566: The Circus of Destiny

When you think of the name of writer Ben Steed, the chances are, you'll think of the three episodes he wrote for Blake's 7. Maybe you know his work from 80s ferry-based soap Triangle. Or, perhaps, you might remember his ITV sci-fi kids show Kappatoo. But did you know he had a script for Doctor Who under consideration for Season 21? Well, now you do! Courtesy of our friend Richard Bignell, we present Ben's story, The Circus of Destiny, with his outline brought to life by our talented team of readers. Then, we discuss the story and decide whether it was the right decision not to produce it for television. Let us know what you think!

Every now and then, along comes a Doctor Who adventure that's just scary. Grave Matter, by the late, great Justin Richards, is very much one of those novels - mysterious goings on, on an island off the coast of Britain. We welcome Justin's son Julian to talk through some of the creative process his dad had for this book, and we present details of the unpublished prologue from Grave Matter, plus other fascinating writings from the author. Plus, of course, the usual readings from the novel, with added era-authentic music!

The Toymaker has been given a lease of new life in the 21st century, after his return to TV Doctor Who in The Giggle. Brian Hayles's creation has always fascinated fans, leading to him appearing in comic strips, and, eventually, a BBC Past Doctor Adventure. We're joined by writer Gary Russell to discuss bringing back the Toymaker, pitching him against the Fifth Doctor and his TARDIS crew, putting them through the wringer, and throwing in a flashback to the First Doctor on Gallifrey for good measure!

Kenny and Dave travelled down to Derby on 5 September 2026, to attend Whooverville 17. There, they met up with regular podcast contributor Craig Brawley, and had a fantastic time at the convention, with Cybermen, bikers vs Daleks, and lots more. Here, they share their highlights - and are joined by Big Finish War Doctor Jonathon Carley too!

One of the most prolific novelists for Doctor Who during wilderness years 1.0 was David A McIntee. A writer for Virgin's New and Missing Adventures, as well as the BBC Books Past Doctor and Eighth Doctor ranges, the Scotsman was a huge fan of the Master. Sadly, David, who spoke to us several times on this podcast, passed away in December 2024, and to honour his memory, a book of original fiction has been published by Arcbeetle Press - https://www.arcbeatlepress.com/ We speak to the book's editor Hunter O'Connell, and David's widow, Lesley, about this book, I'll Think Of A Title Honest. I'll Think Of A Title Honest is available from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Title-Honest-Lesley-McIntee/dp/B0GS6CCRSF?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Power of 3 listeners with long memories will recall we previously looked at the Jon Pertwee radio episodes in our 121st episode. Three years and 440 episodes later, we're putting it back under the microscope again, as we look at Barry Letts's novelisation of his own work. We feature archive interviews with Barry, BBC radio excerpts, a five minute reading of the audiobook, plus narrator Jon Culshaw drops by too. And, we get hints for the future of the BBC Audiobooks range from editor Michael Stevens.

Circuit Breaker continues, as we head into Penguin Books' contribution to the ongoing series. We speak to author Janelle McCurdy about her short story, The Doctor and the Three Witches, which is part of the new paperback reprint of Time Lord Fairy Tales. She explains how her love of the Tenth Doctor helped influence her adventure, which appears alongside a number of adventures by the late Justin Richards.

We return to the Doctor Who multimedia event of 2026 today, as we look at the next chapter in Circuit Breaker. Starring Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor, we're meeting some of the team behind Dawn of the Daleks, the second comic book published by Titan to tie-in with the series. We're delighted to welcome back editor Jonathan Wilkins, and co-writer Dulce Montoya, as they discuss how their second Dalek adventure came to be, how the object from the Black Archive needing returned was chosen and... Jonathan says the most forbidden word on the Power of 3!!!!! What is the word? He calls Kenny a "W"...

Scary thought for the day - on January 1 next year, The Sarah Jane Adventures will be 20 years old. To mark the occasion, our friends at Roundel Books are publishing an exclusive book on the series, with more than 300 unseen pictures, taken during the production of the show by Tommy Knight's mum, Sandy. We're joined by designer Will Brooks to discuss the publication. Find out more at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/room5064/adventures-on-bannerman-road

The Invasion was the Second Doctor story that laid down the format for the decade to come. And now, it's the subject of a Black Archive, from Obverse Books, which has been written by Stephen Hatcher. Steve joins us to discuss this book. Order your copy from https://obversebooks.co.uk/product/84-the-invasion/ Read the bonus content from Richard Bignell at https://obversebooks.co.uk/the-invasion-local-interest/