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{{Infobox Merchandise
{{Infobox Merchandise
|name        = ''TV Century 21''
|name        = ''TV Century 21''
|image        = TV21 Number 1.jpg
|image        = TV 21 issue 50.jpg
|aka          = ''TV21'', ''TV21 and Tornado'', ''TV21 and Joe 90'', ''TV21 and Valiant''
|aka          = ''TV21'', ''TV21 and Tornado'', ''TV21 and Joe 90'', ''TV21 and Valiant''
|designer    =  
|designer    =  
Line 10: Line 11:
|price        =  
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|release date = [[23 January (releases)|23 January]] [[1965 (releases)|1965]]
|release date = [[23 January (releases)|23 January]] [[1965 (releases)|1965]]
}}'''''TV Century 21''''', also known as '''''TV21''''', was an [[England|English]] publication printing articles and tie-in comic strips to popular children's adventure series. It was published from [[1965 (releases)|1965]] through [[1971 (releases)|1971]].
}}
{{you may|TV Century 21 (in-universe)|n1=its in-universe counterpart}}
'''''TV Century 21''''', also known as '''''TV21''''', was an [[England|English]] publication printing articles and tie-in comic strips to popular children's adventure series. It was published from [[1965 (releases)|1965]] through [[1971 (releases)|1971]].


Each issue of ''TV21'' was formatted so as to pass itself off as a news magazine printed exactly one hundred years in the future. Although some stories taking place in the 20th century were presented in the magazine, they were printed in black and white, and presented as "archival documents" or footage from a [[time machine]].
Each issue of ''TV21'' was formatted so as to pass itself off as a news magazine printed exactly one hundred years in the future. Although some stories taking place in the 20th century were presented in the magazine, they were printed in black and white, and presented as "archival documents" or footage from a [[TV 21 Time Machine|time machine]].


== DWU contents ==
== Background ==
In accordance with its format, ''TV21'' was written with the intent that all the stories and articles printed within describe a single fictional future history of the [[solar system]]. Although it mainly featured comic strip stories based on the puppet television creations of [[Gerry Anderson]], the first 104 ''TV21'' issues also subsumed several elements of the [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]] into this "merged canon", licensed not from the [[BBC]] but from [[List of recurring Doctor Who concepts not owned by the BBC|individual rightsholders]] [[Terry Nation]] and [[David Whitaker]].  
In accordance with its format, ''TV21'' was written with the intent that all the stories and articles printed within describe a single fictional future history of the [[solar system]]. Although it mainly featured comic strip stories based on the puppet television creations of [[Gerry Anderson|Gerry]] and [[Sylvia Anderson (actor)|Sylvia Anderson]], the first 104 ''TV21'' issues also subsumed several elements of the [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]] into this "merged canon", licensed not from the [[BBC]] but from [[List of DWU concepts not owned by the BBC|individual rightsholders]] [[Terry Nation]] and [[David Whitaker]].
 
The most famous consequence of this was ''[[The Daleks (series)|The Daleks]]'' (later reprinted as ''[[DWMS The Dalek Chronicles|The Dalek Chronicles]]''), a comic serial written by [[David Whitaker]]. It constituted one of the earliest licensed [[Doctor Who spin-offs|''Doctor Who'' spin-offs]], as [[First Doctor|the Doctor]] did not appear in these stories.
 
Concurrent with the publishing of ''The Daleks'', the rights to the character of Dr. Who were with [[Polystyle Publications, Ltd.]], the makers of ''[[TV Comic]]''. Polystyle created new recurring antagonists, the [[Trod]]s, to replace the Daleks, who would ultimately be shown being exterminated by the actual Daleks in ''[[The Trodos Ambush (comic story)|The Trodos Ambush]]'' when ''TV21''{{'}}s license expired and the Daleks were once again allowed to face Dr. Who in comics as on television.


