Lance Parkin is a British author. He is best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular ''
Doctor Who'' (and
spin-offs
Spin-off may refer to:
*Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity
* Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...
including the
Virgin New Adventures
The ''Virgin New Adventures'' (NA series, or NAs) are a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. They continued the story of the Doctor from the point at which the televisio ...
and
Faction Paradox
''Faction Paradox'' is a series of novels, audio stories, short story anthologies, and comics set in and around a "War in Heaven", a history-spanning conflict between godlike "Great Houses" and their mysterious enemy. The series is named after a ...
) and as a storyliner on ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...
''.
Doctor Who
Parkin first became known in ''Doctor Who'' fan circles, writing both criticism and
fan fiction. His most notable work was for Seventh Door Fanzines, including the novella ''Snare'' in the ''Odyssey'' series (which he edited for a period) and 1994's ''The Doctor Who Chronology'', a detailed timeline of events in the ''Doctor Who'' universe. The ''Odyssey'' series later included novellas by Parkin's then-girlfriend Cassandra May and his later protégé
Mark Clapham
Mark Clapham (born 1976) is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular relating to '' Doctor Who'' (and its spin-offs) and Warhammer 40,000.
Writing
Clapham started out writing ''D ...
.
Parkin's first professional novel, ''
Just War
The just war theory ( la, bellum iustum) is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics which is studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policy makers. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure that a war i ...
'', published in 1996, for
Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
's
New Adventures
New Adventures is a British dance-theatre company. Founded by choreographer Matthew Bourne in 2001, the company developed from an earlier company Adventures in Motion Pictures, now dissolved.
History
Adventures in Motion Pictures (AMP) was es ...
series of original fiction ''Doctor Who'' novels. This was followed by ''A History of the Universe'' (a re-working of his ''Chronology'') and a second novel, ''
Cold Fusion
Cold fusion is a hypothesized type of nuclear reaction that would occur at, or near, room temperature. It would contrast starkly with the "hot" fusion that is known to take place naturally within stars and artificially in hydrogen bombs and p ...
'', for Virgin's
Missing Adventures series.
Virgin lost the licence to publish ''Doctor Who'' fiction, and Parkin landed the job of writing the last New Adventure to feature the character of the Doctor, 1997's ''
The Dying Days
''The Dying Days'' is an original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was last of the New Adventures range to feature the Doctor and the only one of that rang ...
''. This was also the only Virgin novel to feature the
eighth incarnation of the Doctor, played in the 1996 ''Doctor Who''
television movie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
by
Paul McGann
Paul John McGann (; born 14 November 1959) is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial '' The Monocled Mutineer'' (1986), then starred in the dark comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987), which wa ...
. The Virgin ''Who'' books went out of print with the loss of the ''Doctor Who'' licence and ''The Dying Days''. The New Adventures continued without the ''Doctor Who'' label and Parkin returned to the series with 1998's ''Beige Planet Mars'', written with Mark Clapham.
Parkin continued writing official ''Doctor Who'' prose fiction for
BBC Books
BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasti ...
, including a number of event books, including the 35th anniversary celebration ''
The Infinity Doctors''. ''The Dying Days'' became the first of several Virgin ''Doctor Who'' books to be re-worked as
e-books
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
for the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website. He wrote the last in BBC series of
eighth Doctor novel adventures, ''
The Gallifrey Chronicles'' (2005). In 2006 he updated ''A History of the Universe'' for Mad Norwegian with ''AHistory: An Unauthorized History of the Doctor Who Universe''. In June 2008 it was announced that he would write a
New Series Adventures
The ''New Series Adventures'' are a series of novels relating to the long-running BBC science fiction television series, '' Doctor Who''. The 'NSAs', as they are often referred to, are published by BBC Books, and are regularly published twice a ...
novel, ''
The Eyeless
''The Eyeless'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It features the Tenth Doctor. It was published in December 2008, alongside '' Beautiful Chaos' ...
'', starring the
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the main protagonist of the BBC science fiction television franchise ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of ...
alone for release on
Boxing Day 2008.
A trademark of Parkin's ''Doctor Who'' novels is the inclusion of a character written as if played by
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson (7 April 19349 February 2007) was a Scottish actor.
He portrayed the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's '' House of Cards'' (1990–1995) television trilogy. Richardson was also a leading S ...
, beginning with Oscar Steinmann in ''Just War''. Parkin has said "I’m sure there was a very good reason for that at one point, but if there is, I’ve forgotten it".
Other works
Around 1999, Parkin joined Virgin alumni
Rebecca Levene
Rebecca Levene is a British author and editor. She is the author of ''The Hollow Gods'' fantasy novel series. In the 1990s, she was an editor at Virgin Books, including notably of the New Adventures series.
