Month: November 2025

Work on the new series one Survivors book progressing at pace

WORK ON THE new series one Survivors book is progressing well, now that author Rich Cross is again able to devote the necessary time to complete this exciting project.

“Since the start of the year, I’ve been ridiculously busy,” Cross admits. “And the demands of multiple different work deadlines have unavoidably pulled my attention away from the book.”

“I’ve been involved with two major collaborative publishing projects–neither of them connected to Survivors–right throughout 2025, which have only recently reached a conclusion.”

“I’ve also taken on more writing responsibilities at Starburst magazine, including more reviews of big-screen and small-screen releases, and a new regular TV column for the print edition, that have also called on my inevitably limited writing time!”

“It’s meant that I’ve not published news stories and updates on the S:AWA site as regularly as I would have wanted to since the Spring, which I’ve found really frustrating!”

“That story, of my lack of available time, is not meant as an excuse, just an explanation!”

“But in the last few weeks, I’ve been able to return to work on the series one Survivors book in a more consistent way, and have made a lot of progress.”

Cross’ hopes to be able to publish the book before the end of the year might now be out of reach.

“It might just be too tight!” he acknowledges. “But I’m hanging on to the mantra ‘better late than not at all’!”

“If things end up slipping into 2026, then that won’t be ‘the end of the world’–to coin a phrase.”

“I’m grateful to everyone who’s already expressed in an interest in the book–and I’m especially thankful for their patience in waiting for news.”

“I can certainly commit to more regular, pro-active updates about the book from now onwards,” says Cross.

“Of course, I’m probably biased,” he concedes. “But I do think the book will be worth the wait in the end.”

Doctor Who Magazine ‘Legends’ special edition celebrates Terry Nation

Doctor Who Legends - A Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition - Terry Nation

A NEWLY PUBLISHED special edition in Doctor Who Magazine‘s just-launched Legends series celebrates the work of Survivors creator Terry Nation.

As would be expected, the principal thread of the 84-page, full-colour magazine is on Terry Nation’s contributions to the world of Doctor Who.

However, there are some interesting snippets along the way for the Survivors aficionado.

As well as a few familiar BBC publicity shots and screencaptures, Nation’s work on Survivors is discussed briefly in extracts from a previously unpublished interview with him by Simon Shaw from 1991.

There is also a brief discussion of Nation’s work as the Survivors show creator and series one script writer as part of a broader appraisal of his work across the 1970s.

Especially interesting is a new interview with Nation’s daughter Rebecca and son Joel, who reflect on the experience of growing up with their scriptwriting father.

Rebecca recalls their home life at Lynsted Park in the early 1970s, when Terry Nation was taken with the idea of testing out the pleasures and pitfalls of self-sufficiency. A process that reflected his growing preoccupation with the themes of survival and human adaptability that would culminate in his work on Survivors.

This experiment in low-tech husbandry and hands-on animal care was not one that his wife Kate particularly warmed to, but it was clearly an opportunity that their children took some pleasure from.

But it is the world of Doctor Who that this first issue of DWM‘s ‘Legends’ principally focuses upon.

 “Terry Nation is the first member of what is essentially Doctor Who Magazine‘s hall of fame,” DWM editor Marcus Hearn explains. “We think a tribute to Nation is long overdue, because he’s probably the show’s most influential and underrated writer. Everyone knows he gave us the Daleks, but he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being the first person to unleash the full potential of Doctor Who.”

“He devised the format for the most successful stories, and it’s still the blueprint, more than 60 years later,” Hearn says.

Doctor Who: Legends – Terry Nation is available to buy in-store and online for £9.99, and will be available in digital format from pocketmags.