for new contributors! We're looking for anyone who is able to put down their thoughts and feelings on the series, good, bad or (in Rex's chat-up lines' case) the downright ugly.

Don't worry, your e-mail won't be tracked and I won't have scary men following you around. I'm not allowed to do that anymore.

Cheers!

Issue 6 - DOWNLOAD NOW!!!

2011-07-30T18:59:00.007+01:00

Still here and still moidering folk, we've somehow cobbled together another installment of a Doctor Who fanzine that was once lovingly described as a 'Lidl DWM'. Yes, it's Issue 6 of Fish Fingers and Custard and it can be downloaded now!

In this Issue:

Series 6 (Part 1) Reviewed
Are You Watching? A breakdown of viewing figures
Who's In A (Brass) Band - Doctor Who music, done differently
Lis Sladen: A Heart of Gold
London Film and Comic Con
Pubcon and interviews with Stephen Gallagher, Tom Spilsbury and Dez Skinn

And much more!

You can download the Issue here

If you're feeling generous and would like to support the fanzine (and not see us go into fincianal ruin!) you can slip us a couple of quid and buy a paper copy of this Issue. The paper copies look so much better than the free download - you can actually pick it up and for £2 (inc. P+P), we believe it offers great value too!

Cheers

Apart from down the pub, you can get in contact with us by using the links below

E-Mail Us
Twitter
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Paradise Towers - Reviewed

2011-07-22T15:36:00.012+01:00

Paradise Towers has just been recently released on DVD and with our review of the story appearing in a previous issue of Fish Fingers and Custard, we've decided to unearth it and present it in it's original form.

It’s too easy to dismiss the majority of the late-80’s stories as ‘the point where Doctor Who went wrong’. I’ve read and listened to some very unfair comments about the latter stories that don’t take into account the restrictions of which the production team had to work with. I honestly believe that Paradise Towers was one of these stories that would have been a great, if it wasn’t for the budget (or lack of) afforded to Doctor Who by a BBC, who where then determined to let the show die a slow and painful death. But that doesn’t mean mistakes weren’t made by the production team…

Ever since I first watched Paradise Towers, I was intrigued by the storyline: A luxurious tower block that had plunged into anarchy, amongst the folk that lived there. Many people aren’t aware that the plot was based on the novel ‘High Rise’ by renowned author JG Ballard. The story chronicles the rising disorder among the residents of the Tower Block, who classically, are divided up amongst Working Class, Middle-Class and Upper Class groups. What’s more poetic, is that the higher up the tower block you go, the ‘better class’ of people there are. Although by the end of the book, everyone is pretty much equal in their savagery. What makes High Rise all-the-more engrossing, is that it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that it could happen today.

Paradise Towers on the other hand, replaces the 3 social groups with Kangs (groups of teenage girls) Ressies (residents) and the Caretakers, who ‘look after’ the building. One-by-one every one of these groups are being picked off and it’s up to The Doctor to try and find out what is happening and to unite the factions to save Paradise Towers from imploding

First of all, let’s go through the negatives. The music, like all of the McCoy era, is utterly awful. It sounds like the music used in arcade games. At one point, I was expecting Pac Man to come bouncing round the corner, give a cheeky grin and flash his arse at The Caretakers, before speeding off to continue feeding his pill habit. This was 1987 for goodness sake, what on earth was going through the minds of Keff McCulloch (composer) and JNT? The music played during the Kang’s ‘how you do’ greetings with The Doctor was utterly cringeworthy too. The music was just too light for this type of story, it’s just totally off-putting (and it really doesn’t help when it’s shit too!)

I felt that some of the lines, early on in the story, weren’t delivered as well as they could have been. It all seemed forced and fake. Maybe it was a production problem, rather than bad acting? I’m not sure. But before I watched Paradise Towers again, I read the novelisation and as you’ll find with most books – the real thing NEVER lives up to your imagination. The same could be said of the Chief Caretaker (played by Richard Briers), as I never felt that he neither looked nor sounded authoritative enough. It also didn’t help that he reminded me of Blakey from ‘On The Buses’ - not just in looks but his mannerisms too. He was about as threatening as a Twilight fan, drunk on alcopops, asking you for a fight because you called Robert Pattinson a ‘bad actor’ (or words to that effect!). And I’m not even going to go into that ridiculous sliver costume/make-up that Briers had to wear in Part 4!

It’s a shame, because these are things that could so easily have been ironed out. I suspect that JNT told Briers and the other actors to ‘ham it up’ but I think that disrespected the script and a great novel in High Rise. There’s no doubt in my mind, that if it was made today, it would be intensely gripping. There’s only so far the ‘they had no budget’ excuse can be stretched, but when you’re making ridiculous, pointless and expensive costumes for Tilda and Tabby, as well as the Chief, when normal clothes would have sufficed - it’s hard to defend the production team.

Going back to High Rise and you can see why the writer, Stephen Wyatt, based this story on it. We’ve got all types of people falling out over trivial matters to start off with and then it slowly gets worse and worse and worse. Before you know it, you’re reading about how the residents are killing each other because they had the cheek to invade ‘their floor’ and towards the end of the book, things get a lot more violent and a lot more graphic.

Of course, this episode was never going to be as violent as events depicted in High Rise (can you imagine how many heart attacks Mary Whitehouse and the rest of Middle England would have had?) but the story would have been so much better if just a hint of threat loomed in the air. Did we really think those two old ladies would have eaten Mel? Did we really think the Chief Caretaker was anything less than camp? Did we really think that the cleaners looked convincing? The whole reason of why the Great Architect was locked in the Towers in the first place, is a little bit dubious and a lot more information would have been extremely useful.

The main positive for me, was the redemption of Pex, an almost-comic book character that hid on board a ship taking the residents to Paradise Towers in the first place. Speaking of which, the story (again) would have benefitted from more information about this ‘war’ that Pex was running from. You can see him slowly developing throughout the story and you could sort-of see his sacrifice coming. I think it’s important that moral stories like this are placed in Doctor Who – Pex ran from his ‘duty’ all the time, but when it finally came to it, when he HAD to do it - he did his duty, no matter how scared he was.

I really enjoyed the scenes with The Kangs, who were depicted as a ‘tribe’ within these dirty, murderous towers, excellently. I liked that they had their own take on the language (“Icehot” – “Cool”) and the fact that they couldn’t give a flyer about authority.

Stories like this are perfect for Doctor Who – it’s dark, damp, a little violent and with a mystery behind it. All we got was crap costumes, poor acting and music that was rejected for Galaxian in 1979. Paradise Towers is a story that could – and should have been done better.

Much like the majority of the McCoy era, it was another missed opportunity.

The R2 DVD of Paradise Towers is available to buy now, from all good retailers. And some bad ones too.

(Review taken from Issue 2 of Fish Fingers and Custard)

Issue 6 - OUT NOW!!!

2011-07-20T01:13:00.007+01:00

There may be no episodes of Doctor Who on the telly, but be safe in the knowledge that we are still plugging away, to bring you the best in nonsense from the depths of Doctor Who Fandom. Or Mel Bush's knicker drawer, if you prefer.

In this Issue:

Series 6 (Part 1) Reviewed
Are You Watching? A breakdown of viewing figures
Who's In A (Brass) Band - Doctor Who music, done differently
Lis Sladen: A Heart of Gold
London Film and Comic Con
Pubcon and interviews with Stephen Gallagher, Tom Spilsbury and Dez Skinn

And much more (we have to put that)

You can purchase a copy of this fine publication by slipping us one of the following payments via PayPal.

