Mike Tucker
Encyclopedia
Mike Tucker is a special effects expert who worked for many years at the BBC Television
Visual Effects Department, and now works as an Effects Supervisor for his own company, The Model Unit. He is also the author of a variety of spin-offs
relating to the television series Doctor Who
and novelisations based on episodes of the television series 'Merlin'. He sometimes co-writes with Robert Perry.
, Top of the Pops
, EastEnders
, The Singing Detective
, Proust and Tomorrow's World
among many others. He was one of the principal effects crew for Red Dwarf
series 1 - 7 and worked as an effects assistant on the final four series of the original Doctor Who. His association with Doctor Who continued long after the series was "rested" by the BBC, working on the Children in Need
special Dimensions in Time
.
He became a fully fledged effects supervisor in the early 1990s, handling the effects for shows including 'I Was a Rat', '999 International', 'Raging Planet' and 'Twister Week'. Starting to specialise in miniature effects he went on to handle model sequences for 'Egypt's Golden Empire', 'Disasters at Sea', 'Nelson's Island' 'Billy and the Fighter Boys', 'Hiroshima' and 'The Brighton Bomb'.
In 2005, Tucker became the first person to work on the original series of Doctor Who to work on the revived version starring Christopher Eccleston
as model work supervisor, work which continues to the present day. Following the closure of the BBC effects department in 2001 he set up his own company 'The Model Unit' based at Ealing Studios
and has since contributed miniature effects sequences for the Munich air disaster
segment of BBC's 'Surviving Disaster' series, 'Krakatoa - The Last Days', also for the BBC, 'Moonshot' and 'Primeval' for ITV and 'Human Body - Pushing the Limits' and 'Clash of the Dinosaurs' for the Discovery Channel.
In May 2006, Tucker won a BAFTA Craft Award
for his special effects work on the drama-documentary Hiroshima.
In July 2008 Tucker was part of the team nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Television Series for his work on the "Strength" episode of Discovery Channel's 'Human Body - Pushing the Limits'.
the non-fiction book Ace! about the final season of the original Doctor Who. This was quickly followed by the short story Question Mark Pyjamas in the second volume of the Virgin Decalog
anthology series: this was the first story that Tucker wrote with his longtime writing partner Robert Perry. This was followed by several stories for the BBC Short Trips
anthology, again all co-written with Perry.
In October 1997, the first book in Tucker and Perry's self-styled Season 27 run was publish as part of BBC Books
' Past Doctor Adventures
series. The book, Illegal Alien
, was rumoured to be based on a script which was in consideration for production had a twenty-seventh season of Doctor Who gone ahead. Tucker and Perry continued to write their Season 27 stories, with the novels Matrix
(1998), Storm Harvest
(1999), Prime Time
(2000, written by Tucker alone) and Loving the Alien
(2003).
The fourth book in the series, Prime Time, was Tucker's first novel written without Robert Perry, and instigated an arc that continued in Dale Smith's Heritage
before ending in Loving the Alien, for which Perry returned. It sparked some small controversy amongst Doctor Who fans for stating that the Ace
's last name was Gale: Ace's surname was never established on screen, but her creator Ian Briggs
suggested that if one was needed then Gale should be used as he saw the character as a parallel to Dorothy Gale
from The Wizard of Oz
. However, the Virgin New Adventures
established after the end of the original series that Ace's last name was McShane, and Tucker's change was interpreted as an attempt to remove the New Adventures from the nebulous Doctor Who canon. Tucker, however, stated that the error was due to him not having known of the McShane last name, and later books have attempted to establish that Ace's full name is Dorothy Gale McShane.
Between writing his novels, Tucker also wrote for Big Finish Productions
' audio adventures, writing the audios The Genocide Machine
in 1999 and Dust Breeding
in 2001. Dust Breeding featured the return of the Krill, a race of aliens created for Storm Harvest, and also Bev Tarrent, a character from his previous audio. Tucker has also written for Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield
and Tomorrow People range of audios.
During this period, Mike also had a brief stint as a university academic, giving multiple lectures on science fiction and other topics. Later, in 2003, Tucker and Perry also wrote the novella
Companion Piece
for Telos Publishing Ltd.
's range of Doctor Who books
, again for the Seventh Doctor but introducing a new companion, Catherine Broome.
