Fresh off the Press

Magic Bullet Publishing expects delivery of the hardback edition of The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial on Wednesday, 4 November. 

To order the paperback, please click here.

John Leeson (1943–2026)

We report with sadness the death of actor John Leeson. 

Many will remember him as the voice of K-9 in Doctor Who. His television appearances also included two roles in Blake's 7: Pasco in Mission to Destiny and Toise in Gambit. 

Magic Bullet Productions collaborated with him on the Kaldor City audio series, where he played the Chief Mover in Storm Mine, and you can read an amusing interview conducted by Fiona Moore during the recording here. 

Keeping up with Demand!

A further delivery of paperback books from the printer.

Click here to order The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial.

Avalanche of Orders

Another load of paperbacks, this time international orders for The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial, have just been picked up.

 

An extra consignment of paperbacks is also scheduled to arrive from the printer so we can keep ahead of orders.

 

As for the hardbacks... Due to their more involved nature, they require a longer production time.

 

However, as soon as they are here, there will be an announcement.

 

Download and discover our collection of free Blake's 7 audios here:

 

Prelude
I, Travis
Gothic
Travis: The Final Line
You Fly, You Die
Scars

When Travis Met Blake 

Premature Burial

The Next Life

Prodigal Sun

 

Also: 

 

Blake's 7 comic strips: Counterattack and Electronic Dream

 

Dalek audio plays: Report from an Unknown Planet and The Solution

Boxing Clever

Spent the weekend packing 200 paperbacks of The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television serial with Tasha's help.

Click our free download link to hear Magic Bullets' two full-cast Dalek audio adventures.

The Day of Armageddon

The paperback copies of The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial have arrived from the printer.

Reassessing the Graham Williams Era

Treated myself to another stylish book from CutAway Comics: The DNA of Doctor Who: The Graham Williams Years.

While I wasn't particularly impressed watching this era as a child, my appreciation has increased over time—and this polished, large-format release makes for an exceptionally interesting read.

Available to purchase here.

Master Plan Book Update

As promised, all orders received will be honoured.

Due to the amazing response, the hardback run has been extended from 200 to 400 copies.

Each of the 400 hardbacks includes a limited-edition art card signed by artist Tim Keable and author Alan Stevens — the first 200 on matt, and the second 200 on gloss finish.

As a thank-you to everyone, all pre-order customers, paperback and hardback, will receive an art card of the free-to-download, full-cast Terry Nation Dalek audio adventure, The Solution.  

 

 

The paperback edition of The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial, is still available to pre-order.

Looking Good!

 The proof for the hardback of The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial arrived today! 

Preparations Are Being Made!

Today, six hundred cardboard book wraps arrived!

Even the Cat Approves!

 

 

Here is the proof copy of the forthcoming monograph, The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial.  

Final page count: 352.

Final word count: 97,300.

That is fifty thousand more than originally conceived, but the pre-order price — including postage — remains the same.

This no-holds-barred analysis features unique colour and black-and-white illustrations by Tim Keable, an amazing cover design by Colin Bockhurt, a reader-friendly layout by Paul Winter, plus an absolutely scorching foreword by Michael E. Briant.

To say this publication rewrites Doctor Who history would be... well, you can decide.

As to when you receive your book... we are subject to the publisher's whims, but expect more updates soon!

 Although the hardbacks have now sold out, you can still get the paperback edition at the pre-order price until the 19 October cut-off date.

Magic Bullet's New Daleks Adventure

Alex Lewczuk, for Midweek Drive, interviews actors Peter Wicks and Martin Clothier, sound designer Chrisi Pashley, and producer Alan Stevens about Magic Bullet Productions' latest free audio release, Daleks: The Solution.

 

To pre-order the forthcoming book, The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial, please click here.

 

Download and discover our collection of free Blake's 7 audios here:

 

Prelude
I, Travis
Gothic
Travis: The Final Line
You Fly, You Die
Scars

When Travis Met Blake 

Premature Burial

The Next Life

Prodigal Sun

 

Also: 

 

Blake's 7 comic strips: Counterattack and Electronic Dream

The Hinchcliffe Years: A Masterclass in Doctor Who

Recently acquired this beautifully produced book from CutAway Comics, The DNA of Doctor Who: The Philip Hinchcliffe Years.