UK: £2
Rest of The World: £3

As always, please make the payment as a gift, enclose your name and address and send to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

If you don't have PayPal, you can still purchase a copy by credit/debit card, by using the box below. The process is undertaken by PayPal, but you do not need to sign up to anything. Just select which option applies to you and once you are on the ordering page, scroll downwards and select the 'payment by card' option. Please note the extra cost is to cover our PayPal fees!

Cheers!

Fish Custard Takes London

2011-06-27T20:58:00.003+01:00

The likes of Sylvester McCoy, Karen Gillan, Alex Kingston, Mark Sheppard, Sophie Aldred, Mary Tamm, Richard Franklin, Sarah Sutton, Louise Jameson and Derek Jacobi will be at the forthcoming London Film and Comic Con...and so will we! We'll be there on the Saturday after the 'Audience With Karen Gillan' handing out free copies of the fanzine as well as chatting/hanging around/generally making people feel uncomfortable, so come and say hello!

LFCC has been running for a number of years now and has become the premier signing event in London and always boasts a quite impressive guest list, this year is something else though. Apart from Doctor Who guests, they have the likes of Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future), Christopher Lambert (Highlander) and Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) and many others, who will be signing during the weekend.

LFCC at Earls Court 2 runs from Friday 8th July-Sunday 10th, for further details and guest updates, check out their website here. For further updates of where we might be during the event, follow us on Twitter @fishcustardzine

Cheers!

Fish Fingers and Custard - 1 Year On

2011-06-23T03:04:00.009+01:00

Like anyone celebrating their 1st Birthday, we’ll be stumbling around, talking incomprehensibly and soiling our nappies. That’s where the comparison ends though, as the above will be a result of some Friday Night drinking, rather than excitable youthful vigour.

12 months ago, I published the first Issue of this fanzine and after watching England sneak past Slovenia in the World Cup, I went out for some beers and returned to see a number of comments waiting for me. Thankfully, they weren’t as negative as I expected, so I whacked on some Gloria Gaynor on YouTube to celebrate. Not really…

I’ll admit I never expected it to have lasted for a year, I wanted to, don’t get me wrong, but I thought it would be difficult to try and attract people to write for the fanzine. However, right from conception, people have been willing to help out and have sent me some quite superb articles. They’re the real talents behind the fanzine, I just put this thing together and chuck ideas in which have influenced me.

I never pretended to be a professional, in my opinion fanzines should never look professional, or else why call it a fanzine? It should be about doing something for the love of it, even though you don’t have the skills or equipment. I don’t – I have a donated computer and software that I’ve begged, borrowed and stole (not really Officer). I just do this because I love writing, Doctor Who and fanzines, as well as the culture that surrounds them. I’ve always wanted to provide well-written articles and showcase people’s work and so far I’ve been pleased with how it’s turned out. I’ve learnt a lot and once I manage to gain more confidence (and more practice!) the fanzine will be even better.

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed/bought/downloaded/commented on the fanzine, it really does mean a lot to this sad bastard, so cheers! I’ve ‘met’ (in other words, friended on the Interweb) a lot of great people and hope to friend a lot more. We live in an age where its piss easy to get what you want off the internet and Doctor Who Fandom is as massive as it’s ever been. I still get shy when I think about all those people around the world who read the fanzine. I do hope most of you ‘get’ the style of it as I do try to make it as personal as possible!

Anyway, enough of this rubbish, I would just like to ask you to please check out all our Issues, if you haven’t already and you’re always welcome to contribute, so just send me an e-mail.

Cheers and here’s hoping for many more years (and beers)!

Danny

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Upcoming Deadlines

2011-06-06T10:33:00.002+01:00

We're busy putting plans in place for the next few Issues of Fish Fingers and Custard, so if you would like to contribute, the deadline for Issue 6 is the 8th July, although if you can get your contribution to me at the earliest possible time, then it stands more of a chance of appearing in the Issue!

For Issue 6 we're looking for the usual things - opinion pieces, reviews, reports, art, spoofs etc BUT with Series 6 now at Half-Time, we want reviews of the series as an whole. Please make your reviews no more than 700 words and no less than 1! You can send them to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

Cheers!

Issue 5 - Download Now!

2011-05-18T13:33:00.007+01:00

Issue 5 of Fish Fingers and Custard is now available for download.

Now 5 Issues (and 11 months) in, Fish Fingers and Custard continues like a tube train. But it's slow and is actually entertaining, with people willing to tell you their stories instead of staring at you, like they want to kick your head in.

In this latest Issue we have the following stuff:

Our Sarah Jane - Tributes from fans of Elisabeth Sladen
The Brig: A Great Chap
Why I Watch Who
Poetry
A Look At The Scarifyers, plus an interview with creator Simon Barnard
Actor, gigolo and columnist Harry Sedgewick offers some more of his wisdom
Review of the opening 2 episodes of Series 6!

You can download the PDF here

If you would like to order one of our fine paper copies (please do!) you can do so here. If you're a 'Fontist' and are SO offended that I use Comic Sans on a little bit of this publication/or want more information about the fanzine, please e-mail me at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

If you would like to help out the fanzine, please re-tweet and share our posts as much as possible. We would like to share the fanzine with as many Doctor Who fans as we can, to encourage them to check out the resurgence in Doctor Who fanzines and fan writing in general.

Cheers!

Issue 5 - OUT NOW!

2011-05-06T19:22:00.007+01:00

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOW SOLD OUT

The Happy Shopper DWM returns. It might be a brand-new series of Doctor Who, but here at Fish Custard Towers, we continue to push the same old 'entertaining' fluff and occasional serious bits. In Issue 5, we have these following hors d'oeuvre (I had to Google it to get the correct spelling):

Our Sarah Jane - Tributes from fans of Elisabeth Sladen
The Brig: A Great Chap
Why I Watch Who
Poetry
A Look At The Scarifyers, plus an interview with creator Simon Barnard
Actor, gigolo and columnist Harry Sedgewick offers some more of his wisdom
Review of the opening 2 episodes of Series 6!

Plus, much more for you to munch on.

We don't charge a lot for our tat, so it's a lot cheaper than DWM. And better. And we don't spoil it for you.

Prices (inc. P+P)

UK: £2
Rest of The World: £3
Twilight Fans: £21

As always, please make your payment via PalPal a 'gift' and send it to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

*UPDATE* If you DON'T have a PayPal account, you can now order a fanzine with your credit/debit card. Just select the option which refers to you and follow the steps. You don't need to sign up, you just need your card! Payment is 100% secure. Please note that the extra costs are to cover PayPal fees.

Cheers!

A Tear, Sarah Jane? Elisabeth Sladen 1947-2011

2011-04-20T20:44:00.003+01:00

Like many others, I couldn’t quite believe the news. Lis Sladen can’t be gone, surely? It took the BBC news report for it to sink in and even then, I still couldn’t believe it. Lis was a person who always looked so well for her age and I would never have guessed in a million years that she was ill. But she was, but she kept it private, which I think speaks volumes about the lady.

The reaction has been that of shock around the world, as many people, in many countries, grew up with Sarah Jane Smith. Lis didn’t just brighten the day for kids of the 1970’s, she also did it for the kids of today with The Sarah Jane Adventures too. Reading these messages from children on the Newsround website just shows how well this middle-aged lady is thought of. She was definitely someone special.

