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CHARMING ARROGANCE It’s been four and a half years since Doctor Who: The Legacy started, and to celebrate the long-awaited return of that online fiction series, Anthony Williams embarked on a journey to the locations of the new Doctor Who TV series and a meeting with the man who came up with The Legacy – Andy Frankham. “ONLINE FANDOM PERCEIVES YOU AS AN ARROGANT CUNT, but then people are surprised to find out, when they meet you, that you’re actually a nice guy.” As a certain Big Finish producer once explained to Andy some time ago. I’ve known Andy for a few years now, but never before had I made it to his home, and it’s seems like fate that when I finally make it he’s living in Wales once again. Fate because, like Andy, I am a Welsh man who’s spent most of his life living in London. And he’s found a great spot to live, only minutes away from Cardiff Central, where in recent months the Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Captain Jack had been seen tackling Siltheen, blowing up shops, and fighting Autons. As I get off the train I’m distracted, feeling like Mickey at the beginning of Boom Town, but I’m soon reminded of my purpose for coming to Cardiff, so off I set. I find Andy’s place without too much trouble, and before I even get a chance to ring the bell the door’s being opened. Unexpectedly, Andy is very welcoming. Within seconds of walking into his front room he has the kettle on and the biscuit barrel out. I look around the room, while he prepares the coffee (“white, two sugars!” I yell, looking up from his CD collection), and am not surprised by the amount of books that litter the place. Nosey, me? Yeah, you bet, but Andy doesn’t seem to mind at all so I carry on. ONCE WE’RE SETTLED, OR SCOFFING THE BISCUITS IN MY CASE, I kick off by asking him what caused the long break in The Legacy, and why is it being resurrected now? (It’s been over a year since there’s been any new Legacy material, I remind him, since he seems to forget how much time has passed. Old age, poor thing.) As I’ve come to expect, Andy is perfectly candid in his response; “A mixture of several things. Personal crisis at home, splitting up with my ex-partner, plus season four just sort of collapsed towards the end. This probably had a lot to do with my crisis at home…” He pauses for a moment, and a dark look appears on his face. He smiles at me. “And on top of that I found myself with a Short Trip to write. So, good and bad reasons. “As for resurrecting it... well, it's always gonna be my baby, and I think there is still a lot to explore with The Legacy.” Andy leans forward at this point, and carries on in a low tone, as if afraid someone might overhear. “Also, I want to make a point that even though I am getting somewhere with my professional writing I am not going to forget where I began. And that's with writing fan fiction that is available for free.” It is a noble sentiment. Many an author has started with fan fiction, writing for free, and once they get on the professional path they never look back. Andy agrees with me. “Well, one thing I'd hate to do is get above myself and forget my roots, ya know. A lot of writers out there started with fan fic. Paul Cornell is a prime example. And he ended up writing for the new series. Git.” Some people get all the breaks, I joke, and Andy laughs. One thing the internet cannot convey is how infectious a laugh he has. For a few minutes we forget my purpose for being there and indulge in the most silly jokes ever… MANY HAVE NOTICED THAT FOR SEASON FIVE ANDY HAS ATTRACTED both Nick Walters and Dale Smith, professional Who authors responsible for several BBC Books, to the series. I wonder if this is a sign that The Legacy is gaining more recognition. “Hard to say. I think it's more of a sign that I am pushing more this time around, seeking out some professional talent. Although, I think it might have a little to do with my own work for Big Finish. Hopefully writing professional Who has given me a little leeway with the pro authors, and if it has then I see no reason not to use it. This series is still about bringing new authors to the public eye (indeed, Season Six is 99% new writers) but having some professionals also raises the profile of The Legacy which means potentially that more editors get to find new talent. “As chance would have it, Dale wrote for the same Big Finish anthology as me recently (coming out in October), and did his Legacy story before he wrote his Short Trip story. Funny old world.” What’s the story behind Nick Walters, I wanted to know, since he was up for writing the season opener and then was replaced by Andy himself. Trouble behind the scenes? “Yes, but not the sort you mean. It was simply a case of Nick losing internet access for several months. I sent him emails, got no answer so assumed he wasn’t interested any more, and since Re: Genesis is a story that’s been on the backburner for a couple of years I decided to do it myself. Season Five needs a good launch, and Re: Genesis is just the story for it.” But Nick returned? “Yep, got an email from him recently, completely out of the blue, explaining about his lack of net access. Happened to be on the same day I had finished my own outline for Re: Genesis.” Once more Andy is laughing, clearly more than happy to take such developments in his stride. “Well, you have to. If it stops being fun, then you drop it. Didn’t take me long to step back down. Nick Walters is a good writer and a good name. Just the push we need to launch Season Five.” I ONCE HEARD WHISPERS THAT SEASON FIVE may be the last season of The Legacy? Is this the case? Or does Andy think that there'll be more to explore after Season Five? Andy is quiet for