Corbyn and the Collector

Alan Stevens recently edited the Politics issue of Celestial Toyroom, which had a special wrap-around cover by artist and political cartoonist Smuzz. We're posting a full colour version so you can appreciate the subtle anti-capitalist messaging of 1970s Doctor Who, and its relevance to the present day.

Dancing Days

Another Magic Bullet person guests on the Time For Cakes And Ale Podcast, reviewing every episode of The Prisoner. This time, Professor Fiona Moore discusses feminism, psychoanalysis and apocalypses in "Dance of the Dead." Click the link for more!

Celestial Toyroom #482

The next issue of Celestial Toyroom will be edited by Alan Stevens. Alan has this to say:

"Greetings from Earth!
Reports that say something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.
One thing I do know is that Celestial Toyroom issue 482 is no longer an unknown quantity, as I've once again managed pull together a great team of writers (Michael Seely, Tony J Fyler, Fiona Moore, Ken Shinn, Jim Cooray-Smith, Ann Worrall and Robin Pierce) to tell us about fan politics, geopolitics, sexual politics, political allegory and the politics of fear in our favourite TV show, Doctor Who.

I'd also like to thank political cartoonist Smuzz for the wonderful wrap-around cover depicting man of peace Jeremy Corbyn about to smack the Collector from The Sunmakers over the head with a chair; and to also extend my thanks to another fantastic artist, JL Fletcher, for providing the superbly dramatic image of a Dalek for the colour postcard included with this edition.
Kindest regards,
Alan Stevens (with thanks to Donald Rumsfeld)"

To further whet your appetite, here is Smuzz's Soviet-realist wrap-around cover art (click to embiggen):

Remembering Scott

Also new online: Fiona Moore's obituary for Scott Fredericks from Celestial Toyroom is now available to read in the People Section.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Mutant?

New article up this month: 38 Stupid Things About Mawdryn Undead (and 12 Cool Ones). From a time when Class wasn't the only unwatchable serial about an alien in disguise as a schoolboy at a British school with an ex-companion of the Doctor's as a teacher.

New drinking game ideas

Alan Stevens guest stars on this week's Time For Cakes And Ale Podcast, talking about the classic The Prisoner episode "Free For All". Alan says: "See if you can count how many times I respond with "I don't know" when asked specific questions about the episode."

Peter Miles Tribute

Alan Stevens' tribute to Peter Miles in Celestial Toyroom is now online here.