For many, Sarah Jane was ‘their’ companion. My first foray into ‘classic’ Doctor Who was Tom Baker’s first series and watching her and The Doctor wind up Harry, seeing them working with each other to defeat a foe - you could tell exactly why this girl was used as the bridging gap between Pertwee-Baker. Her acting qualities could hold things together and I will defy anyone not to have a lump in their throat when watching the last few minutes of 'Planet of The Spiders'. Just beautiful.

Anyone who met Lis has said she was gracious with her time and was a big promoter of the show and Sarah Jane in particular. We owe these people a hell of a lot for keeping the positivity going, when the series was off air and, in some quarters, a laughing stock. Doctor Who fans do take news of their show to heart and it’s been really nice to see all the outpouring of grief, but Lis was private about her news for a reason - that of her family. All our condolences and thoughts should be with her husband and daughter at this time.

I’m really struggling to write something that makes sense here, as it was such a shock to us all. It’s even more of a shame that it was just weeks after her good friend, Nick Courtney too. I’ll leave this link to Tom Baker’s tribute, as nobody could put it any better. Rest in peace and thanks for everything, Lis.

There will be a full tribute to both Lis and Nick in Issue 5 of Fish Fingers and Custard. If you would like to send in your memories of Lis/Sarah please e-mail them to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com before the 29th April

An Appeal

2011-04-19T17:44:00.004+01:00

The make-up (no, not that kind of make up) of an Issue is mostly down to you dear reader. So if you want to see your stuff in the fanzine during this upcoming series (or think you can improve on our output) - SEND IT IN! I can't really stress enough that we take ANY kind of literal piece about Doctor Who. So this is your chance to appear in a fanzine that top Doctor Who actor, Harry Sedgewick, says is 'not as shit as Mayfair', whatever that means. Some of the things we're after are essays, opinion pieces, poems and art - so if you feel you fit the bill, don't just post them on a forum - send them in!

Just drop me a e-mail at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.co.uk ANYTIME!

Cheers

Facebook Update

2011-03-11T22:18:00.001Z

The fanzine now has a new Facebook Page to keep all you Facebookers up to date on the latest news and nonsense from the fanzine! You can find it at www.facebook.com/fishcustardfanzine please join and invite your friends to spread the word about the fanzine!

Cheers

Issue 4 - Download Now!!!

2011-02-27T14:10:00.004Z

Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 4 is now available to download

In this Issue:

Reviews of 'A Christmas Carol'
RTD: Genius or Mad Man?
An In Depth Look At Dalek Empire
The Secret Diary Of A Whovian
Hots and Nots - The Doctor Who Fandom Style Guide
An Unearthly Child: 2010AD

And Much More

You can download the issue here.

If you enjoy the fanzine, please consider showing your appreciation by slipping a quid to our charity's page. Cheers!

Discuss on Our Forum

Issue 2 Sale!
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Nicholas Courtney - 1929-2011

2011-02-23T17:42:00.007Z

I was sad to learn of the passing of Nicholas Courtney last night, a true Doctor Who great who will always be remembered by the fans of the programme. His character of Brigadier Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart was a regular in the series throughout the Jon Pertwee era, from 1970-1974 and made recurring appearances from then on. He was often the stuffy, straight-man to The Doctor and often produced some classic one-liners, with a voice of delivery as smooth as silk. I know it’s a phrase often banded about, but if Nick DID read the phone book - I could sit and listen all day! Nick’s first appearance in Doctor Who, was as Bret Vyon, a character in the William Hartnell serial ‘The Daleks Master Plan’, in 1965.

I was fortunate enough to spend a whole day with him once – assisting him at a signing event in London in 2009. Being a fan, I was a little bit nervous at meeting him, but he was an absolute gentleman, very funny and very spritely for his age! Nothing was too much trouble for him and he greeted everyone warmly and recounted his tales time and time again, without any hint of boredom. I can honestly say he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met – and with me ‘helping’ him – he needed to be very patient! Just reading people’s comments about him and the words ‘nice man’ and ‘a true gentleman’ pop up quite frequently. And that’s exactly what he was.

In latter years, Nick did numerous work on audio – that superb voice booming through my earphones made me smile and laugh, as I knew that I was in for a great listen, as Nick’s voice had a knack of making you listen to what was happening. He reprised The Brig for a couple of Big Finish Audios, played a cat in the first Bernice Summerfield audio adventure and even a hilarious, camp, fashion-obsessed alien in ‘Soldiers of Love’! More recently, he played the role of ‘Lionheart’ in Cosmic Hobo’s ‘The Scarifyers’ series. The series saw him act alongside Terry Molloy, as the pair investigate supernatural goings-on in Edwardian Britian. At times, I rated Lionheart as the character Nick was more suited too – even more so than the Brig! It’s well worth checking out either on CD or on the radio.

On a purely selfish side, it’s even more of a shame that Nick won’t be around for Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary, as he was keen at playing his much-loved character one last time. His last appearance as The Brigadier was in The Sarah Jane Adventures, where he stole every scene he was in. Typical Nicholas Courtney, really!

I think it’s fair to say that Nick had a great innings and a very eventful life, judging by the many tales he told. I hope he knew how much he is loved by Doctor Who fans and how much of his work brought so much pleasure to people’s lives.

Thanks Nick, we’ll never forget you. Sleep well.

Issue 4 - OUT NOW!!!

2011-02-11T01:00:00.009Z

From the well-dressed sycophants who brought you Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 1, Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 2, Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 3 AND many other annoying things and stuff, comes FISH FINGERS AND CUSTARD ISSUE 4.

In this latest Issue:

Reviews of 'A Christmas Carol'
RTD: Genius or Mad Man?
An In Depth Look At Dalek Empire
The Secret Diary Of A Whovian
Hots and Nots - The Doctor Who Fandom Style Guide
An Unearthly Child: 2010AD

And Much More

As always, please paypal the payment which applies to you as a gift to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

UK: £2.00

Worldwide: £3.00

Discuss on Our Forum

Issue 2 Sale!
Join Our Mailing List

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOW SOLD OUT

About The Fanzine and How To Contribute

2011-02-09T01:18:00.000Z

Fish Fingers and Custard is a Doctor Who Fanzine that is available both in print and as a PDF download. The fanzine concentrates mainly on Doctor Who Fandom, but we accept ANYTHING, as long as it's vaguely related to Doctor Who!

We're always on the lookout for articles, reviews, convention reports, comics, drawings, spoofs, poetry, fan fiction...in fact ANYTHING you can think of! All we ask is that written work is presented in clear English!

You can send your work, to be published in the fanzine, to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com or visit our Forum ANYTIME!

Cheers and I hope to hear from you!

Danny (Editor)

Issue 2 For Sale!

2011-01-30T19:40:00.001Z

We've still got a number of Issue 2's left here at Fish Custard Towers, so please help us to shift them (and make more room for upcoming Issues!) by picking up a copy. We've knocked off 50p off the price, so if you're in the UK it'll cost just £1.50, anywhere else in the world it is £2.50. Both prices include postage and packing. Please paypal the payment that applies to you, as a gift, to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

Remember, without people buying the paper copies, we wouldn't be able to make further Issues, so thanks to those who already have purchased copies.

Cheers

Join Our Forum!

2011-01-24T17:06:00.002Z

In order to create a bit more of 'community' I've decided to set up a forum for us all to chat about Doctor Who and anything else you fancy! Think of it like the fanzine, but in message board form! We encourage our members to offer advice and recommendations on what to watch, listen or read. And not just about Doctor Who! You can also ask Harry Sedgewick for some acting advice...

