Demon Records, out for Record Store Day (22 April 2023)

An audio adaptation of the hardbook book that formed part of Typhoo Tea’s The Amazing World of Doctor Who promotion.

My poor mother. The amount of tea that I pestered her to drink in 1976 so that I could collect the dozen Doctor Who Picture cards that in turn would be attached to a mail-away wallchart, which arrived with a glorious book. At least, some of the book was glorious – the profiles of the monsters and the Doctor – but the rest was weird, and nothing like the show I had recently-discovered to watch on Saturday teatimes.

For their Doctor Who Record Store Day 2023 release, Demon Records have produced an audio approximation of the Typhoo book, itself partially reprinting content from the 1976 Doctor Who Annual. It’s worth purchasing just for Chris Achilleos’ colourful gatefold sleeve, but what of the content?

Across the two discs are versions of text and comic strip stories, some narrated, some as full-cast audio plays. We’re joined by Geoffrey Beevers, Louise Jameson and Dan Starkey, each diving into the bizarre material. Starkey in particular has a great Tom Baker impression, and throws in some suitably alien-sounding accents.

The monster profiles (Ice Warriors, Sea Devils, Giant Robot, etc) are a lot of fun, as is the Mysterious Monsters quiz. The stories are performed well, and while I still shudder at the thought of the terrifying illustrations in The Psychic Jungle and Neuronic Nightmare, thankfully we don’t have these visuals.

Verdict: A beautifully-produced album of an iconic 1970s Doctor Who publication – just be prepared for some very trippy tales. 8/10

Nick Joy