Doctor Who and the Episodes of Death

19/12/2023

A special Donald Cotton bonus is out now on the Myth Maker podcast feed. It's ep 17 of my old podcast Episodes of Death, in which author & Big Finish scribe Eddie Robson dropped by to make the case why the legendary "worst Doctor Who story ever made", The Gunfighters, is actually a gem:

Here's a Donald Cotton bonus! It's an episode of my old podcast Doctor Who and the Episodes of Death, in which guests would champion stories they love that are underrated by fandom. And back in Episode 17, author and Big Finish scribe Eddie Robson dropped by to explain why the the legendary “worst...

15/12/2023

For anyone interested, Myth Maker is now up on podcast feeds. Find it on apple at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/myth-maker-the-lost-legacy-of-donald-cotton/id1721498607 or at https://whoelse.podbean.com And look out for a few fun pieces of Who bonus content in the next few days.

14/12/2023

(Maybe) exciting news for two or three of you: from today, my 3 episode audio documentary series “Myth Maker: The Lost Legacy of Donald Cotton” is available for free. Forever.

Revealing the never-before-told story of one of Doctor Who's most mysterious & idiosyncratic writers, the series features first-ever interviews with Donald's friends and family; Doctor Who luminaries like Toby Hadoke and former Target Books editor Nigel Robinson; and recreated excerpts from Donald Cotton's theatre and radio plays, based on newly discovered archival material.

Download the whole series now at www.donaldcotton.com or stream them at https://soundcloud.com/lucas-testro/sets/myth-maker-the-lost-legacy-of-donald-cotton

Happy 60th, everyone!

16/08/2022

What an adorable new ending to The Myth Makers. And don’t forget, tomorrow you get a first-ever look at how The Myth Makers STARTED, in my Donald Cotton piece in issue 581 of Doctor Who Magazine!

15/08/2022

What a cover! And inside there’s a piece by me, all about Donald Cotton - sharing lots of pics of Donald’s handwritten notes, exploring how The Myth Makers and The Gunfighters evolved from first idea to screen, AND revealing an amazing new document of Donald’s which we’ve found since the documentary came out. Don’t miss it!

It’s DWM 581! Available from branches of WH Smith and selected supermarkets from this Thursday, 18 August. Available to preorder online from http://panini.co.uk from later today (UK, Ireland and Gibraltar only).

27/04/2022

Big thanks to everyone who was part of the fun yesterday. Very cool to see so many of you downloaded. Hope you enjoy it!

"Doc Holliday's a great friend of mine. He gave me a gun, he extracted my tooth. Good gracious me, what more do you want?"

Happy Donald Cotton Day! To celebrate the birthday of one of Doctor Who's most idiosyncratic writers, for today only you can download FOR FREE all 3 episodes of the audio documentary Myth Maker: The Lost Legacy of Donald Cotton.

Featuring interviews with Donald's family, friends and former collaborators, conversations with Doctor Who luminaries like Nigel Robinson and Toby Hadoke, and never before revealed archival material.

Myth Maker is available now - for one day only - on the "Doctor Who and the Episodes of Death" podcast feed on your favourite podcast platform or at https://epsofdeath.libsyn.com. Or download episodes directly using the links below...

Episode 1: https://chtbl.com/track/EAB86G/traffic.libsyn.com/epsofdeath/Myth_Maker_-_Episode_1.mp3

Episode 2: https://chtbl.com/track/EAB86G/traffic.libsyn.com/epsofdeath/Myth_Maker_-_Episode_2.mp3

Episode 3: https://chtbl.com/track/EAB86G/traffic.libsyn.com/epsofdeath/Myth_Maker_-_Episode_3.mp3

26/04/2022

Happy Donald Cotton Day! To celebrate the birthday of one of Doctor Who's most idiosyncratic writers, for today only you can download FOR FREE all 3 episodes of the audio documentary Myth Maker: The Lost Legacy of Donald Cotton.

Featuring interviews with Donald's family, friends and former collaborators, conversations with Doctor Who luminaries like Nigel Robinson and Toby Hadoke, and never before revealed archival material.

Myth Maker is available now - for one day only - on the "Doctor Who and the Episodes of Death" podcast feed on your favourite podcast platform or at https://epsofdeath.libsyn.com. Or download episodes directly using the links below...

Episode 1: https://chtbl.com/track/EAB86G/traffic.libsyn.com/epsofdeath/Myth_Maker_-_Episode_1.mp3

Episode 2: https://chtbl.com/track/EAB86G/traffic.libsyn.com/epsofdeath/Myth_Maker_-_Episode_2.mp3

Episode 3: https://chtbl.com/track/EAB86G/traffic.libsyn.com/epsofdeath/Myth_Maker_-_Episode_3.mp3

25/04/2022

26 April is the 94th anniversary of Donald Cotton’s birth. So to celebrate, tomorrow for one day only, I’m putting Myth Maker: The Lost Legacy of Donald Cotton up on the Episodes of Death podcast feed for you to download for free. Enjoy!

06/02/2022

Well, after 2+ years of work, I've just pressed "publish" on my audio documentary Myth Maker: The Lost Legacy of Donald Cotton. You can grab your copy RIGHT NOW at donaldcotton.com.

