Perfect Timing

Perfect Timing
Key crew
Editor:	Mark Phippen Helen Fayle Julian Eales
Release details
Type:	Charity anthologies
Release date:	November 1998 1999 (reprint) December 1999

Perfect Timing was a series of two unofficial Doctor Who charity anthologies released in 1998 and 1999. The anthologies were privately printed and distributed by the editors in return for donations to the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death. As the anthologies featured contributions from many authors of official Doctor Who universe material, they are notable to this wiki.

Releases

Perfect Timing

Perfect Timing was published in November 1998 to celebrate Doctor Who's 35th anniversary. It was edited by Mark Phippen and Helen Fayle with help from Jay Eales. It was reprinted in 1999 with two additional stories. The Chairman of the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death, Colin Baker, wrote the introduction to the collection.

Publisher's summary

For 35 years the Doctor's adventures have been showcased on television, in comics, novels, videos, cereal packets and more recently on the internet.

This project, timed to be released to celebrate this anniversary, has brought together some of the very best "Who" writers. Some names may already be familiar to you, some should hopefully become so in the near future!

For this collection, they have all kindly donated original stories, poems and drabbles featuring the Doctor, his companions, and his world, from all eras of the show, and from the books - stories from the Doctor's past, present (and future!)

35 pieces to celebrates 35 years of time travel -- including:

• A brief encounter for the First Doctor and Susan - but what about those they leave behind?
• The Second Doctor pays a return visit to Venus for some Martial Arts instruction.
• Iris Wildthyme: The U.N.I.T. years...
• H. P. Lovecraft finds out that life can be stranger than fiction...
• Europa, the 32nd century. Miles Dahwood is having a spot of bother with his fiancée and Count Dracula...
• The Fourth Doctor and Romana II find that fiction can be stranger than reality... and the truth behind those missing Professor X episodes is finally revealed...!
• What is that has been hiding in the TARDIS -- and from the minds of the Fifth Doctor and his companions?
• The Sixth Doctor and Grant find themselves dealing with one of the deadliest menaces to Earth -- a psychotic, theme park Santa Claus!
• The Seventh Doctor and Chris find something nasty lurking in the semingly peaceful, cloistered heart of In'sav'aar...
• The Eighth Doctor visits some old friends, and pays a return visit to Tombstone, Arizona...
• A Future Doctor faces an old enemy -- and a personal pain...

Stories

Title	Writer	Notes
Introduction	Colin Baker
The Use of the Myth	Paul Cornell
Bear Paw Adventures	David J. Howe
Always Let the Conscious Be Your Guide	Mark Clapham and Jim Smith
Birth Pains	Damon Cavalchini
Venusian Sunset	Paul Leonard	A tie-in to his novel Venusian Lullaby.
From the Cutting Room Floor	David A. McIntee	Deleted scenes from his novel The Dark Path.
Thicket of Thieves	Kathryn Sullivan
The UNIT Things	Peter Anghelides
Entertaining Mr. O	Paul Magrs	Featured licensed use of Iris Wildthyme and introduces her companion Tom. Reprinted in Bafflement and Devotion. Received a partial continuation in Talented Witches.
Masters of Terror	James Ambuehi and Laurence J. Cornford
Baron (Count) Dracula and Count (Baron) Frankenstein	Stephen Marley	Features licensed use of Miles Dashing and Crocker.
The Aurelius Gambit	Helen Fayle
Not Necessarily in That Order...	Paul Ebbs	A short tale with a non-linear style featuring the Fourth Doctor and an unknown incarnation of Romana
Child of Darkness	Daniel Blythe
The Zargathon Menace	Jonathan Morris	Introduces the Zargathons, a member of this species would later appear in Death to the Doctor!.
One Perfect Twilight	Craig Hinton
Ghost in the Machine	Trina L. Short
The 6th Doctor Sends A Letter	Charles Daniels
The Great Journey of Life Ends Here	Gary Russell
Wish Upon a Star Beast	Steve Lyons	Features licensed use of Grant Markham. Lyons later used the Sixth Doctor and the Meeps again in The Ratings War.
Schrödinger's Botanist	Ian McIntire	Introduces Carmen Yeh, who would later appear in The Book of the War. Also features licenced use of Grant Markham.
Second Hand	Rob Stradling
Doing It Right	Alan Taylor
Cheeky Things	Erin Tumilty
Chain Male	Keith Topping	Introduces Johnny Chess as an ex-husband of Tegan Jovanka, before his first appearance in Topping's novel Byzantium!.
Ascension	Stephen Graves
Caveat Emptor	Susannah Tiller
Doctor Patient Relationship	Kate Orman and Jon Blum	The original first chapter of Vampire Science, which featured Grace rather than Carolyn McConnell.
Worm	Lance Parkin
The Ravages of Time	Mags L. Halliday
Emerald Green	Mark Phippen
Sad Professor	Nick Walters
Transitions	Daniel Ben-Zvi
Nightmare	Nathan Skreslet
Dark Paragon	Jon Andersen
Time Ruins	Sarah Hadley
What If We Went to Italy	Tom Beck