The most famous consequence of this was ''[[The Daleks (comic series)|The Daleks]]'' (later reprinted as ''[[DWMS The Dalek Chronicles|The Dalek Chronicles]]''), a comic serial written by [[David Whitaker]]. It constituted one of the earliest licensed [[Doctor Who spin-offs|''Doctor Who'' spin-offs]], as [[First Doctor|the Doctor]] did not appear in these stories; concurrent with the publishing of ''The Daleks'', the rights to the character were with [[Polystyle Publications, Ltd.]], the publishers of ''[[TV Comic]]''. Polystyle created new recurring antagonists, the [[Trod]]s, to replace the Daleks, who would ultimately be shown being exterminated by the actual Daleks in ''[[The Trodos Ambush (comic story)|The Trodos Ambush]]'' when ''TV21''{{'}}s license expired and the Daleks were once again allowed to face Dr. Who in comics as they did on television. In the meantime, ''The Daleks'' instead revealed the early history of the [[Dalek Empire]], starting with [[Genesis of Evil (comic story)|an origin story for the species]] and continuing through the [[Dalek Prime|Golden Emperor]]'s first wars of conquest on the universe until the start of ''[[Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.]]''<ref name="Essentials">"Daleks in the 21st Century - An introduction to ''The Dalek Chronicles''", [[DW50Y 1]]</ref>
Taking its own path from the source material, ''TV21''{{'}}s ''The Daleks'' revealed the early history of the [[Dalek Empire]], starting with [[Genesis of Evil (comic story)|an origin story for the species]] and continuing through the [[Dalek Prime|Golden Emperor]]'s first wars of conquest on the universe until the start of ''[[Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (theatrical film)|Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.]]''<ref name="Essentials">"Daleks in the 21st Century - An introduction to ''The Dalek Chronicles''", [[DW50Y 1]]</ref>


In addition to [[Terry Nation]]'s [[Dalek]]s and [[Mechonoid]]s, another licensed DWU concept was introduced to ''TV21'' fiction: the planet [[Astra]], which had been created by [[David Whitaker]] in [[TV]]: ''[[The Rescue (TV story)|The Rescue]]'' as part of the background of new [[companion]] [[Vicki Pallister]]. Astra was referenced in ''The Daleks'' and became central to further crossovers with other Anderson-based ''TV21'' strips.
In addition to [[Terry Nation]]'s [[Dalek]]s and [[Mechanoid]]s, another licensed DWU concept was introduced to ''TV21'' fiction: the planet [[Astra]], which had been created by [[David Whitaker]] in [[TV]]: ''[[The Rescue (TV story)|The Rescue]]'' as part of the background of new [[companion]] [[Vicki Pallister]]. Astra was referenced in ''The Daleks'' and became central to further crossovers with other Anderson-based ''TV21'' strips.


Two further unique interactions occurred between ''TV21'' and the ''Doctor Who'' universe. The first came when Issue 28 of the magazine tied in with the release of ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'', the first [[Peter Cushing]] feature film, by presenting a [[Peaceful Thals Ambushed! (short story)|cover story]] and a [[Lady Penelope Investigates the stars of the Sensational new film Dr. Who and the Daleks! (short story)|special ''Lady Penelope'' short story]] which both referenced the film as [[The Doctor in popular culture and mythology|existing in-universe]]; ''[[The Story of the Film (short story)|The Story of the Film]]'', a short prose adaptation of the movie itself; and a parody, ''[[Film Star Wins Oscar—Misses Premiere! (short story)|Film Star Wins Oscar—Misses Premier!]]'', featuring "[[Doctor Da]] and the [[City Man|Humanie]]s".
Two further unique interactions occurred between ''TV21'' and the ''Doctor Who'' universe. The first came when Issue 28 of the magazine tied in with the release of ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)|Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'', the first [[Peter Cushing]] feature film, by presenting a [[Peaceful Thals Ambushed! (short story)|cover story]] and a [[Lady Penelope Investigates the stars of the Sensational new film Dr. Who and the Daleks! (short story)|special ''Lady Penelope'' short story]] which both referenced the film as [[The Doctor in popular culture and mythology|existing in-universe]]; ''[[The Story of the Film (short story)|The Story of the Film]]'', a short prose adaptation of the movie itself; and a parody, ''[[Film Star Wins Oscar—Misses Premiere! (short story)|Film Star Wins Oscar—Misses Premier!]]'', featuring "[[Doctor Da]] and the [[City Man|Humanie]]s".