This has always been my favourite era of the programme, and so it's heartening to see that Gareth Kavanagh has produced another winner!  

This large-format book is available to purchase here.

The Daleks' Master Plan — Hardback Update

 Due to the large number of orders received for the hardback edition of The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial, I am temporarily suspending sales and conducting a full count.

 

Customers can be assured that all orders received will be honoured, whatever the final tally.

 

The paperback edition remains on sale as normal.

 

Sara Kingdom in Colour!

             

Ticking Clock

Order The True History of Faction Paradox six-disc collection, and you will also receive a signed autograph from Gabriel Woolf, ten Blake's 7/Dalek art cards, and the full-cast audio drama Daleks: The Mechanical Planet.

Please note: remaining stock of the bonus disc is running extremely low, so copies will be allocated strictly on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ta-Dah!

Another super photo of Sara Kingdom, taken on the 'Hollywood set' for 'The Feast of Steven' (Episode Seven of The Daleks' Master Plan).

 

For the recording of the character's death, an instruction on the surviving 'Cutting Script' reads:

 

'Whip tilt to Sara’s sleeve. Skeleton hand has now gone, in place of skeleton’s fingers traced out in bicarbonate of soda as if they are the remaining lime deposits of what was the skeleton.'

 

This fascinating behind-the-scenes detail comes from one of the 890 endnotes featured in Magic Bullet Publishing's forthcoming book, The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial.

 

To pre-order your copy, go here.

STOP PRESS!

We are pleased to confirm that The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial from Magic Bullet Publishing is currently at the printers, and we expect to take delivery and commence distribution later this month.

The book now runs to over 340 pages and contains specially commissioned illustrations by Tim Keable and an introduction by Production Assistant (and later Doctor Who director) Michael E. Briant.

As a special bonus, all 200 copies of the limited-run hardback will be individually signed by the author and accompanied by a colour postcard inspired by the story, signed by Alan Stevens and artist Tim Keable.

The book is available to pre-order in both paperback and hardback here.

 Click our free download link to hear Magic Bullets' two full cast Dalek audio adventures. 

‘You tried to escape. Now I have to kill you.’

 Amazing photo of Sara Kingdom, taken on the 'Hollywood set' from 'The Feast d Steven', Episode Seven of The Daleks' Master Plan.

The 'space age machine gun' Sara is holding was designed by Bill King of Trading Post. The prop would appear again during the classic 1968 Cyberman adventure, The Invasion.

This information comes from one of the 890 endnotes that appear in Magic Bullet Publishing's forthcoming book The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial.

To pre-order your copy, go here.

Machine Intelligence

Dive into an immersive audio adaptation of Terry Nation's short story, The Solution. Featuring a strong ensemble cast and dynamic sound design by Chrisi Pashley, this subversive action adventure raises difficult questions within a frighteningly relevant sci-fi take on modern conflict — serving as a direct sequel to our first Dalek adventure, Report from an Unknown Planet.

 

 

To pre-order the forthcoming book, The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial, please click here.

 

Download and discover our collection of free Blake's 7 audios here:

 

Prelude
I, Travis
Gothic
Travis: The Final Line
You Fly, You Die
Scars

When Travis Met Blake 

Premature Burial

The Next Life

Prodigal Sun

 

Also: 

 

Blake's 7 comic strips: Counterattack and Electronic Dream

New Dalek Art!

Magic Bullet Productions is releasing a brand-new, free-to-download Dalek audio adventure on 7th August.

To accompany this launch, artist Tim Keable has produced another outstanding illustration, which will be added to the set of exclusive Dalek/Blake's 7 art cards sent to every customer who purchases a Kaldor City or Faction Paradox CD from here.

Highly Recomended

For anyone interested in the archival history of early television, David Brunt's The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years (Telos Publishing, 2024) is a vital reference. 

It’s proven to be an invaluable research tool while working on my forthcoming book, The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial. 📚

Coming Soon!

The Daleks' Master Plan. The Making of a Television Serial. An in-depth 350-page analysis, with both colour and black-and-white illustrations, containing previously unreleased material from the archive.

Plus a free-to-download full cast audio adaptation of Daleks: The Solution, by Terry Nation.