Perfect Timing 2

Perfect Timing 2 was released in December 1999. It was edited by Helen Fayle and Julian Eales.

Publisher's summary

Once again bringing you a selection of short stories and artwork by both fans and professional writers and artists, distributed in support of the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death, and featuring TV's favourite time traveller.

Stories

Title	Writer	Notes
Introduction	Colin Baker
Foreword	Dez Skinn
Alien Nation	Peter Anghelides
I'll Name That Tune In One
"Past"	Lawrence Miles
Darkness Before Me	Jim Campbell
Identity Crisis	Nathan Skeslet
Genesis of the Dustbins: A Report by Zoe Heriot	Charles Daniels
A Handful of Silver	Mags L. Halliday
Invasion of the Dinosaurs by Sarah Jane Smith	Mike Sivier
Knitworld	Stephen Marley	Features the Fourth Doctor, (for a brief moment) Sarah Jane Smith, and features the origins of The Doctor's scarf as a plot point.
Goodbye Rembrandt	David J. Howe
The Giving Invasion	Paul Leonard
A Cup of Coffee	Daniel Ben-Zvi
Kyreth	Kimberly Yale and John Ostrander
The Effect of Dimensional Transcendence on Mozzarella Cheese[1]	Diane Duane
Nameless	David Bickley
Painting History	Damon Cavalchini
"Present"	Lawrence Miles
Black Snow	David Bishop	Features the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and the Brigadier
Safe in the Knowledge	Mark Phippen
Adjudicator's Holiday	Kathryn Sullivan
Past Time Catching	Dave Stone
Pulp Cutaway	David A. McIntee
Isolation	Gareth Humphreys
Quicksilver Bees	Martin Day
First Person[2]	Philip Purser-Hallard
Fishy Business	Lance Parkin	Features licensed use of Saldaamir and mentions Last Contact.
Empty Nest	Jon de Burgh Miller
Cause and Effect	Rebecca Dowgiert
The Hand of the Goddess	Susannah Tiller
Unseen Rooms	Imran Inyat
This Hollywood Life	Jonathan Dennis
Fangrrl Life	Phil Pascoe
"Future"	Lawrence Miles
Mysterious Ways	Julian Eales
Memories to Forget	Barry Williams
Touching Indigo	R.J. Anderson
Grey	Jon Andersen
Apocalypse Angel	Finn Clark
"Oblique"	Lawrence Miles
The Next Universe but One	Dave Owen
A Tapestry of Shadows	Alan Taylor
It's Raining Again	Paul Magrs and Stewart Sheargold	Features licensed use of Iris Wildthyme. Reprinted in Bafflement and Devotion.
Unlimited	Ian McIntire
Aria for the Broken Hearted	Richard Prekodravac
From the Cutting Room Floor, Take 2	Craig Hinton	Cut scenes from The Crystal Bucephalus.
Here Be Dragons	Helen Fayle
"Absolute"	Lawrence Miles
Toy Story		Set during Interference. Introduces Lolita, who would later appear throughout the Faction Paradox series. Later published by Mad Norwegian Press in their edition of Dead Romance.
Afterward	Gary Gillatt

Gallery

• 

  Perfect Timing cover

• 

  Perfect Timing 2 cover

External links

• Doctor Who Reference Guide - Detailed Synopsis: Perfect Timing
• Doctor Who Reference Guide - Detailed Synopsis: Perfect Timing 2