The BBC Enlists Famous Children’s Authors To Pen Doctor Who Short Stories For 50th Anniversary

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Jill Pantozzi

Published: Jan 4, 2013 02:03 pm

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Once upon a time, there was a man called The Doctor. The BBC had the fantastic idea of inviting author’s of famous children’s works to collaborate on a series of eleven short stories for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Fans rejoiced. The End.

Ok, not the end. There’s a bit more to tell. According to Doctor Who Children’s Books (who have several other titles), “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Puffin – in partnership with BBC Worldwide – is publishing an exclusive series of eleven ebook short stories each based on one of the Eleven Doctors, priced at £1.99 and to be released on the 23rd of each month starting in January 2013.”

Each Doctor will get their own story written by a different author. Who are these authors? So far, the BBC isn’t telling. They wrote they are, “bringing together some of the most exciting names in children’s fiction.”

This has led many to speculate Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling is one of the chosen few but there’s nothing to link her as of yet. Hypable has listed Anthony Horowitz, Philip Pullman, Alan Garner, Geraldine McCaughrean, Michelle Paver, Susan Price, and Kate Thompson as other possible choices. When will we find out the real names? BBC writes:

The author of the first story, featuring the First Doctor played by William Hartnell (1963–1966), will be revealed on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who Facebook page on Monday 7th January 2013 ahead of publication on 23rd January 2013. The authors of the subsequent ebooks will be unveiled on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who Facebook page on the first Monday of every month throughout the year. A promotional video featuring the author will be released on the 11th of each month on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who YouTube channel.

It’s nice to see some of the anniversary plans finally being revealed. I’m sure we’ll have tons more to report on throughout the year. Is there a children’s author you’d like to see tackle the world of Doctor Who?

(via Blastr)

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Author

Jill Pantozzi

Jill Pantozzi is a pop-culture journalist and host who writes about all things nerdy and beyond! She’s Editor in Chief of the geek girl culture site The Mary Sue (Abrams Media Network), and hosts her own blog “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” (TheNerdyBird.com). She co-hosts the Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast along with superhero historian Alan Kistler, contributed to a book of essays titled “Chicks Read Comics,” (Mad Norwegian Press) and had her first comic book story in the IDW anthology, “Womanthology.” In 2012, she was featured on National Geographic’s "Comic Store Heroes," a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many Batman fans profiled in the documentary, "Legends of the Knight."