Secondly, ''TV21'' released a special record containing the audio story ''[[The Daleks (audio story)|The Daleks]]'', which was based on an episode of the TV serial ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]'' with new narration by frequent Dalek voice actor [[David Graham]].
Secondly, ''TV21'' released a special record containing the audio story ''[[The Daleks (audio story)|The Daleks]]'', which was based on an episode of the TV serial ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]'' with new narration by frequent Dalek voice actor [[David Graham]].


After the end of ''The Daleks'' in [[January (releases)|January]] [[1967 (releases)|1967]], ''TV21'' underwent several mergers with other comic publications. It subsumed ''TV Tornado'' in 1968 and became known as ''TV21 and Tornado''; it also absorbed ''Joe 90'' magazine in 1969, following which it was known as ''TV21 and Joe 90'' for 37 issues. The end of the ''TV21 and Joe 90'' run coincided with the end of Gerry Anderson-based content in the magazine.<ref>[https://prehistorian.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/the-rise-and-fall-of-tv-21/ The Knowledge Emporium: The Rise and Fall of TV 21]</ref> Finally, in 1971, after 347 total issues, ''TV21'' was itself merged into ''Valiant'' magazine, which was temporarily known as ''TV21 and Valiant'' as a result. ''Valiant'' joined ''Battle Picture Weekly'' in 1976, which in 1988 was merged into ''Eagle''. ''Eagle'' ultimately ended in 1994.
After the end of ''The Daleks'' in [[January (releases)|January]] [[1967 (releases)|1967]], ''TV21'' underwent several mergers with other comic publications. It subsumed ''[[TV Tornado]]'' in 1968 and became known as ''TV21 and Tornado''; it also absorbed ''Joe 90'' magazine in 1969, following which it was known as ''TV21 and Joe 90'' for 37 issues. The end of the ''TV21 and Joe 90'' run coincided with the end of Gerry Anderson-based content in the magazine.<ref>[https://prehistorian.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/the-rise-and-fall-of-tv-21/ The Knowledge Emporium: The Rise and Fall of TV 21]</ref> Finally, in 1971, after 347 total issues, ''TV21'' was itself merged into ''Valiant'' magazine, which was temporarily known as ''TV21 and Valiant'' as a result. ''Valiant'' joined ''Battle Picture Weekly'' in 1976, which in 1988 was merged into ''Eagle''. ''Eagle'' ultimately ended in 1994.