More recent Doctor Who books are the Tenth Doctor
novels The Nightmare of Black Island
(his first published Doctor Who book not featuring the Seventh Doctor) and Snowglobe 7
. He has also contributed comic strips to the magazines Doctor Who - Battles in Time and Doctor Who Adventures.
Away from Doctor Who he has recently novelised the 'Merlin' episodes 'Valiant', 'The Labyrinth of Gedref' and 'The Traitor Within' for Random House and co-authored (with Mat Irvine) the History of the BBC Visual Effects Department for Aurum Press.
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
Visual Effects Department, and now works as an Effects Supervisor for his own company, The Model Unit. He is also the author of a variety of spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
relating to the television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and novelisations based on episodes of the television series 'Merlin'. He sometimes co-writes with Robert Perry.
Effects work
Tucker's early work for the BBC was as a holiday relief assistant on the 1982 history series Timewatch. Following this, he became a full time member of the BBC Visual Effects Department working on practical effects and models for a range of BBC programmes including CasualtyCasualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, The Singing Detective
The Singing Detective
The Singing Detective is a BBC television miniseries written by Dennis Potter, which stars Michael Gambon, and was directed by Jon Amiel. The six episodes were "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It"....
, Proust and Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series, showcasing new developments in the world of science and technology. First aired on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.- Content :...
among many others. He was one of the principal effects crew for Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
series 1 - 7 and worked as an effects assistant on the final four series of the original Doctor Who. His association with Doctor Who continued long after the series was "rested" by the BBC, working on the Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
special Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders that ran in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993. It was filmed on the EastEnders Albert Square set, and features several of the stars of that programme...
.
He became a fully fledged effects supervisor in the early 1990s, handling the effects for shows including 'I Was a Rat', '999 International', 'Raging Planet' and 'Twister Week'. Starting to specialise in miniature effects he went on to handle model sequences for 'Egypt's Golden Empire', 'Disasters at Sea', 'Nelson's Island' 'Billy and the Fighter Boys', 'Hiroshima' and 'The Brighton Bomb'.
In 2005, Tucker became the first person to work on the original series of Doctor Who to work on the revived version starring Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is an English stage, film and television actor. His films include Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra...
as model work supervisor, work which continues to the present day. Following the closure of the BBC effects department in 2001 he set up his own company 'The Model Unit' based at Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
and has since contributed miniature effects sequences for the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
segment of BBC's 'Surviving Disaster' series, 'Krakatoa - The Last Days', also for the BBC, 'Moonshot' and 'Primeval' for ITV and 'Human Body - Pushing the Limits' and 'Clash of the Dinosaurs' for the Discovery Channel.
In May 2006, Tucker won a BAFTA Craft Award
British Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
for his special effects work on the drama-documentary Hiroshima.
In July 2008 Tucker was part of the team nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Television Series for his work on the "Strength" episode of Discovery Channel's 'Human Body - Pushing the Limits'.
Writing work
Tucker's first writing work was co-writing with Sophie AldredSophie Aldred
Sophie Aldred is an English actress and television presenter, best known for her portrayal of The Doctor's companion Ace in the television series Doctor Who during the late 1980s.-Early life:...
the non-fiction book Ace! about the final season of the original Doctor Who. This was quickly followed by the short story Question Mark Pyjamas in the second volume of the Virgin Decalog
Virgin Decalog
The Virgin Decalog books were collections of short stories published by Virgin Publishing based on the television series Doctor Who: they gained their name from the fact that each volume contained ten stories...
anthology series: this was the first story that Tucker wrote with his longtime writing partner Robert Perry. This was followed by several stories for the BBC Short Trips
BBC Short Trips
The BBC Short Trips books were a series of short story anthologies published by BBC Books based on the television series Doctor Who, following a pattern established by Virgin Publishing's Decalog collections. Three volumes were published between March 1998 and March 2000, before the BBC decided to...
anthology, again all co-written with Perry.
In October 1997, the first book in Tucker and Perry's self-styled Season 27 run was publish as part of BBC Books
BBC Books
BBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
' Past Doctor Adventures
Past Doctor Adventures
The Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
series. The book, Illegal Alien
Illegal Alien (Doctor Who)
Illegal Alien is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Ace, as well as the Cybermen....