Please sign up, answer our new members questionnaire and post anything you like! You can find the board here. Please bookmark for future reference!

Cheers and see you on there!

Donate To Our Charity

2011-01-21T13:48:00.001Z

Fish Fingers and Custard is a non-profit fanzine that is distributed as a free PDF or in print, at a small cost to cover production. If enjoy our content, please consider slipping a quid or two to our adopted charity, KidsOut, who’s aim is to bring a bit of fun to the lives of children, all over the UK, who are ill, disabled or disadvantaged.

There's no pressure to give anything, we're just 'passing the hat around' for a good cause. It's totally up to you!

You can view our JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/fishcustardfanzine

Cheers!

Issues

2011-01-20T13:38:00.026Z

(Updated: 23/1/2012)

Issue 8

Issue 8 - Download
Issue 8 - Read Online

Issue 7

Issue 7 - Buy Paper Copy
Issue 7 - Download
Issue 7 - Read Online

Issue 6

Issue 6 - Buy Paper Copy
Issue 6 - Download
Issue 6 - Read Online

Issue 5

Issue 5 - Download
Issue 5 - Read Online

Issue 4

Issue 4 - Download
Issue 4 - Read Online

Issue 3

Issue 3 - Download
Issue 3 - Read Online

Issue 2

Issue 2 - Buy Paper Copy
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Issue 1

Issue 1 - Download
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New Year, Same Old Stuff!

2011-01-05T02:55:00.001Z

Hello! I hope you all have had a good Christmas? Issue 4 of Fish Fingers and Custard is now well into production and I hope to have it out sometime next month! If you fancy sending anything in (and I mean ANYTHING!) don't be shy, just send it to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

If you're unsure about what to write, you can always send in your reviews of 'A Christmas Carol' (the Doctor Who episode, not the Muppets or the Dickens version!) Please keep your reviews to (what we call) a sensible length (about 500ish words) and send them in to the address above. I will publish every review sent in, but depending on how many I receive - some may be published on this website. (But it's unlikely that I'll get a deluge of reviews, so they should all appear in the issue!) The deadline is 4th February.

Finally, can I just direct you to our new YouTube account. We'll be updating it on a regular basis with some silly Doctor Who stuff, interviews and poor-quality camera shots of a toy Dalek! You can find our channel at this address: http://www.youtube.com/user/FishCustardFanzine

Cheers and all the best for the New Year!

Danny

Issue 3 - Download Now!!!

2010-12-15T04:33:00.007Z

Issue 3 of Fish Fingers and Custard can now be downloaded. And apart from the snazzy snowy font, this 44-page PDF file contains the following:

Interviews with the Absolute David Tennant Fangirls
Drunken Adventures At A Convention – Says it all
The Sarah (Jane) Awards
Stageplays Overview – An Overview of the Doctor Who Stageplays, obviously
Computer Games Overview – An Overview of Doctor Who computer games, obviously
The Doctor vs. Edward Cullen – A Fight For A Girl's Attentions

And much more!

You can download it from here

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the Fish Custard Team! Please take some time out to view the links below!

Fish Custard JustGiving Page: The Fanzine is free to download, so therefore if you like what we do, just slip a quid to our charity 'KidsOut', who aim provide disadvantaged children with a little bit happiness.

Fish Custard Fanzine Christmas Party: 20th December on our Facebook Group!

Mailing List: Just send a blank e-mail to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com and you'll be added to our mailing list, which provides you with copies of the fanzine, so you don't need to download them!

Please direct any articles/feedback/suggestions/offers of work to our e-mail address above.

Issue 3 - OUT NOW!!!

2010-12-10T17:50:00.012Z

We would say that this Issue would make a perfect Christmas present for any loved one. But it’s homemade, put together by a bumbling, barely-educated simpleton and posted out in cheap envelopes. It’s also very well written too!

So yes, we can say that a copy of Fish Custard Fanzine Issue 3 is the perfect present for any (over 15) Doctor Who fan this Christmas!

In this snow-filled, beer-stained, turkey-stuffed Issue of Fish Custard, we have the following,

Interviews with the Absolute David Tennant Fangirls
Drunken Adventures At A Convention – Says it all
The Sarah (Jane) Awards
Stageplays Overview – An Overview of the Doctor Who Stageplays, obviously
Computer Games Overview – An Overview of Doctor Who computer games, obviously
The Doctor vs. Edward Cullen – A Fight For A Girl's Attentions

And much more!

To order a paper copy just send the below payment that applies to you, via paypal, as a gift to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

UK - £2.00

Rest of the World - £3.00

If you’re tight and are waiting for the download, it’ll be out soon. But if you would like to show your appreciation you can donate to our charity, KidsOut, by visiting www.justgiving.com/fishcustardfanzine . You don’t have to, but anything you can push our way, will make us feel really happy and will help a worthy cause at the same time!

Cheers

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOW SOLD OUT

The Doctor and The Elf - Free Christmas Short Story Download!

2010-12-08T03:30:00.002Z

Issue 3 will be released very soon! In the meantime, here is an exclusive short, short story to celebrate our Christmas issue - The Doctor and The Elf!

Starring the 6th Doctor and Peri, as they find themselves, bickering to save the world. That's all I'm saying, because any more will spoil it! You can download the story here

Enjoy and check back in a few days for Issue 3, or join our mailing list by sending blank e-mail to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

Cheers!

Fish Custard Fanzine Christmas Party! FFAC10

2010-12-04T02:05:00.001Z

As a fanzine with readers all over the world, it's very difficult to get everyone in the same place at the same time! So why not join us on our Facebook Group on the 20th of this month, for some chats, laughs and speculation about this year's Christmas episode? You can post anything you like, just make sure you bring your own drink(s)!

We'll be on ALL DAY to give everyone a chance to join in, so don't be shy and say hello!

Just add yourself to our event page here or just turn up on the day!

Cheers and Merry Christmas!

Issue 3 Preview - Interview With A David Tennant Fangirl

2010-11-28T21:09:00.003Z

Issue 3 is coming very soon. In the meantime, we can bring you a preview of what could prove to be the most controversial article we've ran in our short history, as we interview some David Tennant Fangirls on the man, his role and the aftermath of his departure. (Actually, it's not that controversial. But if it's good enough for Heat Magazine, it's good enough for us!)

We have more interviews with a few DT fangirls in Issue 3, but as a preview, here is a interview that we enjoyed! Thanks to McFangirl for her views!

How did you discover Doctor Who?

The first time around was at about age six (1981). It would come on after Saturday morning cartoons. The opening sequence with Tom Baker's head and the psychedelic look/sound of it was just plain creepy and scared the crap out of me! Add to that the fact that I had never in my life heard a person speak British English before and quite frankly, I don't think I was ever able to sit through an entire episode. All this before any monsters ever graced the screen!

The second time around was a complete accident on my husband's part. He came in, sat down, grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels while I was reading something. He stopped on SyFy and started watching "some British sci-fi show called Doctor Who". It was about a quarter of the way into The Sontaran Stratagem. I remember saying "Doctor Who? I remember watching some of that when I was little! Looks like they remade it or something. Huh...". Next thing I know, the Doctor is making fun of General Staal the not-quite-so-undefeated-but-nevermind and we laughed so hard we knew this was going to be a really good show! Long story short, the next Saturday night couldn't come soon enough! And the next one, and the next one and...