a moment, but there is a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He’s clearly been up to something. “Oh yes, the rumours. To be perfectly honest I started those rumours myself to get a bit of interest in the forthcoming season. It worked! But no, it's not the last season... Season Six has already been fully commissioned, and preliminary work has begun on Season Seven. We’ve got a lot to explore, and some dark places to visit.” Does Andy ever see The Legacy universe being re-aligned with the Who universe as we know it? “Oh yes, there’s an infinite number of ways to re-align them, and I have considered doing so on occasion.” This makes me smile, but Andy soon squashes my hopes. (It’s the fan in me!) “But I don’t think it will ever happen, since if it did then it’d simply become another Doctor Who fan fiction series, just like the hundreds already out there. Not that I am slagging them off, but it would ruin almost five years of fun story telling and all the hard work everyone has put into it.” MOVING ON FROM THE FUTURE OF THE LEGACY, I ask him to what extent does he think these last ‘five years of fun story telling’ helped him gain commissions for Short Trip anthologies and Noise Monster’s Space 1889 series of audios? He gives this some serious thought before answering. “Honestly hard to say. I think through The Legacy, and my pushing it, I came to the attention of certain people in Who fandom. Not sure if my commissions came as a direct result (I wish I could say for sure that they did!), but I do believe that working on The Legacy has helped me to perfect my craft – not that I have it perfected yet, of course, and doubt I ever will. But I continue on.” He stops to think again, then adds, “certainly with the Short Trips I know for sure Gary Russell got wind of my wanting to write for Big Finish. Although I am unclear exactly how he learned this, I know I never told him.” Some things will just never be known, I suggest, and Andy agrees. “Yes, most likely, but he gave me the chance. ‘You either make it or blow it,’ he said. So no pressure at all.” Andy sips his coffee, while I dunk a biscuit in mine. Despite the pressure Andy clearly succeeded since Gary Russell gave him another commission, and even John Ainsworth at Noise Monster Productions thought that Andy, and his co-writer, Richard Dinnick, were good enough for Space 1889. Andy must be chuffed that he’s now sitting alongside such highly established Who authors like Marc Platt. Andy’s glowing grin is answer enough. I wonder if these recent commissions might lead to bigger and better things? “I certainly hope so, yes. But it’s a tough and competitive business, so the way I see it is that as long as I continue to write the best I can and the editors/producers like it, then I should get called on again.” Here’s hoping for something a little more mainstream, eh? “God yes! I’m always hoping for that. I wouldn’t say no to a Doctor Who novel, but the way the BBC are with the books right now I won’t hold my breath. Maybe at a later date, but right now they’re running a very tight and selective crew. Hmm, maybe I could even do a BF audio! That would be a dream… but I know Gary is pretty much fully booked for the foreseeable.” What about one of their spin-off series, like the UNIT one for example? Andy’s answer is immediate. “Cybermen! I had a wicked idea for a Cybermen series, but wasn’t too sure who to send it to, and by the time I found out good old Nick Briggs had been commissioned for his. Bugger.” He shrugs, again showing how he takes these things with a pinch of salt. “Still, a BF spin-off would be cool. Not sure about the UNIT one, though. They’re not going in a direction that appeals to me. Not that I am slating the UNIT series,” he adds quickly, very aware of what he’s saying, “but I was hoping for something more along the lines of Stargate SG1. Never mind, eh?” I nod, there are always other options. “Indeed, only the other day I was asked to pitch an idea for Big Finish’s Sapphire & Steel range – and that kept me up all night writing!” HIS SPACE 1889 AUDIO IS DUE OUT IN NOVEMBER, what drew him to that project? “Hard work!” he answers with a laugh. “Seriously, though, it’s all due to me approaching John Ainsworth at the Big Finish birthday bash last year. We got talking about another Big Finish spin-off series and he asked me to pitch an idea based on his aims for it. Considering the size of the project I asked Richard Dinnick to join me as co-writer. So he did. John loved what we came up with, but for various reasons, none of which I am allowed to talk about, the spin-off idea was scrapped. “As it turned out John was impressed by the amount of work Richard and I put into the project (and the quick turn around), so he asked us to pitch a stand-by idea for his fledgling Space 1889 series. A back-up script in case another failed. As fortune would have it we got the full gig instead. This has had a long gestation period, down to reasons that I’m not allowed to discuss.” I become aware that Andy’s wants to say more, but I don’t push him. “But, and this is the main thing, it is happening and I am very grateful to John for giving me the opportunity.” I tell him that I’m sure people are looking forward to hearing it. “I certainly am!” he says with gusto. “And if I get my way I’m so gonna attend the recording of it, too. It’s going to be very odd hearing actors speak the lines Richard and I wrote.” But pleasing as well? “Well, I’m hoping it will be. Could turn out to be horrendous for me! But I seriously doubt it. God, I’m getting excited just thinking about it now!” Andy’s passion for his writing is very evident, and it makes me want to write something, too. I ponder how nice it must be to move away from the vast