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1974 saw the end of the third Doctor’s era and the start of the fourth’s. Jon Pertwee’s announcement that he was leaving the show appeared in the British press on 9th February 1974. The BBC’s selection of Tom Baker as the new Doctor, meanwhile, quickly followed in the newspapers on 16th February. Overall, 1974 was a relatively modest year for new merchandise and other collectibles.
Two Doctor Who related albums were released this year. Boulevard Records published “Favourite Children’s TV Themes” that included the Dr. Who theme tune and a small picture of the Doctor and a Draconian from “Frontier in Space” on the front of the sleeve. “Don Harper’s Homo Electronicus,” an LP from Columbia (catalogue no. SCX 6559), included a version of the Doctor Who theme that had been released as a single the previous year.
Louis Marx re-released its battery-operated Dalek, first issued in 1964, in two different versions: red and yellow. Sadly, these unusual colour choices and the disappointing box design, comprising photographs of the toys, failed to recapture the excitement of the 1960s’ originals; at least for this collector.
Naturally, with the end of Pertwee’s tenure announced in February, there were no official items of merchandise featuring the third Doctor, beyond the continuing book and comic releases. However, there does appear to be one unlicenced product available around this time: a ceramic plaque or trivet with an illustration of Pertwee’s face, from H & R Johnson Ltd./Ely Pottery.
Tom Baker made his first television appearance as the Doctor on 28th December 1974 in episode one of “Robot.” However, several items of new merchandise featuring the fourth Doctor were available in the shops before Christmas. The first of these was a reissue of the “Doctor Who Space Mission Pad,” a notepad that produced “instant copies” and included a card for creating secret codes. This item had first been issued the previous year featuring the third Doctor and was produced by Naocroft Ltd. for The Save the Children Fund. Airfix, best known for its injection-moulded plastic models, created a set of six painting-by-numbers set as part of their New Artist range that were available until at least 1977. The sets were titled Dr. Who and his Car; Dr. Who and the Octomen; Dr. Who and the Robots; Dr. Who and the Sea Monsters; Dr. Who and the Snakebirds; and Dalek Invasion. A 1976 Airfix catalogue also shows a “Space Monsters” set featuring a Dalek as part of the Luminart range – a craft set that created images on metal foil. This item is not in the Space Museum collection.
The Target book range continued apace. The three Hartnell novelizations—Doctor Who and the Daleks; Doctor Who and the Crusaders; and Doctor Who and the Zarbi—first released the previous year, were reprinted without the front cover strap line “Based on the popular BBC Television serial.” The first group of Pertwee novels were published: Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion; Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters; Doctor Who and the Daemons; Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks; Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon; and Doctor Who and the Sea Devils, plus the first Troughton novel: Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen. World Distributors published “The Dr Who Annual 1975” in late 1974.
The Doctor Who comic strip was published in Polystyle’s “TV Comic” throughout 1974; having returned there the previous year. Polystyle also published a “Doctor Who Holiday Special,” a “TV Comic Holiday Special,” and a “TV Comic Annual 1975” this year.
There was continued coverage of Doctor Who in Radio Times but sadly not at the level that had been seen in previous years. The weekly listings for Pertwee’s final series included a small Peter Brookes illustration, plus a larger illustration for the first episode of “Invasion of the Dinosaurs.” Tom Baker’s first season was introduced with small photos of Pertwee and Baker, but probably because this was in the Christmas edition of Radio Times, the cover did not feature Doctor Who as might have been expected in the tradition of the Pertwee years. More information about Doctor Who content in Radio Times can be found HERE.
A black and white BBC cast card of Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith became available soon after her first appearance in “The Time Warrior.” A black and white BBC cast card of Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor also exists from around the time he took the role.
The first dedicated BBC Enterprises’ Doctor Who exhibitions opened on Blackpool’s Golden Mile and at Longleat House in 1974. These were the natural successors to BBC TV Special Effects exhibitions held in 1972 and 1973 that had prominently featured Doctor Who. These two exhibitions are fondly remembered by many fans. The history and people’s memories of the Blackpool exhibition are especially well described in John Collier’s ebook, “Blackpool Remembered” that can be downloaded here. The exhibitions provide a number of opportunities for the collector, including publicity and promotional items, as well as items that were available in the gift shops, such as an exhibition sticker and a postcard featuring the exhibition Daleks.
Doctor Who and the Daleks returned to the London stage in a play called “Seven Keys to Doomsday.” Written by Terrance Dicks and starring Trevor Martin as the Doctor, the production ran at the Adelphi Theatre for four weeks beginning 16th December 1974. A very simply designed “Doctor Who and the Daleks” t-shirt with a 1974 copyright and what appears to be the play’s logo exists in the Space Museum collection; the manufacturer is unknown. Beyond this t-shirt, there does not appear to be any other merchandise associated with the play. However, there is a handbill, programme, and poster that will be of interest to collectors.
Articles and features about Doctor Who and its stars continued to appear in books, magazines, and newspapers throughout 1974 and some of these are presented in gallery. One notable set of articles appeared across seven issues of the short-lived genre magazine “World of Horror,” from Dalruth Publishing Group/Gresham Publishing in the UK.
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