It's possible I'm going to cry a little bit. I hope you like it.

05/02/2022

Dropping tomorrow at donaldcotton.com... Here's a taste.

02/02/2022

As I've been listening to audio clips over and over again while editing Myth Maker, this has become my all time favourite moment in a Donald Cotton story. It's a delicious premise and Hartnell delivers the set-up and fall with aplomb. "Oh dear."

26/01/2022

Announcement! I'm thrilled to tell you that Myth Maker: The Lost Legacy of Donald Cotton is finished and will be available for download on Sunday 6 February from our Patreon at www.donaldcotton.com

This 3 part audio documentary miniseries is filled with fascinating, funny and sometimes sad new stories about Doctor Who's most under-acknowledged writer. You'll hear from fandom favourites like Toby Hadoke as well as new people you're sure to love.

Featuring interviews with the people who knew Donald, recreations of lost scenes and sketches, and access to Donald's original notes, discover the talented, troubled man behind two of the show's oddest stories. I can't wait to (re)introduce Donald to you.

Myth Maker: The Lost Legacy of Donald Cotton is available for pre-order now at www.donaldcotton.com

05/11/2021

And make your weekend a Bob Baker double feature by also catching this delightful conversation with Tim Dickinson about why Underworld is an under-appreciated classic. (Of course, being Tim, this ep also includes bonus chair talk!)

The sets are fake but, for many, the pain is all too real... We talk the Fourth Doctor's CSO extravaganza Underworld (and sofas) with Tim Dickinson, creator of the blog Watching Blake's 7. Listen to...

05/11/2021

RIP Bob Baker. George Ivanoff celebrated Bob and Dave’s story The Mutants with us, in episode 23.

Jon Pertwee makes his entrance to The Episodes of Death, as we talk the horror of The Mutants. Can our guest George Ivanoff convince us this story is actually a beautiful space butterfly? Listen to...

01/11/2021

I’m so excited to be so excited about a Doctor Who re-watch.

22/10/2021

blinovitch limitation effect.

24/06/2021

Go watch The Gunfighters tonight. Cotton wrote her a great part and she’s fabulous in it.

Word has reached us today of the passing of Jackie Lane, who played companion Dodo Chaplet opposite William Hartnell in the 1960s. Ms. Lane was famously private, and did not make but a tiny handful of personal appearances in the UK; she was the one companion actress from the early days of Doctor Who we just couldn't persuade to join us for an event, much as we would have liked. Rest in peace.

24/02/2021

‪I’m not convinced about the Omega redesign for Series 13. ‬

09/02/2021

Very exciting, I just got sent the first photo of a Black Kang t-shirt out in the wild. Get high for happiness!

For the punk rock Who fan in your life.

13/01/2021

Some fabulous "casual" chitchat, and a sn**ch of Bill Hartnell, at the 1947 British Film Festival.

Full title reads: "London".British Film Festival sponsored by the Daily Mail.Exterior shots of cinema - billboard announces the '1947 British Film Festival'....

16/11/2020

Find someone who looks at you the way Bill Hartnell looks at this cigarette. And listen to us discuss the weird joys of Hartnell's "evil hypnotist" movie, The Dark Tower, here: https://epsofdeath.libsyn.com/who-else-the-dark-tower

15/11/2020

Welcome back to Who Else, the Doctor Who film club where we watch the films of Doctor Who when he or she isn’t being Doctor Who. This episode it’s Doctor Who and the Evil Hypnotist, as William Hartnell takes a trip to a psychic circus for a tale of romantic triangles and mind control in The Dark Tower. With guests John Richards (Night Terrace) and artist Millie McKenzie.

Find a link in the comments to watch The Dark Tower on Youtube.

Welcome back to the Doctor Who film club, where we watch the films of Doctor Who when he or she isn't being Doctor Who. This episode it's Doctor Who and the Evil Hypnotist, as William Hartnell takes a...

03/11/2020

63 years ago today, a small dog called Laika was blasted into space. And in a parallel universe, she met the Doctor there. This is that story. Sadly, it's a fairy tale.

Support your local animal rescue charities like Animals Australia, SAFE, Mercy For Animals, Anima International and Sea Shepherd.

Story by Cristian Roux Comics and Lucas Testro.

31/10/2020

Next week we kick off our ongoing version of the Doctor Who film club podcast “Who Else?”! So to get you in the mood, revisit our pilot episode first released in April. Watch along then join us to discuss William Hartnell, Stanley Baker, Sean Connery and more in the gripping classic Hell Drivers.

Next week we kick off our ongoing version of the Doctor Who film club podcast "Who Else?”! So to get you in the mood here's a repost of our pilot episode first released in April. Watch along then join...

28/10/2020

Maybe the show really has become too political.

28/10/2020

We'll also have the next installment of our film club podcast 'Who Else?' before then! Anyone want to guess what film we'll be watching this time? Winner gets a sachet of talcum powder scraped from inside Bill Hartnell's wig in 1965.

28/10/2020

Time to get excited, Australia - Nov 11!

03/10/2020

Cristian Roux Comics and I made a comic about our two favourite space travellers to celebrate World Animal Day. Enjoy - and support your local animal charity!

27/09/2020

We have a special treat coming your way in exactly one week. Can't wait to share it with you.