Short Trips anthologies, which sees so many names, many of whom have never been seen again, onto something a bit bigger. “I suppose that is one way of looking at it, but to be honest I really have enjoyed both. Sure, writing an audio script is a very different experience, and a lot harder than prose, but I wouldn’t say one is bigger than the other. I certainly will continue to do Short Trips as long as they want to commission me. But it’s nice to do something other than prose, too. Daunting, but fun.” WHEN ASKED IF HE HAS ANY OTHER PROJECTS LINED-UP for the foreseeable future, he answers honestly, as ever. “Well, I’ve written a short story for The Doctor Who Project, a fan fiction series that you can get on CD Rom. But don’t expect me to be doing another, cause it’s not going to happen.” I raise a questioning eyebrow at this, but Andy waves it away and continues. “I’m hoping for more Short Trips next year, and I’m also working on the first Legacy novel, which will be released as an e-book next July. That will be followed by a short story which is part of the fifth anniversary Legacy anthology edited by Greg Miller. Beyond that, next year I’m going to try and take myself away from Who fiction as much as possible. I need to branch out.” Sounds fantastic! Can he offer us any exclusive details about any of these projects? “Well, the short story for DWP is a subtle cross-over with The Legacy, as will become clear when both the novel and Season Six come along next year. The novel itself is a little re-boot for the whole series, casting it off into a new direction, something a little darker and a lot more ambiguous. It’s also our first return to the 26th Century since the third season – about time we found out what’s going on with the Galactic Federation, since it was at a turning point when we last visited. And as for the anthology? Well, next year will be the fifth anniversary of The Legacy so I’ve got my old mate Greg to edit a collection, for which he has invited all 20 authors who have written for the first five seasons. So far the response has been great, and I’m looking forward to what comes out of it.” I LOOK AT THE TIME AND REALISE IT IS GETTING LATE, and I’ve still yet to explore Cardiff. (I want to visit Henrick’s!) So it’s time to draw this interview to a close, and I ask him this: What does he feel the future holds in store for Andy Frankham? “Oh bugger, I hate this question!” He laughs, but gives it some thought. “Um. My friend, and co-editor, Betty, would say ‘more commissions’, and I hope that is true. But beyond that, I hope the future brings with it my first full-length original novel and success in my home life. Oh, and a move back to Southend to be nearer my little brother.” Andy goes quiet for a moment, as he prepares for his final thought. “I believe as long as I carry on treating others the way I want them to treat me, then good things should come my way. Still, it won’t hurt to cross my fingers.” MY FINGERS ARE CROSSED, TOO. I thank Andy for a wonderful afternoon, and the two of us decide to explore Cardiff together. I want to see where the Killer Santas are going to attack in The Christmas Invasion. “Ah, saw them film that! Come on, Ant,” Andy says, taking my arm in his, “we’ve got touring to do!” INTERVIEW CONDUCTED by ANTHONY WILLIAMS and WRITTEN by ANN DANIELS Season Five of DOCTOR WHO: THE LEGACY begins Monday November 28th Originally launched in May 2001, this series has been running for over four years now, going through many incarnations from "Doctor Who - The Alternative Adventures", "Doctor Who: 3a" to "Doctor Who: The Legacy". Originally it was a series of stories taking place in a universe altered due to the Master's tampering of the Doctor's timeline. These short stories (written by myself, Niall Turner and Christoph Lopez) soon evolved into e-novellas, and the scope of the story-telling was opened up, featuring a plethora of new fan writers, always edited by me, although for the latter half of season two and most of season three I had the editorial assistance of Greg Miller. For season four, Richard Dinnick took over Greg's role, and has stuck with the series ever since, in one guise or another. In Jan 2005, after an absence of almost a year, I got together a new editorial team, and with the web-design skills of Richard Dinnick, re-launched "Doctor Who: The Legacy". As part of the re-launch I have been going back and re-editing the previous stories (turning both seasons one and two into e-book collections), and will continue the slow (but sure) process of turning all stories into downloadable e-novellas. The new season will begin November 2005, this time featuring some new talent as well as stories from established "Doctor Who" novelists, Nick Walters and Dale Smith. It will also be the first season that I have not written for, although 2006 does see the first "Legacy" e-book, which will be written by me, plus Season Six which brings an almost all-knew writing team, with only Richard Dinnick making a return appearance. Every site has one, so here are my fave websites... www.inapt.moonfruit.com the website for my young brother’s (Daniel Ball) band, Inapt. www.angelfire.com/stars5/misszygon/home.html - poetry website of Elizabeta Medeiros www.dinnick.net - the personal website for Richard Dinnick www.markbillingham.com - my favourite author, Mark Billingham www.bigfinish.com - the website for all things Big Finish - books, CDs... www.noisemonster.com - new audio production company of John Ainsworth www.gallifreyone.com - the number one Doctor Who news website pub35.ezboard.com/bdoctorwhothelegacy - discussion forums for all things "Legacy" p222.ezboard.com/bplanetskaro - friendly community forum for Doctor Who fans website © Andy Frankham 2005