== DWU contents ==
=== Cover stories ===
=== Cover stories ===
{{main|TV Century 21 cover stories}}
Due to its "newspaper from the future" framing device, instead of a conventional magazine cover, the cover of the publication contained prose fiction in the shape of a newspaper front-page article. These prose stories usually tied into the narratives of the ongoing comic serials; as such, many of them featured the [[Dalek]]s alongside content from the ''Stingray'' and ''Fireball XL5'' strips, essentially serving as early [[crossover]]s between the DWU and the Gerry Anderson universe.
Due to its "newspaper from the future" framing device, instead of a conventional magazine cover, the cover of the publication contained prose fiction in the shape of a newspaper front-page article. These prose stories usually tied into the narratives of the ongoing comic serials; as such, many of them featured the [[Dalek]]s alongside content from the ''Stingray'' and ''Fireball XL5'' strips, essentially serving as early [[crossover]]s between the DWU and the Gerry Anderson universe.
=== ''The Daleks'' ===
{{main|The Daleks (series)}}
=== ''Fireball XL5'' ===
{{main|Fireball XL5 (series)}}
=== ''Thunderbirds'' ===
{{main|Thunderbirds (series)}}
=== ''Stingray'' ===
{{main|Stingray (series)}}
=== ''Burke's Law'' ===
{{main|Burke's Law (series)}}
=== ''21'' ===
{{main|21 (series)}}
=== ''Dateline'' ===
{{main|Dateline (series)}}
=== ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' ===
{{main|Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons}}
=== ''Supercar'' ===
{{main|Supercar (series)}}
No ''Supercar'' stories crossover with the DWU, although it has crossed over in other works published in the magazine.
=== ''Front Page'' ===
{{main|Front Page (series)}}
=== ''Then and Now'' ===
{{main|Then and Now (series)}}
=== ''TV21 Stop Press'' ===
{{main|TV21 Stop Press}}
=== ''Cosmic Capers'' ===
{{main|Cosmic Capers}}
=== Other stories ===
{| {{prettytable}}
{| {{prettytable}}
! Title || Issue || Released
! Title || Issue || Released
|-
|-
|''[[Stingray Attacked! (short story)|Stingray Attacked!]]''  
|''[[The Story of the Film (short story)|The Story of the Film]]''
|[[TV21 2|2]]
|TV21 28
|[[30 January (releases)|30 January]] [[1965 (releases)|1965]]
|[[31 July (releases)|31 July]] [[1965 (releases)|1965]]
|-
|-
|''[[Fireball Surrenders! (short story)|Fireball Surrenders!]]''
|''[[Marineville Blackout (short story)|Marineville Blackout]]''  
|[[TV21 4|4]]
|TV Century 21 Summer Extra
|[[13 February (releases)|13 February]] 1965
|[[1965 (releases)|1965]]
|-
|-
|''[[Titan Declares War! (short story)|Titan Declares War!]]''
|''[[The Astran Affair (short story)|The Astran Affair]]''
|[[TV21 5|5]]
|TV21 Annual 1970
|[[20 February (releases)|20 February]] 1965
|[[1969 (releases)|1969]]
|-
|''[[Superjet Shot Down (short story)|Superjet Shot Down]]''
|[[TV21 8|8]]
|[[13 March (releases)|13 March]] 1965
|-
|''[[Jungle Terror! (short story)|Jungle Terror!]]''
|[[TV21 9|9]]
|[[20 March (releases)|20 March]] 1965
|-
|''[[Stingray Hunts Aliens (short story)|Stingray Hunts Aliens]]''
|[[TV21 11|11]]
|[[3 April (releases)|3 April]] 1965
|-
|''[[Zodiac's Rescue Bid! (short story)|Zodiac's Rescue Bid!]]''
|[[TV21 14|14]]
|[[24 April (releases)|24 April]] 1965
|-
|''[[Battle in Space (short story)|Battle in Space]]''
