Iain McLaughlin
Encyclopedia
Iain McLaughlin is a writer and journalist who has written for a number of British comics including The Beano
and The Dandy
. He has also written a number of Doctor Who related plays and novels for Big Finish Productions and Telos Publishing, and also several plays for Imagination Theater. His regular writing partner is Claire Bartlett
.
McLaughlin was born in Dundee in 1967 and was educated in the city before joining DC Thomson's comic department in 1985. He worked on Hoot (1985–86), the Dandy (1986–88), The Beezer (1988–90), The Beezer and Topper (1990–93), the Dandy (1993–2005), Comic Projects (2005–06), the Beano (2006–present), BeanoMAX
(2009–present). He was chief sub-editor on the Dandy comic from 2001-2005.
Solo, he has written the Doctor Who audio playes The Eye of the Scorpion
and No Place Like Home
and also the Doctor Who novella Blood and Hope
for Telos. With Claire Bartlett he wrote the Doctor Who play The Veiled Leopard
and the first and fourth plays in the spin-off UNIT audio series, UNIT: Time Heals
and UNIT: The Wasting
. Together they also wrote the novel The Coming of the Queen for Big Finish and the Time Hunter
novella Echoes, as well as short stories for three of the Short Trips
athologies. Graham Dilley Saves The World for Past Tense
, The Time Lord's Story for Repercussions
and Far Away In A Manger for The Ghosts of Christmas.
With Claire Bartlett he has written a number of radio plays for Imagination Theater, a radio broadcaster based in Seattle. Their work includes creating and writing all the scripts for the Kerides the Thinker series of mysteries and Hammer Horror flavoured gothic tales The Heart of Frankestein and Curse of the Mummy. He has stated a desire to write for Imagination Theater's Sherlock Holmes
series.
Details of his unproduced Bernice Summerfield
audio play Figure of Eight can be found in Big Finish's book, Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story. With Claire Bartlett he was to write The Screaming Planet an episode of the cancelled 7th season of The Tomorrow People
audios for Big Finish. In the third issue of "The Finished Product" fanzine, it is revealed that McLaughlin and Bartlett wrote "Helter Skelter" the original script of the story which became "Phobos" in the first season of Paul McGann audios produced by Big Finish for BBC7. The script was rewritten by and credited solely to Eddie Robson although considerable material from McLaughlin and Bartlett's original remained. The switch in writer was amicable and McLaughlin and Bartlett stated in the fanzine that they would have been uncomfortable accepting a credit for what they considered now to be Robson's story.
He wrote a Dennis the Menace
short story for inclusion in Scholastic's Wow! 366 anthology book, appearing alongside other contributors such as Gordon Brown
, Roddy Doyle
and Charlie Higson
. The book was a collection of 366 short stories, each of 366 words which was aimed at helping literacy, with proceeds from the book being donated to Childline
.
He is very active in the online Doctor Who fan community and posts regularly on many fan forums, particularly Gallifrey Base
.
Short Stories
Audio/radio plays
Comics
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
and The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
. He has also written a number of Doctor Who related plays and novels for Big Finish Productions and Telos Publishing, and also several plays for Imagination Theater. His regular writing partner is Claire Bartlett
Claire Bartlett
Claire Bartlett is a British writer and journalist, who has co-written a number of radio plays, short stories and novels. Her regular writing partner is Iain McLaughlin. They have written for Big Finish, Telos and Imagination Theater.- References :...
.
McLaughlin was born in Dundee in 1967 and was educated in the city before joining DC Thomson's comic department in 1985. He worked on Hoot (1985–86), the Dandy (1986–88), The Beezer (1988–90), The Beezer and Topper (1990–93), the Dandy (1993–2005), Comic Projects (2005–06), the Beano (2006–present), BeanoMAX
BeanoMAX
The BeanoMAX is a monthly British comic published by D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd It is a spin-off of the UK comic, The Beano. Each issue has 44 pages and costs £3.50.The first issue was published on February 15, 2007 and was a Comic Relief special.- Strips :...
(2009–present). He was chief sub-editor on the Dandy comic from 2001-2005.
Solo, he has written the Doctor Who audio playes The Eye of the Scorpion
The Eye of the Scorpion
The Eye of the Scorpion is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
and No Place Like Home
No Place Like Home
No Place Like Home is the fifth studio album by Scottish band Big Country, released in 1991. . Its title derives from a quote in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which is referenced by the first track, "We're Not in Kansas"...
and also the Doctor Who novella Blood and Hope
Blood and Hope
Blood and Hope is an original novella written by Iain McLaughlin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem. It was released both as a standard edition hardback and a deluxe edition featuring a frontispiece by...
for Telos. With Claire Bartlett he wrote the Doctor Who play The Veiled Leopard
The Veiled Leopard
The Veiled Leopard is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
and the first and fourth plays in the spin-off UNIT audio series, UNIT: Time Heals
UNIT: Time Heals
UNIT: Time Heals is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Nicholas Courtney reprising his role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, the former commander of UNIT...
and UNIT: The Wasting
UNIT: The Wasting
UNIT: The Wasting is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Nicholas Courtney reprising his role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, the former commander of UNIT...