Biography
Levene had a sitcom optione ...
and
Gareth Roberts to work on the production team of television soap ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...
''. He also once appeared as an extra in the series. Though he never scripted episodes for television, he later wrote both non-fiction (including ''30 Years of Emmerdale'') and fiction (''Mandy's Secret Diary'', ''Their Finest Hour'') connected to the series. He has not worked in TV since leaving ''Emmerdale''.
Parkin also writes non-fiction, including guides to ''
Star Trek'' (''Beyond the Final Frontier'') and
Philip Pullman
Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...
's ''
His Dark Materials
''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), '' The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and '' The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follo ...
'' series (''Dark Matters: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Philip Pullman's 'Dark Materials' Trilogy''), both written with long-time friend
Mark Jones, and ''Secret Identities: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to
Alias
Alias may refer to:
* Pseudonym
* Pen name
* Nickname
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film
* ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006
* ''Alias the ...
'' with Mark Clapham.
This was followed by ''
Miranda'', a comic based on a character in his ''Doctor Who'' novel ''
Father Time
Father Time is a personification of time. In recent centuries he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device.
As an image, "Father Ti ...
''. The comic was published through Comeuppance Comics, an independent comic company that shut down after three issues. With Parkin's permission, Miranda was killed off in the ''Doctor Who'' book
Sometime Never... by
Justin Richards
Justin Richards (born 14 September 1961) is a British writer. He has written science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian or early-20th-century London, and also adventure stories set in the present day. He has written ...
.
Parkin also wrote ''
The Winning Side'', the first in the ''
Time Hunter
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to co ...
'' novella series, a spin-off from
Telos Publishing
Telos Publishing Ltd. is a publishing company, originally established by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, with their first publication being a horror anthology based on the television series '' Urban Gothic'' in 2001. The name comes from ...
's line of official ''Doctor Who'' novellas, and ''
Warlords of Utopia'', the third in
Mad Norwegian Press
Mad Norwegian Press is an American publisher of science-fiction guides and novels. The company has worked with authors such as Harlan Ellison, Peter David, Diana Gabaldon, Tanya Huff, Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGu ...
's ''
Faction Paradox
''Faction Paradox'' is a series of novels, audio stories, short story anthologies, and comics set in and around a "War in Heaven", a history-spanning conflict between godlike "Great Houses" and their mysterious enemy. The series is named after a ...
'' series of novels.
Parkin had a regular column, "Beige Planet Lance" in the ''Doctor Who''
fanzine ''Enlightenment'', which was published by the
Doctor Who Information Network.
Selected bibliography
''Doctor Who'' and related works
*
Virgin New Adventures
The ''Virgin New Adventures'' (NA series, or NAs) are a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. They continued the story of the Doctor from the point at which the televisio ...
/
Virgin Missing Adventures
The ''Virgin Missing Adventures'' were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the p ...
:
**''
Just War
The just war theory ( la, bellum iustum) is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics which is studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policy makers. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure that a war i ...
'' (1996; featuring the
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', and the final incarnation of the original Doctor Who series. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy.
...
)
**''
Cold Fusion
Cold fusion is a hypothesized type of nuclear reaction that would occur at, or near, room temperature. It would contrast starkly with the "hot" fusion that is known to take place naturally within stars and artificially in hydrogen bombs and p ...
'' (1996; featuring the
Fifth and Seventh Doctors)
**''
The Dying Days
''The Dying Days'' is an original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was last of the New Adventures range to feature the Doctor and the only one of that rang ...
'' (1997; featuring the
Eighth Doctor)
**''
Beige Planet Mars'' (with
Mark Clapham
Mark Clapham (born 1976) is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular relating to '' Doctor Who'' (and its spin-offs) and Warhammer 40,000.
Writing
Clapham started out writing ''D ...
, 1998; featuring
Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Surprise Summerfield (later Professor Bernice Summerfield or just Benny) is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length '' Doctor Wh ...
)
*
BBC Books
BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasti ...
' ''Doctor Who'' series:
**''
The Infinity Doctors'' (1998; featuring an unspecified Doctor)
**''
Father Time
Father Time is a personification of time. In recent centuries he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device.
As an image, "Father Ti ...
'' (2001; featuring the Eighth Doctor)
**''
Trading Futures'' (2002; featuring the Eighth Doctor)
**''
The Gallifrey Chronicles'' (2005; the last novel in the regular series featuring the Eighth Doctor)
**''
The Eyeless
''The Eyeless'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It features the Tenth Doctor. It was published in December 2008, alongside '' Beautiful Chaos' ...
