Time Made Of Strawberries – Un Temps De Fraises

A Complete Guide To The Multi-Platform Story In One Place

By Mélissa M Azombo

Doctor Who fans are thrown into a new time war saga, as multi-part story Time Lord Victorious comes to headphones, bookshelves, experiences and more, this month.

In the most ambitious licensee crossover in history, fans of the longest-running sci-fi TV show Doctor Who, will uncover new parts of the time war, an era alluded to multiple times throughout the series post-2005, most notably in the 50^th anniversary episode The Day Of The Doctor.

Time Lord Victorious is set during the Dark Times, an epoch at the start of the Universe and sees the 8^th, 9^th and 10^th incarnations of the Doctor (as played by actors Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant), defend their home planet from a terrible race. This new element of the Time War will be explored through books, audio dramas, comic books, escape rooms, games and an experience.

These elements will be brought to life through Doctor Who licence holders Big Finish, Penguin Random House (BBC Books & BBC Children’s Books), Panini, Titan Comics, Escape Hunt, Maze Theory and Immersive Everywhere. Avid followers of the story will be able to grab different puzzle pieces to complete their collection and get clued up on the complete story from this September through to April 2021.

For those who can’t quite get through the entire collection, but would still like to delve into the story, Time Lord Victorious producer James Goss says on the Doctor Who website, “It’s been designed so that if you just explore one bit of it, you’ll have a great time and understand the story fully.” Although the project is headed by Goss, it was Cameron McEwan who originally came up with the idea. He collected lots of research from BBC Audience Panels to throw together a menu of what fans want. So, the result should be a treat for all. With over 30 confirmed titles and more to be announced, here is the Time Made Of Strawberries guide of what to expect when, for those who are keen on absorbing absolutely everything!

BOOKS

OUT NOW! 3 September 2020 – Doctor Who: The Official Annual 2021 from BBC Children’s Books promises an amalgamation of Doctor Who fun, from activities to illustrations and short stories at RRP £7.99. More importantly, one featured story from this completes the Time Lord Victorious puzzle. This annual is one for the collection for readers who want a glimpse into the Dark Times, among all the Doctor Who fun. One for the Christmas list, this is the best way to get a taste of the adventure to come.

The Official Annual 2021 features lots of activities and an exciting Time Lord Victorious snippet!

Check across retailers for different prices, as Forbidden Planet currently has this in stock for £5.99 online. Stockists include WHSmith, Blackwell’s , Foyles and Waterstones. You can also contact your local library to find out if and when they are expecting this book on their shelves or available online. As with all books on this list, if they are not expecting it, you should also be able to request that they order it from their supplier.

1 October 2020 – Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead by Steve Cole, brought to you by BBC Books will be released early next month and is available to pre-order now through Waterstones, Foyles, Hive, Blackwells and Forbidden Planet, with RRP £9.99. The novel’s synopsis teases how it will fit into the Time Lord Victorious saga.

Featuring David Tennant, The Knight, The Fool And The Dead by Steve Cole marks the first Time Lord Victorious novel release.

“The Doctor travels back to the Ancient Days, an era where life flourishes and death is barely known… Then come the Kotturuh – creatures who spread through the cosmos dispensing mortality. They judge each and every species and decree its allotted time to live. For the first time, living things know the fear of ending. And they will go to any lengths to escape this grim new spectre, death. The Doctor is an old hand at cheating death. Now, at last, he can stop it at source. He is coming for the Kotturuh, ready to change everything so that Life wins from the start. Not just the last of the Time Lords. The Time Lord Victorious.”

Following Combat Magicks, The Darksmith Legacy: The Vampire of Paris and We Can’t Stop What’s Coming from The Target Storybook, Steve Cole pens his 24^th Doctor Who book in this 5^th instalment in the Time Lord Victorious series, according to the handy BBC roadmap. Contact your local library to find out when they will have this title available or request that they order it from their supplier.

10 December 2020 – Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious: All Flesh Is Grass by Una McCormack, published by BBC Books will be available to purchase in the lead up to Christmas, from all good book shops. It is available to pre-order now via Waterstones, Foyles, Hive, Blackwells and Forbidden Planet at an RRP of £9.99.

The novel’s synopsis states “In All Flesh is Grass we are transported back to The Dark Times. The Tenth Doctor has sworn to stop the Kotturuh, ending Death and bringing Life to the universe. But his plan is unravelling – instead of bringing Life, nothing has changed and all around him people are dying. Death is everywhere. Now he must confront his former selves – one in league with their greatest nemesis and the other manning a ship of the undead…”

All Flesh Is Grass by Una McCormack features the 8th, 9th and 10th Doctors, as played by Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant

This is Una McCormack’s 5^th Doctor Who book, following titles Molten Heart, Royal Blood and The Way Through the Woods. Contact your local library to find out when this 21^st instalment in the Time Lord Victorious series will be with them.

AUDIO BOOKS

7 October 2020 – Short Trips: Master Thief by Sophie Iles & Lesser Evils by Simon Guerrier

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