Starburst (magazine)

Starburst is a British science fiction magazine currently published by Starburst Magazine Limited. Numerous issues have included features about Doctor Who, including interviews with those who have worked on the series either in front of, or behind, the cameras.

Origins

In the summer of 1977 publisher/editor Dez Skinn was inspired, by the reported success in America of George Lucas’s film Star Wars, to propose a science fiction magazine similar to horror-focused The House of Hammer (which he edited) to his then employer, Top Sellers Ltd. They decided to pass on the idea, which left it open for Skinn, via his own company Starburst Publishing Ltd, to create the magazine independently.

Skinn chose the name Starburst after rejecting several other words featuring the word “Star”; for example, he thought Starfall sounded too negative. Given sufficient lead-time to launch the publication, as well receiving the official blessing of Star Wars’ publicists in the UK, Skinn was able to ensure that the first issue of his new magazine hit the newsstands just as the film was finally released in British cinemas.

Skinn successfully published three issues of Starburst but found himself unable to put out a fourth, after he was forced to use its allocated editorial and production budgets to buy the publishing rights to The House of Hammer magazine. At the time he was acutely aware of the irony in owning both of the UK’s then existing “SF/Fantasy/Horror” magazines, while not having the money to actually publish either. Just to underscore the potential success of Starburst, the magazine had received the 1978 Eagle Award for “Favourite British Pro Comics Publication”.

Marvel UK

A more assured future for Starburst was confirmed after Skinn was hired by Marvel Comics “head honcho” Stan Lee to firstly conduct a business review of the American publisher’s then-failing UK offshoot, British Marvel, and then secondly carry out his report’s numerous recommendations. As the company’s Editorial Director, Skinn successfully turned the business around, relaunching several of its existing reprint publications (notably the long-running Spider-Man Comic and major earner Star Wars Weekly) as more British-looking weekly comics, while also launching several new titles, most notably anthology title Hulk Comic (in March 1979) and Doctor Who Weekly. Both of these titles established new ground for the company by predominantly featuring newly commissioned comic strips from British writers and artists.

As part of Skinn’s deal with Stan Lee, the now-relaunched Marvel UK purchased all future rights to Starburst which, from its delayed fourth issue onwards, was rebranded as “A Marvel Monthly”. Early issues of the Marvel run of Starburst included exclusive interviews with Terry Nation (issue 6, January 1979) and Tom Baker (issue 10, May 1979). Skinn subsequently noted that any editions of Starburst which included a significant Doctor Who feature always sold more copies, confirming his belief in the potential around a Doctor Who-focused publication. Doctor Who Weekly was launched with great fanfare in October 1979.

Skinn left Marvel UK after 18 months, having largely achieved what he’d been hired to do. The Starburst editorial chair was immediately filled by former features editor Alan McKenzie, who would remain in charge of the magazine (and, for a time, its effective “sister titles” Doctor Who Monthly and Cinema) until Marvel UK – deciding to focus more on its comic book properties – opted to sell the title to Visual Imagination in 1985.

Visual Imagination

Visual Imaginaton continued regular publication from issue #88 until issue #365 in 2008, becoming, by far, the longest-standing publisher of the title. Given the company’s background – its director Stephen Payne had “grown up” through Doctor Who fandom and fanzines – it is hardly surprising that Starburst continued to run numerous articles related to Doctor Who, even long after the series had ceased regular production at the BBC.

However, the most controversial Doctor Who article ever published by Starburst appeared during the show’s troubled 23rd season: the four-page “frank and candid” interview with former script editor Eric Saward, published in issue #97. Saward’s criticisms of the show’s then producer John Nathan-Turner were so strong that they were picked up by mainstream news media.

Under the Visual Imagination banner, Starburst became the leader of a pack of titles, including: TV Zone, named after Starburst’s long-established TV review column; specialist listings monthly Cult Times; and horror films title Shivers. The company also bought the long-established title Film Review, which had originally been launched in the 1950s.

Visual Imagination ceased publishing all of its titles in 2008. The company was wound up in September 2009.