|[[TV21 15|15]]
|[[1 May (releases)|1 May]] 1965
|-
|''[[Atlanta Kidnapped! (short story)|Atlanta Kidnapped!]]''
|[[TV21 16|16]]
|[[8 May (releases)|8 May]] 1965
|-
|''[[Fireball Mystery Flight! (short story)|Fireball Mystery Flight!]]''
|[[TV21 17|17]]
|[[15 May (releases)|15 May]] 1965
|-
|''[[Tempest Awarded V.M. (short story)|Tempest Awarded V.M.]]''
|[[TV21 18|18]]
|[[22 May (releases)|22 May]] 1965
|-
|''[[Kaplan Assassinated! (short story)|Kaplan Assassinated!]]''
|[[TV21 19|19]]
|[[29 May (releases)|29 May]] 1965
|-
|''[[Stingray Searches (short story)|Stingray Searches]]''
|[[TV21 20|20]]
|[[5 June (releases)|5 June]] 1965
|-
|''[[Zodiac Sends For Stingray! (short story)|Zodiac Sends For Stingray!]]''
|[[TV21 22|22]]
|[[19 June (releases)|19 June]] 1965
|-
|''[[Daleks Seek New Conquests (short story)|Daleks Seek New Conquests]]''
|[[TV21 23|23]]
|[[26 June (releases)|26 June]] 1965
|-
|''[[XL5 Collision Course! (short story)|XL5 Collision Course!]]''
|[[TV21 24|24]]
|[[3 July (releases)|3 July]] 1965
|-
|''[[Civil War (short story)|Civil War]]''
|[[TV21 26|26]]
|[[17 July (releases)|17 July]] 1965
|-
|''[[Spaceship S.O.S. (short story)|Spaceship S.O.S.]]''
|[[TV21 27|27]]
|[[24 July (releases)|24 July]] 1965
|-
|''[[Peaceful Thals Ambushed! (short story)|Peaceful Thals Ambushed!]]''
|[[TV21 28|28]]
|[[31 July (releases)|31 July]] 1965
|-
|''[[Bullion Train (short story)|Bullion Train]]''
|[[TV21 29|29]]
|[[7 August (releases)|7 August]] 1965
|-
|''[[New York Blaze (short story)|New York Blaze]]''
|[[TV21 32|32]]
|[[28 August (releases)|28 August]] 1965
|-
|''[[Ice Planet Mystery (short story)|Ice Planet Mystery]]''
|[[TV21 34|34]]
|[[11 September (releases)|11 September]] 1965
|-
|''[[Daleks Suffer Heavy Losses! (short story)|Daleks Suffer Heavy Losses!]]''
|[[TV21 36|36]]
|[[25 September (releases)|25 September]] 1965
|-
|''[[Fireball Explosion! (short story)|Fireball Explosion!]]''
|[[TV21 40|40]]
|[[23 October (releases)|23 October]] 1965
|-
|''[[FAB1 Back in Action! (short story)|FAB1 Back in Action!]]''
|[[TV21 42|42]]
|[[6 November (releases)|6 November]] 1965
|-
|''[[Britain Protests! (short story)|Britain Protests!]]''
|[[TV21 43|43]]
|[[13 November (releases)|13 November]] 1965
|-
|''[[World Weather Chaos! (short story)|World Weather Chaos!]]''
|[[TV21 46|46]]
|[[4 December (releases)|4 December]] 1965
|-
|''[[Help Plea from Planet (short story)|Help Plea from Planet]]''
|[[TV21 47|47]]
|[[11 December (releases)|11 December]] 1965
|-
|''[[World Emergency (short story)|World Emergency]]''
|[[TV21 49|49]]
|[[25 December (releases)|25 December]] 1965
|-
|''[[Daleks Hit Back! (short story)|Daleks Hit Back!]]''
|[[TV21 50|50]]
|[[1 January (releases)|1 January]] [[1966 (releases)|1966]]
|-
|''[[Thunderbird Two (short story)|Thunderbird Two]]''
|[[TV21 62|62]]
|[[26 March (releases)|26 March]] 1966
|-
|''[["We Want Thunderbirds!" (short story)|"We Want Thunderbirds!"]]''
|[[TV21 65|65]]
|[[16 April (releases)|16 April]] 1966
|-
|''[[Destroy Space City (short story)|Destroy Space City]]''
|[[TV21 68|68]]
|[[7 May (releases)|7 May]] 1966
|-
|''[[Search and Destroy (short story)|Search and Destroy]]''
|[[TV21 69|69]]
|[[14 May (releases)|14 May]] 1966
|-
|''[[Space Hi-Jack (short story)|Space Hi-Jack]]''
|[[TV21 72|72]]