, was rumoured to be based on a script which was in consideration for production had a twenty-seventh season of Doctor Who gone ahead. Tucker and Perry continued to write their Season 27 stories, with the novels Matrix
Matrix (Doctor Who novel)
Matrix is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Summary:...
(1998), Storm Harvest
Storm Harvest
Storm Harvest is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Ace....
(1999), Prime Time
Prime Time (Doctor Who)
Prime Time is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Ace.-Synopsis:...
(2000, written by Tucker alone) and Loving the Alien
Loving the Alien (Doctor Who)
Loving the Alien is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker & Robert Perry and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Ace.- Trivia :...
(2003).
The fourth book in the series, Prime Time, was Tucker's first novel written without Robert Perry, and instigated an arc that continued in Dale Smith's Heritage
Heritage (Doctor Who)
Heritage is a BBC Books original novel written by first-time novelist Dale Smith and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Ace.-Plot:...
before ending in Loving the Alien, for which Perry returned. It sparked some small controversy amongst Doctor Who fans for stating that the Ace
Ace (Doctor Who)
Dorothy Gale McShane, better known by her nickname Ace, is a fictional character played by Sophie Aldred in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
's last name was Gale: Ace's surname was never established on screen, but her creator Ian Briggs
Ian Briggs
Ian Briggs is a television writer who has written for BBC programmes Casualty and Doctor Who.Briggs wrote two serials for Doctor Who, Dragonfire and The Curse of Fenric, both featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor...
suggested that if one was needed then Gale should be used as he saw the character as a parallel to Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
from The Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
. However, the Virgin New Adventures
Virgin New Adventures
The Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
established after the end of the original series that Ace's last name was McShane, and Tucker's change was interpreted as an attempt to remove the New Adventures from the nebulous Doctor Who canon. Tucker, however, stated that the error was due to him not having known of the McShane last name, and later books have attempted to establish that Ace's full name is Dorothy Gale McShane.
Between writing his novels, Tucker also wrote for Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
' audio adventures, writing the audios The Genocide Machine
The Genocide Machine
The Genocide Machine is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It forms the first serial in the Dalek Empire arc, which continues in The Apocalypse Element and The Mutant Phase...
in 1999 and Dust Breeding
Dust Breeding
Dust Breeding is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.The story marks the return of Caroline John to Doctor Who and the introduction of the Master to the Big Finish continuity.-Plot:The Seventh Doctor's diary has a...
in 2001. Dust Breeding featured the return of the Krill, a race of aliens created for Storm Harvest, and also Bev Tarrent, a character from his previous audio. Tucker has also written for Big Finish's 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...
and Tomorrow People range of audios.
During this period, Mike also had a brief stint as a university academic, giving multiple lectures on science fiction and other topics. Later, in 2003, Tucker and Perry also wrote the novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
Companion Piece
Companion Piece
Companion Piece is an original novella written by Robert Perry and Mike Tucker and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Catherine. It was released both as a standard edition hardback and a deluxe edition featuring a...
for Telos Publishing Ltd.
Telos Publishing Ltd.
Telos Publishing Ltd. is a publishing company, originally established by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, with their first publication being a horror anthology based on the television series Urban Gothic in 2001...
's range of Doctor Who books
Telos Doctor Who novellas
The Telos Doctor Who novellas were a series of tie-in novellas based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, officially licensed by the BBC and published by Telos Publishing Ltd...
, again for the Seventh Doctor but introducing a new companion, Catherine Broome.
More recent Doctor Who books are the Tenth Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
novels The Nightmare of Black Island
The Nightmare of Black Island
The Nightmare of Black Island is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and based on the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was published on September 21, 2006, alongside The Art of Destruction and The Price of Paradise...
(his first published Doctor Who book not featuring the Seventh Doctor) and Snowglobe 7
Snowglobe 7
Snowglobe 7 is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and based on the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. It was published on 10 April 2008, alongside Martha in the Mirror and The Many Hands.- Synopsis :Snowglobe 7 is...
. He has also contributed comic strips to the magazines Doctor Who - Battles in Time and Doctor Who Adventures.
Away from Doctor Who he has recently novelised the 'Merlin' episodes 'Valiant', 'The Labyrinth of Gedref' and 'The Traitor Within' for Random House and co-authored (with Mat Irvine) the History of the BBC Visual Effects Department for Aurum Press.