. Together they also wrote the novel The Coming of the Queen for Big Finish and the Time Hunter
Time Hunter
The Time Hunter series of books is published by Telos Publishing Ltd. and features the characters Honoré Lechasseur and Emily Blandish from Daniel O'Mahony's Doctor Who novella The Cabinet of Light...
novella Echoes, as well as short stories for three of the Short Trips
Short Trips
Short Trips may refer to:* BBC Short Trips, a series of three Doctor Who short story collections published by the BBC, or the first book in that series....
athologies. Graham Dilley Saves The World for Past Tense
Past tense
The past tense is a grammatical tense that places an action or situation in the past of the current moment , or prior to some specified time that may be in the speaker's past, present, or future...
, The Time Lord's Story for Repercussions
Repercussions
"Repercussions" is a song that was released by American artist Lauryn Hill on July 29, 2010, through Columbia Records. The song was released as digital download, and was confirmed to be a cut from her upcoming second studio album. It is Hill's first single to be released since 2002's "Mr...
and Far Away In A Manger for The Ghosts of Christmas.
With Claire Bartlett he has written a number of radio plays for Imagination Theater, a radio broadcaster based in Seattle. Their work includes creating and writing all the scripts for the Kerides the Thinker series of mysteries and Hammer Horror flavoured gothic tales The Heart of Frankestein and Curse of the Mummy. He has stated a desire to write for Imagination Theater's Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
series.
Details of his unproduced Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
audio play Figure of Eight can be found in Big Finish's book, Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story. With Claire Bartlett he was to write The Screaming Planet an episode of the cancelled 7th season of The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People is a British children's science fiction television series, devised by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran between 1973 and 1979. The series was re-imagined in 1992, Roger Price acting as executive producer...
audios for Big Finish. In the third issue of "The Finished Product" fanzine, it is revealed that McLaughlin and Bartlett wrote "Helter Skelter" the original script of the story which became "Phobos" in the first season of Paul McGann audios produced by Big Finish for BBC7. The script was rewritten by and credited solely to Eddie Robson although considerable material from McLaughlin and Bartlett's original remained. The switch in writer was amicable and McLaughlin and Bartlett stated in the fanzine that they would have been uncomfortable accepting a credit for what they considered now to be Robson's story.
He wrote a Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (UK)
Dennis the Menace, later called Dennis the Menace and Gnasher and now Dennis and Gnasher, is a long-running comic strip in the British children's comic The Beano, published by D. C...
short story for inclusion in Scholastic's Wow! 366 anthology book, appearing alongside other contributors such as Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Several of his books have been made into successful films, beginning with The Commitments in 1991. He won the Booker Prize in 1993....
and Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
. The book was a collection of 366 short stories, each of 366 words which was aimed at helping literacy, with proceeds from the book being donated to Childline
ChildLine
ChildLine is a free 24 hour counselling service for children and young people up to 18 in the UK provided by the NSPCC. ChildLine deals with any issue which causes distress or concern, common issues dealt with include child abuse, bullying, parental separation or divorce, pregnancy and substance...
.
He is very active in the online Doctor Who fan community and posts regularly on many fan forums, particularly Gallifrey Base
Gallifrey Base
Gallifrey Base is an Internet forum dedicated to discussion of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It has been described as "one of the largest [Doctor Who] fan forums" and "the biggest Who fansite". , the site had 32,062 members....
.
Writing Credits
Books- Doctor Who: Blood And Hope
- Time Hunter: Echoes (with Claire Bartlett)
- The Coming of the Queen (with Claire Bartlett)
- The History of the Beano (1970s section)
Short Stories
- Graham Dilley Saves The World (in Short Trips: Past Tense) (with Claire Bartlett)
- The Time Lord's Story (in Short Trips: Repercussions) (with Claire Bartlett)
- Far Away In A Manger (in Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas) (with Claire Bartlett)
- Dennis the Menace short story (in WOW!366)
Audio/radio plays
- Doctor Who: The Eye of the Scorpion
- Doctor Who: No Place Like Home
- Doctor Who: The Veiled Leopard (with Claire Bartlett)
- UNIT: Time Heals (with Claire Bartlett)
- UNIT: The Wasting (with Claire Bartlett)
- The Heart of Frankenstein (with Claire Bartlett)
- Curse of the Mummy (with Claire Bartlett)
- Kerides the Thinker: Alexandria 276BC (with Claire Bartlett)
- Kerides the Thinker: Too Much Wine (with Claire Bartlett)
- Kerides the Thinker: Mark of the Serpent (with Claire Bartlett)
- Kerides the Thinker: Death of a Thousand Paper Cuts (with Claire Bartlett)
- Kerides the Thinker: Death of a Nobody (with Claire Bartlett)
- Kerides the Thinker: Death of a Pharaoh (with Claire Bartlett)
- Sherlock Holmes: The Cursed of Brokenshore
Comics
- Hoot
- The Dandy
- The Beano
- The Beezer
- The Beezer And Topper
- BeanoMax