At this juncture, there is something I'd like to address before moving on the the next question. During that first episode we caught, right through to the end of Series 4 (give or take a couple of Series 3 episodes), what we saw in David Tennant was a brilliant actor with undeniable charisma that had us totally believing he was this wonderful, self-sacrificing alien who traveled around the universe in a time machine. It wasn't until ten (somewhat out of order) episodes later, during the scene where the Doctor is checking out his new incarnation's outfit out in the mirror in The Christmas Invasion, that I was completely swept off my feet by David Tennant. I became a Doctor Who fan way before I fell in love with David Tennant, the actor. I wasn't just watching the show for the hot guy.

Why do you think Fangirls like David Tennant so much?

Your question alone makes me smile; you are acknowledging that women adore David Tennnant. I think that at first glance, the draw is his charisma. Let's be honest, David is not your stereotypical hunky actor but yet there is something about him that even many a heterosexual man can sense. That something is charisma.

Charisma aside, he's extremely sexy (Those eyes! That hair!) and a beautiful person both inside and out. He's the anti-hunk - the geeky girl's pin-up boy! He's the anti-celebrity - he owns the car I almost bought, for goodness sakes, and doesn't have anyone telling him how to dress.

David doesn't have a big ego; he's as humble a human as they come. He never tries to be someone he's not and actually embraces his geekiness! How refreshing is that?!

What’s your favourite Doctor Who episode with David as The Doctor?

Favourite? Hmmm... Not sure exactly what that implies. Favourite as in the one I like the most or the one which I think came together the best or the one in which I thought Tennant hit it out of the park or how about the one in which Tennant looked the hottest?

I'll go with my two standard response episodes because they tend cover almost every facet mentioned above & then some but somehow always manage to end up in a tie - The Runaway Bride and Utopia. As for the one in which I thought Tennant did the best acting, that is also a tie but this time between three episodes - The Waters of Mars, The End of Time, Part 1 & Part 2.

Do you think David left Doctor Who too early, or do you think the time was right for him to try other roles?

I think David left the show at the right time. He left when he was still loved the world over and he was given the biggest & best send off ever. Even the U.S. got a chance to see him off via the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con! To change gears a bit, I don't know if David would've be a good fit for the team that's currently running Doctor Who so I'm really glad he decided to leave when Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner both moved on.

As for David trying different roles, he had been trying different roles while he was starring in Doctor Who. He now has time to do far more though and for that I am very grateful. I'm always thrilled to see him take his talents (and hair!) in different directions!

On a side note, I wanted to touch upon his "failed U.S. TV pilot", Rex Is Not Your Lawyer. The U.K. media twisted and completely distorted the reality of the situation. They made it out to look like Tennant didn't have what it took to anchor a series in the U.S. which is grossly inaccurate. The truth of it is that the majority of pilots made in the U.S. for TV are NOT picked up and of those that are picked up many are dropped several episodes in. The fact that the pilot did not make the cut is completely insignificant and does not bear any weight on Tennant's talents from American TV-viewing point of view.

“I don’t want to go” Lovely last line or a bit or a wimpy end to David’s reign as The Doctor?

I think the line, not only the way it’s written but also in its delivery, was fitting. This was a man who had struggled with his demons for a long time and would often be seen going back and forth between happy-go-lucky moments and dark moments. He loved being himself and loathed it at the same time. In the end, he accepted his inevitable fate bravely while one last time giving us a glimpse of that emotional depth and vulnerability that heavily characterized David's Doctor.

Russell T. Davies wrote the Tenth Doctor's final scene in a way that allowed us to empathize with him. We went along on the emotional ride towards his regeneration and the last line was our prize because, much like this Doctor, we didn't want him to go either. It brought David's era to a close brilliantly and allowed us to share that last moment with David himself who loved this job more than any other job in the world.

What’s your favourite other David Tennant role and why?

My other favourite David Tennant role would have to be Detective Inspector Peter Carlisle in Blackpool. Much like the Tenth Doctor, this character was given the opportunity to become well-developed which of course has to do with the fact the series was six episodes long. I think Tennant really benefits from taking on long-running series and/or feature-length films because it gives him the chance to really sink his teeth into a character and reveal different facets of the same person. He's a genius at it! David's native Scottish accent was also a major draw not only for the knee-weakening factor but simply because it makes the character that much more believable being an extension of David himself

Would you call yourself a ‘David Tennant Fangirl’ rather than a ‘Doctor Who Fangirl’?

I think it's fair to call me both - sort of. I call myself a David Tennant fangirl but refer to myself as a Doctor Who fan. Why the difference? I no longer obsess over the show the way I used to when David was the Doctor. That passion is now channelled into following David's career and enjoying his new work.

Yes, I began loving the show first but soon realized that the actor was far more than just "the current Doctor Who" as the media would erroneously refer to him. He is easily the most talented British actor of my generation and I am proud to be his contemporary and fangirl! Likewise, Doctor Who is much more than just the Tenth Doctor but for me it has lost a great deal of its appeal since David's departure. That's not to say I don't run to watch it now but I think David's portrayal is what made the show so special for me and it has definitely lost that magical spark in my eyes.

What do you think of Matt Smith and the view shared by some fans that David was ‘irreplaceable’ as The Doctor?

I think I already addressed the first part of this question in the last response so I'll move on to the 'irreplaceable' part.

Yes, I think David was irreplaceable. Why? Because no other actor who's played the role before or since him to date has wanted to have this role his whole life. The passion and soul that David brought to his portrayal as the Tenth Doctor is unlike anything I've seen before in any actor/character relationship on any show. I never felt like I was watching an actor doing a fantastic job; I always felt like I was watching the living, breathing man from Gallifrey and that's something I don't think any other actor will ever be able to even attempt to replicate.

To me David Tennant IS the Doctor, not an actor portraying a character.

While I'm on the topic something rather interesting was experienced by many Tennant fans while viewing his latest work, Single Father. There is a scene in one of the episodes where David's character, Dave, delivers two phrases that sound exactly like the Tenth Doctor. David was clearly not attempting to bring the Doctor into this completely different character/production but it happened. I gasped and teared up during that scene. It served to reassure me that the Tenth Doctor is alive and well within David. I think the Tenth Doctor really was far more 'David' than I think even David himself would ever be willing to admit.

You’ve been body-swapped into Rose’s scruffy apparel for the day. Where would you go with the 10th Doctor, in the TARDIS and why?

Ewww! Becoming Rose would be a nightmare! Heh heh...

Where would I go? Does the TARDIS have to go somewhere? Couldn't we just do something in the TARDIS instead? HAH!

Maybe we'd go to an orphanage, defeat some creature and finish off by placing every child with loving, patient and understanding parents. I'm not joking but I know that wouldn't make for a very exciting episode. Hmmm... Oh, I know! We would go befriend a young Scottish boy named David McDonald and all three of us could work together to fight off some menacing creatures and save the world! That would totally make that young lad's day!

And finally…If you could dedicate a song on the radio to David, what will it be?

Can I choose two? I'm going to choose two.

For Ten - Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

For David - Round & Round by BodyRockers

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Happy 47th Birthday Doctor Who!

2010-11-23T01:54:00.001Z

It's amazing to say that a television show we love so much is still on our screens, 47 years after the first episode aired. It all started on the 23rd November 1963 with William Hartnell and An Unearthly Child.

I've chosen clips from Blue Peter's coverage of Doctor Who's 10th Anniversary, if only for Peter Purves' (who played Steven Taylor in the Hartnell era) comment in part 2 at 4.36 "It's nice to know that when actors come and actors go, Doctor Who seems to live forever". And you know what? That's absolutely spot on.