 

 

Bird's Eye View

 Spectacular shot taken from the gallery during the recording of The Daleks' Master Plan episode, 'Volcano'.

"Where are all the good guys?"

We at Magic Bullet are very sad to hear that Michael Keating has passed away.

The Gods of War

Great picture by Warren Green of Sutekh battling Osiris, which nicely ties into the True History of Faction Paradox CD series.

Behind-the-Scenes

Captured during rehearsals for ‘Volcano’, the eighth episode of The Daleks’ Master Plan, this photograph features Jean Marsh, William Hartnell, and Peter Butterworth (in the grey suit) as the Monk. Seated with the script is Director Douglas Camfield.

 

The image offers a rare glimpse into the production of this lost classic, highlighting the off-screen camaraderie between the Doctor and his meddling adversary.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Magic Bullet Publishing is proud to announce that The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial is now available to pre-order. Scheduled for an August 2026 release, this volume represents the most comprehensive account ever produced of one of the most ambitious and turbulent eras of Doctor Who.

The project is the result of a meticulous investigation, drawing upon hundreds of documents, including internal memos, personal letters, and private interviews. After scrutinising the draft, rehearsal, and camera scripts, Alan Stevens provides an in-depth examination of the 1960s production office, revealing the immense strain the twelve-part epic placed on the cast and crew—most notably the series’ lead, William Hartnell.

Alongside exhaustive coverage of the production, this monograph includes a detailed analysis of the trailer episode Mission to the Unknown and the lost spin-off The Destroyers — Terry Nation’s proposed US co-production. For The Daleks’ Master Plan, Stevens deliberates over both the realpolitik of the broadcast version and the theological apocalypse contained in Nation’s first-draft scripts.

Going well beyond the television serial, the book also provides a thorough examination of the Daleks' fictional origins across television, comic strips, and prose and a comparative chapter on the Patrick Troughton-era classic, The Invasion.

The entire journey is brought to life with original illustrations by artist Tim Keable.

To celebrate the home stretch of this journey, Magic Bullet Publishing has opened pre-orders for a Special Limited 200 Hardback Edition. This exclusive version will be signed and numbered by the author.

With the recent discovery of missing episodes, there has never been a better time to re-evaluate The Daleks’ Master Plan.

  

Download and discover our collection of free Blake's 7 audios here:

 

Prelude
I, Travis
Gothic
Travis: The Final Line
You Fly, You Die
Scars

When Travis Met Blake 

Premature Burial

The Next Life

Prodigal Sun

 

Also: 

 

Blake's 7 comic strips: Counterattack and Electronic Dream

 

Dalek audio play: Report from an Unknown Planet

Dalek Base on Kembel

Rare behind-the-scenes rehearsal shot from 'Volcano', episode eight of The Daleks' Master Plan, featuring Trantis in the foreground, the spotty Celation, and a beardless Mavic Chen. 

The Beast has Left the Building

Magic Bullet Productions has now sent out its final Horror of Fang Rock art card. 

A Decade in the Making: The Ultimate Look at The Daleks’ Master Plan

After more than ten years of exhaustive research and writing, I am thrilled to share the first look at the cover for my upcoming monograph on The Daleks’ Master Plan. This project has been a monumental archival undertaking, involving access to hundreds of documents, including internal memos, personal letters, and private interviews, to piece together the most comprehensive account of this epic production to date.

The book examines events both on-screen and behind the camera, reviewing draft, rehearsal, and camera scripts to provide new insights and information. It even details some of the shocks regarding the heavy toll the production took on those involved, including the series’ star, William Hartnell.

Altogether, the monograph provides in-depth coverage of 21 Doctor Who episodes, encompassing the one-off trailer episode Mission to the Unknown, the 12-part epic, and a comparative chapter on the classic Patrick Troughton Cyberman adventure The Invasion.

 Beyond the production history, the book features an extensive comparative analysis of the Daleks’ varied origins across television, comic strips, and short stories, tracing the evolution of the species as a symbol of universal malevolence. 

Furthermore, the book includes an extensive look at The Destroyers, the pilot for Terry Nation’s proposed Dalek spin-off series, revealing the grander ambitions for the pepper-pot terrors beyond the main show.

