Today we’re delighted to bring you an interview with Marcus Sedgwick, the writer behind this month’s Doctor Who e-book and the latest in Puffin’s 50th anniverary series.

Marcus’ novels include Floodland and The Kiss of Death and he has contributed to the 50th anniversary proceedings by putting pen to paper for The Spear of Destiny, in which the Third Doctor and Jo Grant track down the magical spear of Odin and get caught up in the middle of a battle between two Viking tribes along the way!

Marcus talks about the origins of his short and his experience of writing the Third Doctor.

Q) Hi Marcus. Firstly, how did your involvement with Puffin’s Doctor Who e-book series come about, and were you already a fan of the series?
A) Puffin approached me late last year to write one of the stories, and I jumped at the chance. I loved Christopher Eccleston’s work in bringing the Doctor back to our screens, but I’m more a fan of the Classic series – I don’t think anyone of my age can’t have watched it, and been terrified by it!

Q) In your story, The Spear of Destiny, the Third Doctor and Jo Grant get caught up between two Vikings tribes. What was the inspiration for this?
A) I knew I wanted to have The Master in my story – I always found him the most frightening of the Doctor’s many foes. So I was looking for a good setting in which to have them slug it out once more, intellectually that is. I love the Viking age, I’ve used it in a couple of books, and realised there are some nice serendipitous connections I could use from Viking mythology – the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, being one.

Q) How did you approach the story at the beginning of the writing process? Did you do any initial research into the Third Doctor?
A) Yes, I decided to go back and watch a bunch of Pertwee era episodes. That was great fun. I read some interviews he’d given on playing the Doctor, and tried to use all of this in the story. I must admit, when I first sat down to finally write the story, I was a bit scared! This is, after all, one of the most iconic corners of British pop culture and I wanted to do the job properly. Then I decided to just relax and have fun with the Doctor and Jo.

Q) The Third Doctor was well known for being suave yet authoritative. How easy was it to convey his personality and mannerisms on page?
A) Well it’s up to others to decide if I’ve succeeded, but personally I find Jon Pertwee’s portrayal to be so wonderful, so charismatic and so idiosyncratic that it was a joy to bring him to life once more in the story. There’s quite a bit of banter between him and Jo – that was they key to it, I think.

Q) If you hadn’t written for the Third Doctor, which other classic incarnation would you have liked to have revisited?
A) Well, that would have to have been Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor. He’s the incarnation that most dovetailed with my childhood, and again, like Pertwee, I think he did a superb job.

Q) What did you set out to achieve with the story and do you think you’ve accomplished your aim?
A) I wanted to bring Jon Pertwee’s Doctor back to life for a short time. I want readers who remember him to recognise him, and those that don’t remember him to maybe go and hunt out some DVDs from the period. I don’t know if I’ve accomplished it, that’s for others to judge as I said above, but I know I’ve enjoyed it, and that’s a good sign!

Q) Finally have you got any upcoming projects you can tell us a little about?
A) Yes, lots! My brother and I have a graphic novel coming out in October, illustrated by the legendary John Higgins. It’s called Dark Satanic Mills and should appeal to Whovians, I think. I also have a new YA novel in October, called She Is Not Invisible, which is a strange little book exploring the question of coincidence.

We’d like to say a big thank you to Marcus for answering our questions, and you can find out more about his projects here. The Spear of Destiny will be available to download tomorrow, 23rd March. A paperback anthology of the shorts will go on sale in November.

Share your 50th anniversary hopes and dreams in our dedicated discussion…