So today, I urge you to whack your favourite episode on and enjoy, the best television program ever made.

Happy Birthday Doctor Who!

Doctor Who - A Christmas Carol TRAILER

2010-11-19T20:40:00.000Z

Excited? You better be!

But before Issue 3 of Fish Custard is out, here's some Doctor Who Christmas thing!

Join Our Mailing List!

2010-11-14T06:11:00.000Z

Work on Issue 3 is going swimmingly (as a posh person would say) and should be available to purchase as a paper copy in the first week of December, with the download coming 10 days or so later.

And speaking of downloads, I understand that some people have problems with the download site that we host the issues on. So with that in mind, I have set up a 'mailing list' (basically a group on a e-mail account, but I'm a fanzine editor - I'm expected to big things up!) so you will receive your copies on your cyber doormats, without having to endure any pop-ups of a 'musclar gentleman'.

All you need to do is to send a blank e-mail to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com I will also send you some fanzine news from time-time, but I promise not to spam. To be honest, we're a lazy bunch here at Fish Custard Towers anyway, so spamming doesn't appeal to us!

For those who enjoy muscular gentlemen DON'T WORRY as we will continue posting the issues on the download site, for you to download at your leisure. I just wanted an alternative, to make sure the fanzine reaches as many Doctor Who fans as possible! So please tell your friends/family too (although, leave the muscular gentlemen bit out...unless they like that kind of thing)

Cheers

Dan

P.S. For those who want me to send them copies of 1 & 2 via e-mail, send me your request via the address above.

Blue Box 2

2010-10-30T01:59:00.000+01:00

Fish Custard Fanzine is featured in the new Issue of Grant Bull's 'Blue Box Fanzine' which is available to purchase in print (£1.50 UK/£2.50 Overseas) from http://www.blueboxfanzine.blogspot.com/ (When I say featured, it's me and a few other fanzine editors, but it's always nice to know about these things!)

Blue Box is a cracking read and I would urge you to snap up a copy. It's retro, b+w, photocopied and full of Doctor Who love (as all fanzines should be!). Apart from my bit (which is the main selling point, obviously!) there are Series 5 reviews, a look at The Horror of Fang Rock as well as a comic and some great art!

Anyway, back to work on Issue 3 I go!

Cheers

Danny

Issue 3 and The Future!

2010-10-22T17:57:00.000+01:00

I'm currently working on Issue 3 of Fish Custard and hope to have paper copies out in the first week of December. It's shaping up very nicely at the moment and I'm looking forward to getting it out there for you all to read! You can also still order some paper copies of Issue 2, from the blue link thing on the right!

Meanwhile, if you have anything you would like to see published in the fanzine, please don't hesitate to e-mail us at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com We're also discussing Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures over at our Facebook Group, so again, don't hesitate to join in if you have any views on the series!

Cheers

Danny

Issue 2 Production Notes

2010-10-10T00:20:00.000+01:00

The trick to producing fanzines, on time and brimming with content, is making sure you plan ahead. I had made sure that almost half of Issue 2 was written, before I had even finished Issue 1! It’s easy just to bung in random stuff in an issue, but it’s more difficult to find the right balance, in terms of the styles and subjects of the articles. One of the things I want the fanzine to do, is to introduce the people who have become fans during the series post-2005, to look back at the vast history of Doctor Who and learn. It’s the most fascinating thing I find about the program, even more so than the actual episodes themselves! Hopefully, during the run of the fanzine, we’ll be able to delve more into this rich, illustrious history which makes Doctor Who more than just a television program.

On a similar vein, I also enjoy reading accounts of fans from outside of the UK. The article in Issue 2 from Tom Spychalski, about his childhood spent watching Doctor Who via PBS, are very educational in this era where people don’t appreciate the lengths to which people went to watch their favourite programs. It’s so easy today to get something via download (legal or illegal) or On-Demand. I’ve heard many a tale from North American fans who spent all day playing with a television aerial, just to watch something that was broadcast 10 years earlier on BBC 1! If you’re reading this and live outside of the UK/US/Canada, I would be fascinated to read your stories of how you discovered Doctor Who and what you do to watch it.

The cover photo of Issue 2 is something of a tale in itself. I was there when that was taken, in fact – if you look in between the photo and Georgia Moffet’s face, you can see my nose in the background. If you want more information about the how’s and why’s of this tale – check out Issue 3! That’s all I’m saying.

I feel I’m getting into my stride as a fanzine editor now. The writing is becoming a lot easier and I’ve already got articles ready for Issue 4 (out in 2011!) If you’re reading this having only downloaded the PDF, please consider supporting the fanzine by grabbing yourself a paper copy. It really is much better than reading something off a computer screen or phone! I’m making no profit from this (in fact, I’d be delighted just to break even!), none of us are, we’re just trying to promote fan-writing and the ‘retro’ way of doing things.

Actually, I think that sums up Doctor Who – fan written and retro!

Moonlighting...

2010-10-06T00:05:00.000+01:00

I've just recently had a review of the Virgin New Adventures novel 'Timewyrm: Genesis' published in Issue 8 of The Terrible Zodin.

Free to download, TTZ has gained great popularity among Who-fans for it's original art, articles and honest opinion. Although generally written for female fans, the fanzine has contributions from (and for) the more-traditional Doctor Who fans (i.e - Men!). In fact, this Issue has been guest-edited by Jamie Beckwith, which explains why it's got more pages than The Da Vinci Code!

Anyway, enough waffling on - you can download the Issue here. Oh and look out for the review of Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 1, by Rassilon's Rod's David MacGowan in there too!

Issue 2 - Download NOW!

2010-09-24T21:29:00.001+01:00

Issue 2 of Fish Fingers and Custard is available to download now!

In this Issue:

"Series 5 Reviews"

"Proms Report"

"Fives"

"Where Should Classic Doctor Who Have Ended?"

"Memories of PBS Plegde Drives"

"The Latest Tabloid Newspaper Rumours"

And Much More!

You can download the 40-page PDF here

Please help support the fanzine by buying a paper copy of the Issue here (and very nice it is too!)

Issue 2 Preview

2010-09-17T17:39:00.000+01:00

Issue 2 is now out in print and available to purchase! The free download will be available next week. So in the meantime..here is a little something from Issue 2 to wet your appetite!

ALL THE
TABLOID NEWSPAPER
RUMOURS – ALL
THE TIME

Matt Smith Is Rubbish And Is Getting Sacked

Doctor Who fans have seemingly got their way. A bloke I spoke to down the pub reckons that Matt Smith will be sacked as Doctor Who, because ‘he isn’t as good as David Tennant and the geeks don’t like him’. Message Boards have been awash with calls for the actor, 16, to be booted out. I must say that I agree with them, as the internet is never wrong. Not that I steal anything off there and publish it here, mind.

Despite smashing all records for most views on the BBC IPlayer and viewing figures on BBC America, SPACE and some Australian channel (not to mention the upturn in profits of DVD’s, books and other merchandise) the interest in Doctor Who is at an all-time low and I know this because my ‘insider’ said so (well, she told my mum at the bingo anyway). Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Matt Smith nerds!

It’s not been a great week for the outgoing Time Lad, as our snappers caught him hanging outside a public lavatory this week (see above). The dirty beast!

Issue 2 - Out NOW!

2010-09-13T12:16:00.000+01:00

Issue 2 of Fish Fingers and Custard is available to buy now!

In this Issue:

"Series 5 Reviews"

"Proms Report"

"Fives"

"Where Should Classic Doctor Who Have Ended?"

