Twitter gets some bad press, but it can be a wonderful place – especially for fans of Doctor Who. Oh sure, you’ll find more trolls than in a Grimm’s tale, but there are some great tweeters (is that a word?) out there too. And this is our chance to point you in the direction of clever, compelling, and comical folk to follow.
Our very first Follow Friday is former Doctor Who Magazine editor, Clayton Hickman!
Clayton is the longest-serving editor of DWM, taking up the position in 2002 and leaving the publication in 2007. This meant he oversaw the comic strips for Doctors Eight, Nine, and Ten, turning down Russell T. Davies’ offer to include the Eighth Doctor’s regeneration in the final installment of The Flood. That might sound a mental thing to do, but it was actually perfect: just read the collected graphic novels if you’re in any doubt. Plus of course, it would’ve meant a swift departure for his companion, Destrii, and we never would’ve got The Night of the Doctor.
He’s also responsible for some of the best Doctor Who books of late: the sadly-cancelled range of annual Storybooks (the first of which featured a short by Steven Moffat which became the inspiration for Listen), and 2011 and 2012’s The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who.
Furthermore, Clay designed the covers for the Classic Doctor Who DVD range until 2012, and contributed to Big Finish numerous times as designer and co-writer with Gareth Roberts. The pair also wrote for The Sarah Jane Adventures, including the 2009 Comic Relief sketch, From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love – which starred the late Ronnie Corbett.
Anyone who’s ever met him at conventions will know what a genuinely warm and witty chap he is – and that’s exactly why you should follow him on Twitter. His tweets are frequently tongue-in-cheek…
— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) March 12, 2016
While also reveling in Doctor Who‘s history…
A cautionary tale of what would happen most days if Dr Who, Ian & Barbara shared a flat with the Daleks. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/Kqn7MPTeWK
— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) March 26, 2016
Best newspaper story of all time. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/MSemDMb1oZ
— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) March 20, 2016
Always loved that BBC 'space-age' sofa from Robots of Death & B7. Turns out it's a 1973 Swiss design. A snip at £15k pic.twitter.com/ppN4EEKor5
— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) March 12, 2016
And yes, you’ll learn quite a bit too. His impressive knowledge of the show dwarfs the vast majority of fandom, so you’ll always find something new, including some great photos.
Always think this Chase pic looks like it should come from an amazing archaeologists-dig-up-Dalek story we never got pic.twitter.com/oCjH9xNQb1
— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) March 28, 2016
Galled me that I got Eurostile's spelling & width wrong in my #DoctorWho font GIF. So I redid it. Nicer. With logos. pic.twitter.com/nHkY30pz63
— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) March 30, 2016
That tweet about typefaces is a particular favourite.
You can find Clayton: @claytonhickman.
