h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Now that the Cybermen Entry has been recommended, I'm toying with the concept of starting a K9 Entry.

Anyone with ideas, info etc. leave 'em here or drop by my PS and leave me a note. When I get around to doing the Entry everyone will be duly credited

'I love K-9' = quote by JulesK

Sorry, it's too hot! Nothing constructive to add, really. He was on when I watched as a nipper and liked him then, like him now. That's it.

Good luck with it

I think it might be helpful to split the entry into fact and fiction, so that you can tell the story of K-9 the character and then the separate story of how the prop was built, the various models that were built for the series (basically, each 'Mark' seen in the show was a new prop). Also, how it became a star in its own right, popping up on 'What's On Wogan' to help dog-trainer Barbara Woodhouse, making guest appearances on Blue Peter and Jim'll Fix It, inspiring a 'Save K-9' campaign in The Sun...

Then there's merchandising. There was a series of books written starring K-9. He also appeared in the Doctor Who Weekly / Monthly comic strips.

Theer were two K-9 toys at the time: a friction-powered version, made by Denys Fisher, that was to scale with their Tom Baker and Leela dolls; and a larger version, made by Palitoy, which was a Talking K-9 that had a tiny record that could be flipped to allow for a variety of phrases to be played out ('Gravity readings normal!').

Harlequin produced a lead figure as part of their exhaustive collection of miniatures.

In 2004, a new friction-powered K-9 was released with Product Enterprise's talking Tom Baker figure; although its voice chip was pitched too high, it was otherwise a nice recreation.

Since his reappearance in the 2006 series, K-9's had something of a revival. Character Options have released the friction-powered models of the rusty, battered K-9 with detatchable side-panel (as seen in 'School Reunion') in two different box-sets, one with Rose and a mini-remote control one packaged with the Tenth Doctor. A shiny 'K-9 Mark IV' is due for release at the end of 2006, packaged with a new Rose figure. Best of all is the 14" long, remote-controlled K-9 due out any minute. It has a choice of phrases, its ears rotate and its eye-panel lights up.

Sorry, but my inner ten-year-old is very excited by all of these toys. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with a 35-year-old man buying a Tardis playset. So there.

Er... I'll stop there for now. Let me know if you need info on K-9's personal appearances.

Nothing wrong with it all, me and my 4 year old daughter play 'let's exterminate the Doctor' with our radio controlled Daleks quite often!

Thanks for all that stuff Jim, gives me a starting point because I wasn;t sure where to go with the makes and models.

This will be some time coming so feel free to chuck in whatever els comes to mind and I'll build it into an Entry. Eventually.

Jelly baby?

Irony: the current release of toys will all work better than the original K-9, which was cantankerous and prone to breakdowns, difficult to maneuver and often left black skidmarks all over the studio floor.

Claim to 'Who' fame: I used to live a few doors away from a stuntman who told me he'd been the rat in 'Talons' and revealed that he'd worked on Who recently and that the Doctor was to have a new companion; a robot dog called K-9. Spotting the obvious pun and being a very cynical child, I laughed.

Imagine my surprise.

I'll see if I can dig out the specifics of K-9s troubles and post them.

Very

Thank you muchly. Our family all have a soft spot for the tin dog. Will get working on this soon

How's your K9 entry coming along?

It's sort of on hiatus - I've looked at two aspects, the reality of K9 and the fictional aspect and there's an awful lot together.

I've got most of the character stuff down, it's finding the 'real' information. Anything to help out be grand

I've met John Leeson, the actor who did the voice of K9 in both the original and the revived series of "Doctor Who." I met him at the 2003 40th anniversary convention at Longleat and got his autograph.

Once you've finished your first draft, let me know and I can wade in with my usual enthusiasm and lack of tact

I'm actually at home at the moment though - been brought down with flu and spending most of the time dosed up in bed. This is my twice-daily treat on the net

hmm. 'flu, or MAN-flu?

Draft? I'll have a pint of the bitter. Oh, you mean. Yes, well. Um, I've got notes scattered about *ahem*

I'll get around to it...promise.