'' (December 2008; featuring the
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the main protagonist of the BBC science fiction television franchise ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of ...
)
*
Big Finish Productions:
**''
Just War
The just war theory ( la, bellum iustum) is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics which is studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policy makers. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure that a war i ...
'' (1999; Bernice Summerfield audio by
Jacqueline Rayner
Jacqueline Rayner is a British author, best known for her work with the licensed fiction based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''.
Biography
Her first professional writing credit came when she adapted Pau ...
, based on the novel by Lance Parkin)
**''
The Extinction Event'' (2001; Bernice Summerfield audio)
**''
Primeval
Primeval may refer to:
* Primeval forest, an area of forest that has attained great age
* Primeval number, a positive integer satisfying certain conditions
* Primeval history, name given by biblical scholars to the first eleven chapters of the Bo ...
'' (2001; ''Doctor Who'' audio featuring the Fifth Doctor)
**''
Davros
Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Davros is a major enemy of the se ...
'' (2003; ''Doctor Who'' audio featuring the
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual time on the series was comparatively brief and turbulent, Ba ...
)
**''
The Big Hunt
''The Big Hunt'' is a novel by Lance Parkin, featuring Bernice Summerfield, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1 ...
'' (2004; Bernice Summerfield novel)
**''
I, Davros: Corruption'' (2006; third title in ''
I, Davros'' audio miniseries)
**''
The Company of Friends: Benny's Story'' (2009; ''Doctor Who'' audio featuring the Eighth Doctor & Bernice Summerfield)
**''
Venus Mantrap'' (2009; Bernice Summerfield audio; with
Mark Clapham
Mark Clapham (born 1976) is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular relating to '' Doctor Who'' (and its spin-offs) and Warhammer 40,000.
Writing
Clapham started out writing ''D ...
)
*Other ''Doctor Who'' related works:
**''
A History of the Universe'' (1996; reference book published by
Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
)
**''
Cyberon'' (2000;
BBV Productions
BBV Productions is a UK-based video and audio production company founded in 1991, specialising in science fiction drama. The company has expanded to include publishing of novels and scripts associated with its productions.
Origin
Company co-foun ...
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...
film)
**''
The Winning Side'' (2003;
Telos Publishing
Telos Publishing Ltd. is a publishing company, originally established by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, with their first publication being a horror anthology based on the television series '' Urban Gothic'' in 2001. The name comes from ...
''
Time Hunter
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to co ...
'' novella)
**''
Warlords of Utopia'' (2004;
Mad Norwegian Press
Mad Norwegian Press is an American publisher of science-fiction guides and novels. The company has worked with authors such as Harlan Ellison, Peter David, Diana Gabaldon, Tanya Huff, Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGu ...
''
Faction Paradox
''Faction Paradox'' is a series of novels, audio stories, short story anthologies, and comics set in and around a "War in Heaven", a history-spanning conflict between godlike "Great Houses" and their mysterious enemy. The series is named after a ...
'' novel)
**''
AHistory: An Unofficial History of the Doctor Who Universe'' (Released 2006; revised and vastly expanded version of ''A History of the Universe''; re-released in 2007 and 2012. Mad Norwegian Press)
Other works
*''Mandy’s Secret Diary'' (2000; ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...
'' novel)
*''Emmerdale: Their Finest Hour'' (2001; novel)
*''
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
(Pocket Essentials: Comics)'' (2001)
*''30 Years of Emmerdale'' (2002; reference work)
*''Beyond the Final Frontier'' (with Mark Jones, 2003; unauthorised guide to ''Star Trek'')
*''Secret Identities: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to ''
Alias
Alias may refer to:
* Pseudonym
* Pen name
* Nickname
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film
* ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006
* ''Alias the ...
'' ''(with
Mark Clapham
Mark Clapham (born 1976) is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular relating to '' Doctor Who'' (and its spin-offs) and Warhammer 40,000.
Writing
Clapham started out writing ''D ...
, 2003)
*''Dark Matters: The Unofficial and Unauthorised to
Philip Pullman
Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...
's International Bestselling '
His Dark Materials
''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), '' The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and '' The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follo ...
' Trilogy'' (with Mark Jones, 2007)
*"Ichabod" (co-created by H. Christian Vang, published in issue two of Kaliber Comics, December 2011)
*''Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore'' (2014)
References
External links
Lance Parkin interview on BBC Doctor Who site''The Dying Days'' e-book on the BBC website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkin, Lance
Living people
20th-century British novelists
21st-century British novelists
Alumni of the University of York
British science fiction writers
Writers of Doctor Who novels
Year of birth missing (living people)