The journey is brought to life with both black-and-white and colour illustrations throughout by professional artist Tim Keable. As I move into the final stages of writing, I wanted to share this cover to mark the home stretch. With the recent discovery of missing episodes from this story, there has never been a better time to revisit the Master Plan. 

Please keep a close eye on this page for further updates as we head toward an August 2026 release. 

Past Master Plan!

With two more episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan recovered, we can now view five segments of this twelve-part epic. It is the ideal moment to revisit Magic Bullet’s 2001 review and see how our previous analysis fares against the newly restored visuals.

Mavic Chen Sings!

Shock wave goes through fandom as it's revealed that Devil's Planet, the newly discovered missing episode of The Daleks' Master Plan, has a musical number!

Daleks Returned

Two missing episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan have been found and returned to the BBC.

Episode 1 ('The Nightmare Begins') and Episode 3 ('Devil's Planet') are officially BACK. 

A Reminder for New Customers!

Buy a complete set of Faction Paradox and Kaldor City CDs, and you will also receive two autographs (Brian Croucher and Gabriel Woolf), plus a CD of the full cast adventure Daleks: The Mechanical Planet, and ten Doctor Who/Blake's 7 art cards.  

 Download and discover our collection of free Blake's 7 audios here:

 

Prelude
I, Travis
Gothic
Travis: The Final Line
You Fly, You Die
Scars

When Travis Met Blake

Premature Burial

The Next Life

Prodigal Sun

 

Also: 

 

Blake's 7 comic strips: Counterattack and Electronic Dream

 

Dalek audio play: Report from an Unknown Planet

Kaldor City Rewind

Here are three previously unpublished photos of Jasmine Breaks, who played reporter Zala Vance in the Kaldor City audio series.

 

 Jasmine is well remembered by Doctor Who fans for her part in Remembrance of the Daleks as the spooky little girl.

Ideological Parallels

Many years ago, Alan Stevens asked actor Michael Wisher why, in Genesis of the Daleks, he had based Davros' voice on Bertrand Russell?

Michael Wisher revealed that he had always found the intellectual to be a deeply troubling figure. Behind the façade of a renowned philosopher and champion of peace, Russell had endorsed a "moral" duty to launch a first-strike nuclear attack on the USSR, condemning millions to a horrific death. This staggering hypocrisy was compounded when Russell abruptly shifted his stance to advocate for nuclear disarmament once the Soviets acquired the bomb.

Wisher drew a parallel between Russell's ideology and that of Davros. In Genesis of the Daleks, Davros advocates for the first-strike principle, providing the Thals with the means to nuclear bomb the Kaleds, thereby ending a thousand-year conflict. Davros' ultimate goal is to create the Daleks, a cyborg species designed to exterminate aggressors and maintain peace through fear.

The disturbing similarity between Russell's and Davros' ideologies exposes the dark underbelly of utilitarianism, where the ends justify the means and morality is sacrificed at the altar of cold logic. Wisher's insight strips away the philosopher’s veneer of pacifism, revealing a legacy defined by the same contradictions that birthed the Daleks.

Background Details

Alex Lewczuk interviews sound designer Chrisi Pashley and co-writers Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore on their latest release, When Travis Met Blake. 

 Download and discover our collection of free Blake's 7 audios here:

Prelude
I, Travis
Gothic
Travis: The Final Line
You Fly, You Die
Scars

Premature Burial

The Next Life

Prodigal Sun

 

Also: 

 

Blake's 7 comic strips: Counterattack and Electronic Dream

 

Dalek audio play: Report from an Unknown Planet

Silicon Heaven

Alan Stevens offers a personal reflection on the life and craft of Gregory de Polnay. He was a man of immense classical stature who famously brought to life the circuitry of Kaldor’s robots.

Below is a previously unpublished photo of Gregory with Paul Darrow, taken during the recording of Kaldor City: Storm Mine.

An Immortal Soul

We at Magic Bullet Productions are very sad to report that actor Gregory de Polnay passed away on 1st January.

 

He was a good friend who came over for dinner. 

This photo was taken during the recording of Kaldor City: Storm Mine, where he portrayed the Voc robot V23.

 

As I'm sure everyone knows, the actor had originally given voice to D84 in the classic Doctor Who serial, The Robots of Death.

 

Here is an interview conducted with Greg by Fiona Moore.