"Memories of PBS Plegde Drives"

"The Latest Tabloid Newspaper Rumours"

And Much More!

The prices (including P+P) are as follows:

UK: £2.00

Overseas: £3.00

You can order a copy by Paypal, just send all monies to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com along with your name and address. (Please can you send the payment as a gift, so that the fanzine is able to receive 100% , rather than Paypal taking their cut and leaving us out of pocket! You can leave your details in the personal message section)

A Postcard From Hamsterdam (FFAC9)

2010-09-11T01:20:00.000+01:00

While the work for Issue 2 was on-going here at Fish Custard Towers, we received a postcard from columnist (and ex-Doctor Who actor) Harry Sedgewick, who went to visit the Dutch capital - 2 months ago.

Greeting’s Hoovers! (Is that the right term?)

Anyhow, I’m currently on business In Hamsterdam and I’m not really sure when I’ll get back. I’m currently a guest of the Chief at the local Regiokorpsen, here in this wonderful city.

I arrived here to do a bit of acting work/pick up something for my boss, then it all got a little bit naughty with the customs and I’m currently sharing a cell with someone called ‘Rose’. No, it’s not Catherine Tate’s character – it’s actually a big hairy fella, who can’t speak a word of English. I think he’s from Scotland. No, wait, he can’t be - he’s too gentle, especially at night.

What else have I been up to? Well, I only have to say the name ‘Hamsterdam’ and you’ll probably think I’ve been picking flowers and riding bikes. Well, I have been doing something like that, but with the local women instead. Shame I lost my wallet!

Anyway, I’ve got to go - Big Rose wants another game of Buckaroo. Just don’t ask what we’re using to play.

See you soon...hopefully!

Harry x

Harry's adventures, continue on Twitter at www.twitter.com/harrysedgers

Issue 2 Front Cover!

2010-09-07T17:19:00.000+01:00

It's coming soon!

A Bit of Benny While You Wait...

2010-09-05T13:11:00.001+01:00

The deadline has passed and I'm busy getting Issue 2 ready, so you can treat your lovely eyes to it in the next week or two!

In the meantime, Fish Custard Towers are MASSIVE Bernice Summerfield fans and are delighted with the latest addition to the series. For those who don't know, Benny is a spin-off character from the Virgin New Adventures novels from the 90's. She's a sexy, tough and hard-drinking archaeologist from the 26th Century. So you can see why we like her. Benny went on to appear in her own book series and eventually, on audio (played by Lisa 'Cheetah Person' Bowerman). The audios have been running for well over a decade now and to celebrate the launch of Series 11, Big Finish have knocked up a 10-minute CGI short, entitled 'Dead and Buried', for you to enjoy.

The first audio in the series 'Resurrecting the Past' is available from Big Finish later this month. You can order any of the Benny back-catalogue from www.bigfinish.com/bernice-summerfield

Check back soon for more news on Issue 2!

Fanzines Are Cool! (FFAC8)

2010-08-16T13:32:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Fish Custard Fanzine reader Rebecca Holbourn (@2cajuman2) for giving me a nice surprise on Twitter, with a photo of herself enjoying Issue 1 of the fanzine, along with a Matt Smith-style fez!

Fanzines ARE cool!

Subscribe To Fish Fingers and Custard!

2010-08-10T01:06:00.000+01:00

I’m delighted to announce that you can now subscribe to the paper copies of the fanzine.

Benefits

You will receive the fanzine as soon as it leaves the printer! (Obviously, we’ll put it in an envelope first!) a week or two BEFORE the PDF copy is released!

You will have your name printed in the fanzine!

You will receive a yearly newsletter with bonus Fish Custard material!

You will have the knowledge that you are supporting the fanzine and keeping the tradition of paper-based fanzines alive!

Plus some other surprise bonuses…look out for them!

The Price

UK: £8. Rest of the World: £13. The price includes postage and packing. Each subscription starts from the NEXT issue to be released (for example, if you subscribe now, you will receive Issue 2 when released, not Issue 1. If you subscribe when Issue 2 has been released, you will receive Issue 3 etc).

You can subscribe to 4 issues (about a year's worth) by PayPal, please send all monies to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com and please send the money as a ‘gift’. (and don't forget to include your name and address!)

Cheers!

New Promo (FFAC7)

2010-08-01T20:22:00.000+01:00

We have a new Promo! Thanks to Rob Carpenter for designing this!

(click here to view in full size)

Fanzine UPDATE!!!

2010-07-26T21:29:00.000+01:00

If you've not got your copy of Fish Fingers and Custard yet, then why not? You can download a FREE PDF copy here

Alternatively, you can order a paper copy, with full colour, glossy covers (the paper was on special offer in a local stationers, ahem) here

I've only got 20 or so left, so this is your chance to own a piece of history. And to also help me get some of my money back! For £2 (UK) £3 (Rest of the World) you can't really knock it. Doctor Who Magazine costs about a fiver after all, and they don't even swear or have a washed-up ex-actor as a columnist! (erm, well....)

In the meantime, my army of Toclafane and I, have been working on Issue 2 (out in September) so if you've got anything you would like to contribute (and I mean ANYTHING) feel free to contact me at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com the deadline is 3RD SEPTEMBER.

In other news, I would like to thank The Doctor Who Newspage, The TARDIS Newsroom, The Gallifreyan Embassy, Jamie of The Terrible Zodin and Tony of the Flashing Blade Podcast for giving us plugs. If you can help to spread the word in any way, I would be eternally grateful. Much like the 'Pizza Planet Aliens' from Toy Story, but not as cute

Cheers

Issue 2 - CONTRIBUTORS WANTED!!!

2010-07-22T10:45:00.000+01:00

Issue 2 of Fish Fingers and Custard is out…soon!

The main thing that we need for Issue 2 is reviews of series 5/whatever you call it. Now being the odd fanzine we are, I’m asking for your reviews to be no more than 300 words. I think this method will produce some interesting views, as well as keeping the page count below 200!

If you're not into reviews, then I'll accept ANYTHING else. This includes the following: informative essays on the show, convention reports, short stories, poems, jokes, comics, women’s underwear, wads of cash etc. Although, depending on how much STUFF I get, I may hold some pieces back for future issues. Or be in a drink-induced coma. Either way, it’s a win-win situation.

You can e-mail your STUFF to us at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

Cheers and I hope to hear from you soon!

Issue 1 Production Notes

2010-07-03T17:35:00.000+01:00

Before doing this fanzine, I always thought that the most difficult part would be getting the material together to make an issue. In fact the most problematic aspect was trying to get the printing of the paper verison done for a reasonable price! The most charming thing about old-fashioned fanzines, I find, is that they are done on a shoestring budget, often using household items to make their issues!

It might be a lot easier today to design a fanzine, but the printing of them still presents people with a big problem. I decided early on during the inception of this fanzine, that I would do it the old-fashioned way. Okay, I don't have a printing-press, but what I do have is a home PC and a 4 year-old printer! That is all I needed.

Suddenly, I found myself using 'advanced' maths, calculating how much ink and paper I would need! I wanted the cover price of the fanzine to be pretty cheap, so I set the price at £1.50, which should see me more-or-less break even. I'm under no illusions that I'll probably lose money doing this, but what's a tenner when your having fun writing, design, printing and posting your own fanzine?