|[[4 June (releases)|4 June]] 1966
|-
|''[[World Navy Sub Turns Pirate (short story)|World Navy Sub Turns Pirate]]''
|[[TV21 74|74]]
|[[18 June (releases)|18 June]] 1966
|-
|''[["Come In, Tempest" (short story)|"Come In, Tempest"]]''
|[[TV21 78|78]]
|[[16 July (releases)|16 July]] 1966
|-
|''[[Welsh Volcano Erupts (short story)|Welsh Volcano Erupts]]''
|[[TV21 83|83]]
|[[20 August (releases)|20 August]] 1966
|-
|''[[Stingray Goes Overland (short story)|Stingray Goes Overland]]''
|[[TV21 84|84]]
|[[27 August (releases)|27 August]] 1966
|-
|''[[Destination Sun (short story)|Destination Sun]]''
|[[TV21 85|85]]
|[[3 September (releases)|3 September]] 1966
|-
|''[[Sunflare Claims TB3 (short story)|Sunflare Claims TB3]]''
|[[TV21 86|86]]
|[[10 September (releases)|10 September]] 1966
|-
|''[[Daleks Face Destruction (short story)|Daleks Face Destruction]]''
|[[TV21 87|87]]
|[[17 September (releases)|17 September]] 1966
|-
|''[[Operation Sunburst Begins! (short story)|Operation Sunburst Begins!]]''
|[[TV21 88|88]]
|[[24 September (releases)|24 September]] 1966
|-
|''[[Suicide! (short story)|Suicide!]]''
|[[TV21 89|89]]
|[[1 October (releases)|1 October]] 1966
|-
|''[[Monster Attacks Thunderbird 3 (short story)|Monster Attacks Thunderbird 3]]''
|[[TV21 90|90]]
|[[8 October (releases)|8 October]] 1966
|-
|''[[Thunderbird One (short story)|Thunderbird One]]''
|[[TV21 91|91]]
|[[15 October (releases)|15 October]] 1966
|-
|''[[Time Runs Out For Thunderbird 3 (short story)|Time Runs Out For Thunderbird 3]]''
|[[TV21 92|92]]
|[[22 October (releases)|22 October]] 1966
|-
|''[[Death-Lake Terror (short story)|Death-Lake Terror]]''
|[[TV21 93|93]]
|[[29 October (releases)|29 October]] 1966
|-
|''[[Disaster! (short story)|Disaster!]]''
|[[TV21 95|95]]
|[[12 November (releases)|12 November]] 1966
|-
|''[[XL5 on Terror Planet (short story)|XL5 on Terror Planet]]''
|[[TV21 96|96]]
|[[19 November (releases)|19 November]] 1966
|-
|''[[TB 4 Trapped! (short story)|TB 4 Trapped!]]''
|[[TV21 97|97]]
|[[26 November (releases)|26 November]] 1966
|-
|''[[Stingray Storm! (short story)|Stingray Storm!]]''
|[[TV21 107|107]]
|[[4 February (releases)|4 February]] [[1967 (releases)|1967]]
|-
|''[[Ambush! (short story)|Ambush!]]''
|[[TV21 110|110]]
|[[25 February (releases)|25 February]] 1967
|-
|''[[Trackdown! (short story)|Trackdown!]]''
|[[TV21 111|111]]
|[[4 March (releases)|4 March]] 1967
|-
|''[[Mars Ship Hi-Jacked (short story)|Mars Ship Hi-Jacked]]''
|[[TV21 118|118]]
|[[22 April (releases)|22 April]] 1967
|-
|''[[World Mourns Dead Space Hero (short story)|World Mourns Dead Space Hero]]''
|[[TV21 119|119]]
|[[29 April (releases)|29 April]] 1967
|-
|''[[Steve Zodiac Alive! (short story)|Steve Zodiac Alive!]]''
|[[TV21 127|127]]
|[[24 June (releases)|24 June]] 1967
|-
|''[[TB4 Trapped Under Liner (short story)|TB4 Trapped Under Liner]]''
|[[TV21 134|134]]
|[[12 August (releases)|12 August]] 1967
|-
|''[[Miami Beach Disaster (short story)|Miami Beach Disaster]]''
|[[TV21 135|135]]
|[[19 August (releases)|19 August]] 1967
|-
|''[[Capt. Black Mars Expedition Lost! (short story)|Capt. Black Mars Expedition Lost!]]''
|[[TV21 137|137]]
|[[2 September (releases)|2 September]] 1967
|-
|''[[SPECTRUM is Green (short story)|SPECTRUM is Green]]
|[[TV21 140|140]]
|[[23 September (releases)|23 September]] 1967
|}
|}


== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Comic magazines]]
 
[[Category:British magazines]]
[[Category:TV Century 21| ]]

Revision as of 23:33, 21 March 2024

Real worldStub.png
RealWorld.png

You may be looking for its in-universe counterpart.

TV Century 21, also known as TV21, was an English publication printing articles and tie-in comic strips to popular children's adventure series. It was published from 1965 through 1971.

Each issue of TV21 was formatted so as to pass itself off as a news magazine printed exactly one hundred years in the future. Although some stories taking place in the 20th century were presented in the magazine, they were printed in black and white, and presented as "archival documents" or footage from a time machine.

Background

In accordance with its format, TV21 was written with the intent that all the stories and articles printed within describe a single fictional future history of the solar system. Although it mainly featured comic strip stories based on the puppet television creations of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the first 104 TV21 issues also subsumed several elements of the Doctor Who universe into this "merged canon", licensed not from the BBC but from individual rightsholders Terry Nation and David Whitaker.

The most famous consequence of this was The Daleks (later reprinted as The Dalek Chronicles), a comic serial written by David Whitaker. It constituted one of the earliest licensed Doctor Who spin-offs, as the Doctor did not appear in these stories.

Concurrent with the publishing of The Daleks, the rights to the character of Dr. Who were with Polystyle Publications, Ltd., the makers of TV Comic. Polystyle created new recurring antagonists, the Trods, to replace the Daleks, who would ultimately be shown being exterminated by the actual Daleks in The Trodos Ambush when TV21's license expired and the Daleks were once again allowed to face Dr. Who in comics as on television.

Taking its own path from the source material, TV21's The Daleks revealed the early history of the Dalek Empire, starting with an origin story for the species and continuing through the Golden Emperor's first wars of conquest on the universe until the start of Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.[1]

In addition to Terry Nation's Daleks and Mechanoids, another licensed DWU concept was introduced to TV21 fiction: the planet Astra, which had been created by David Whitaker in TV: The Rescue as part of the background of new companion Vicki Pallister. Astra was referenced in The Daleks and became central to further crossovers with other Anderson-based TV21 strips.

Two further unique interactions occurred between TV21 and the Doctor Who universe. The first came when Issue 28 of the magazine tied in with the release of Dr. Who and the Daleks, the first Peter Cushing feature film, by presenting a cover story and a special Lady Penelope short story which both referenced the film as existing in-universe; The Story of the Film, a short prose adaptation of the movie itself; and a parody, Film Star Wins Oscar—Misses Premier!, featuring "Doctor Da and the Humanies".

Secondly, TV21 released a special record containing the audio story The Daleks, which was based on an episode of the TV serial The Chase with new narration by frequent Dalek voice actor David Graham.

After the end of The Daleks in January 1967, TV21 underwent several mergers with other comic publications. It subsumed TV Tornado in 1968 and became known as TV21 and Tornado; it also absorbed Joe 90 magazine in 1969, following which it was known as TV21 and Joe 90 for 37 issues. The end of the TV21 and Joe 90 run coincided with the end of Gerry Anderson-based content in the magazine.[2] Finally, in 1971, after 347 total issues, TV21 was itself merged into Valiant magazine, which was temporarily known as TV21 and Valiant as a result. Valiant joined Battle Picture Weekly in 1976, which in 1988 was merged into Eagle. Eagle ultimately ended in 1994.

DWU contents

Cover stories

Main article: TV Century 21 cover stories

Due to its "newspaper from the future" framing device, instead of a conventional magazine cover, the cover of the publication contained prose fiction in the shape of a newspaper front-page article. These prose stories usually tied into the narratives of the ongoing comic serials; as such, many of them featured the Daleks alongside content from the Stingray and Fireball XL5 strips, essentially serving as early crossovers between the DWU and the Gerry Anderson universe.

The Daleks

Main article: The Daleks (series)

Fireball XL5

Main article: Fireball XL5 (series)

Thunderbirds

Main article: Thunderbirds (series)

Stingray

Main article: Stingray (series)

Burke's Law

Main article: Burke's Law (series)

21

Main article: 21 (series)

Dateline

Main article: Dateline (series)

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

Main article: Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

Supercar

Main article: Supercar (series)

No Supercar stories crossover with the DWU, although it has crossed over in other works published in the magazine.

Front Page

Main article: Front Page (series)

Then and Now

Main article: Then and Now (series)

TV21 Stop Press

Main article: TV21 Stop Press

Cosmic Capers

Main article: Cosmic Capers

Other stories

Title Issue Released
The Story of the Film TV21 28 31 July 1965
Marineville Blackout TV Century 21 Summer Extra 1965
The Astran Affair TV21 Annual 1970 1969

Footnotes

  1. "Daleks in the 21st Century - An introduction to The Dalek Chronicles", DW50Y 1
  2. The Knowledge Emporium: The Rise and Fall of TV 21