I'm really proud with how Issue 1 has turned out and I would urge you to get yourself a paper copy (details here) because with the full-colour glossy covers (which is actually photo paper, that I bought cheap!), it looks really good! I do need a lot of practice with a stapler and folding, so apologises if your issue is folded a centimetre too much!

The most pleasing thing about getting this issue out, is that I already know how and where to improve. I can promise you that issue 2 will be A LOT better, in terms of content and being folded in the right place! I'm really looking forward to it, so please show your support, grab yourself a copy, so I can get on with making issue 2! Oh and reimburse myself, so I can go for a few pints in the pub!

If you have any feedback/contributions/information, please don't hesitate to e-mail the fanzine at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com and one of my overly-keen, hunchbacked staff will e-mail you back. Not really, it'll be me!

Cheers

Dan

Print Copies NOW AVAILABLE!!!

2010-07-01T16:23:00.000+01:00

PLEASE NOTE: ALL COPIES NOW SOLD OUT

After a short delay, I'm delighted to announce that the print copies of Issue 1 of 'Fish Fingers and Custard' are now available.

The full colour glossy covers give the fanzine a great look and I'm delighted with how it's turned out. I need practice with a stapler though, but that's another story for another time!

The prices (including P+P) are as follows:

UK: £2.00
Overseas: £3.00

You can order a copy by Paypal, just send all monies to fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com along with your name and address. (Please can you send the payment as a gift, so that the fanzine is able to receive 100% , rather than Paypal taking their cut and leaving us out of pocket! You can leave your details in the personal message section)

Cheers and happy reading!

Fish Fingers and Custard - Issue 1 OUT NOW!

2010-06-23T15:25:00.001+01:00

It’s here…and it’s about time!

Issue 1 of Fish Fingers and Custard, a Doctor Who fanzine that takes a light-hearted look at the show and its fandom.

In this issue:

The Eleventh Hour Review
The infamous ‘PBS Hijacking Incident’
Interview with Doctor Who Podshock’s Louis Trapani
‘Cracks’ an original 11th Doctor story
Invasion Convention review
‘The Doctor In Wonderland’
“It Could Have Been A Spin-off”

Plus: Actor Harry Sedgewick pens his own exclusive column

And much, much more!

You can download the 36-page PDF file here (Please note that the download site experiences heavy traffic, so the file may not always be available, just keep trying!)

The paper version will be released soon, check back soon for updates

Blog: http://www.fishcustardfanzine.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fishcustardzine
Facebook: Search - “Fish Custard Fanzine”

This fanzine is non-profit and is distributed as a free PDF or in print, at a small cost to cover production. If you enjoy our content, please consider slipping a few quid to our adopted charity, KidsOut, whose aim is to bring a bit of fun to the lives of children, all over the UK, who are ill, disabled or disadvantaged. You can view our JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/fishcustardfanzine (There’s no pressure and I’m not going all Bob Geldof on your arse – I know a lot about music for a start!) Many thanks!

Fish Fingers and Custard is a non-profit fan-made publication and is not for resale. Doctor Who is ©BBC, no copyright infringement is intended.

Not Long Now...

2010-06-20T17:52:00.000+01:00

Not long to go now until the release of Issue 1 of Fish Fingers and Custard. I’m very happy with the way the issue has taken shape. We’ve got some really funny (that’s what I think in my head anyway) and informative articles and stories, as well as two comic strips, which I had to literally beg for!

I realise it’s going to take time for the fanzine to hit its stride (and hope you do too!), but one thing I’m hoping Issue 1 will do, is to encourage people to write for the fanzine, as well as getting involved with fandom more. There’s plenty of talented Doctor Who fans out there, whose work doesn’t get the audience it deserves and that’s one aspect I like of fanzines – we are able to showcase people’s work, give it a platform as well as it giving the issue a bit more quality!

Now if you’re expecting a fanzine that contains Doctor Who Magazine-style features, then you’ll be disappointed. I want the fanzine to bring something different to the fanzine community, something light-hearted, something not serious, something that isn’t afraid of lampooning the fans or asking questions of the current state of the show. At the same time however, I want it to be informative, as well as offering balanced and honest views on a wide variety on Doctor Who subjects.

Issue 1 contains contributions from Doctor Who fans from all over the world. I’m sure it’ll sink in properly one day, but it’s quite staggering to see I’ve typed that. I can’t thank people enough for taking interest and/or contributing to the fanzine. I just hope that people enjoy reading and ‘get’ what I’m trying to do!

As well as the free PDF, a paper-version will also be released. At the moment I’m still fretting over the budget but I’m confident everything will be done on time! Stay tuned for details, but the price has been set at £1.50 (+ P+P) for a fanzine that has full-colour glossy covers. A bargain, if you prefer reading something on the toilet! (*waits for a smart arse to comment about how you can put PDF’s on an IPhone!*)

Fish Fingers and Custard will be released during the coming week. Stay tuned to here or follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook Group for future updates.

For more information/how to contribute/offers of dates/offers of cash - please e-mail us at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

Cheers!

Coming VERY Soon...

2010-06-18T12:59:00.000+01:00

Look out for Issue 1 of 'Fish Fingers and Custard' next week.

(Beer not included, as I would have drunk it all)

Fanzine Video Promo!

2010-05-19T16:08:00.000+01:00

Update and Promo!

2010-05-17T02:47:00.000+01:00

Things are coming together nicely at the moment, I've had a lot of people who have been interested in contributing and I'm so grateful! You can still send in your work (still need a comic!!!) for the first issue, the deadline is the 2nd June.

In the meantime, here is a promo that I knocked up in about 5 seconds! Feel free to share it/draw abusive words on it using Ms Paint, its up to you! ;)

(click here to view full size)
Cheers!

E-mail in your stuff! fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com
Join the Facebook Group
Follow us on Twitter!

Now on Facebook!

2010-05-10T06:17:00.000+01:00

In the build-up to the first issue, the fanzine now has its very own Facebook group! Apart from it being a non-stop advertising machine, I want the group to create a little bit of a community! So feel free to pop in for chats and spam the wall with stuff of your choice! You can join the group here

Don't forget you can still contribute to the fanzine, email me at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

Cheers!

Dan

Dates, Covers and Tweets!

2010-05-04T01:18:00.001+01:00

Okay, I can confirm that issue 1 will be out 'sometime in June'! So far the issue is coming along very nicely but I still need more stuff! So if you have/can knock up anything Doctor Who-realted, please drop me a line at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

Speaking of that first issue - here is a sneak peak of the front cover!

Finally - you can stalk the fanzine on twitter at www.twitter.com/fishcustardzine if you're into that sort of thing! ;)

Cheers!

Dan

Coming Soon/Contributors Wanted!

2010-05-02T19:12:00.000+01:00

Hi guys!

I'm currently putting together a new A5 paper fanzine which I hope to have out in the next few weeks! At the moment I’m just looking for any Doctor Who-related material! The Fanzine has the working title 'Fish Fingers and Custard' (wonder why?) and will be mostly a fun look at Doctor Who fandom. Obviously most of the stuff will be poking light-hearted fun at all things WHO but I would love to have three or four serious articles per issue! I'll be also putting together a PDF verision too!

So be it a short story, poems, essays, reviews, convention reports, interviews, drawings, cartoons or comics - I’ll have it! Obviously written work must be presented in clear English etc However if you're an artist/cartoonist - I’m only interested in b/w art at the moment! If you’ve got an article/essay can you please make it no more than two sides of A4 (or 4 sides of A5)

If you're interested in contributing/want more info, drop me a line at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com

More info to be posted here in due course!

Cheers

Dan