Eleven Doctors. Eleven months. Eleven authors. Eleven stories. A year long celebration for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who!

Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi TV show in the world and celebrates its 50th anniversary on 23rd November 2013. To celebrate, Puffin – in partnership with BBC Worldwide – is publishing an exclusive series of eleven ebook short stories each based on one of the Eleven Doctors, priced at £1.99 and to be released on the 23rd of each month starting in January 2013.

Each story is written by a different author, bringing together some of the most exciting names in children’s fiction. These authors will each bring their own interpretation and reimagining of their chosen Doctor to create a unique Doctor Who adventure in their own inimitable style.

The author of the first story, featuring the First Doctor played by William Hartnell (1963–1966), is Eoin Colfer, which is published on 23rd January 2013. The authors of the subsequent eshorts will be unveiled on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who Facebook page on the first Tuesday of every month throughout the year.  The next reveal will be the 5th February. A promotional video featuring the author will be released on the 11th of each month on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who YouTube channel.

A paperback anthology of the eleven ebook short stories, the Doctor Who Anniversary Anthology priced at £7.99 will publish, alongside the final eshort featuring the Eleventh Doctor, on 23rd November 2013.

Juliet Matthews, Publisher, Penguin Children’s says: ‘Penguin Children’s has been the proud home of children’s Doctor Who publishing for eight years and to be part of the 50th anniversary is incredibly exciting. We are delighted to have eleven sensational children’s authors involved in the series, all bringing an individual style, imagination and interpretation to their eshort tribute to The Doctor. This is a who’s who of children’s fiction coming together to celebrate the much-loved Doctor Who.’

"A Big Hand For The Doctor"
By Eoin Colfer
Published by Puffin on 23rd January 2013
Ebook, £1.99,
ISBN: 9781405912051

For readers aged 7+

Puffin is thrilled that Eoin Colfer will be launching this unique series with his story about the First Doctor. The author commented: “As a boy I had been reading the Doctor Who books for years before I ever saw a single episode and I found that the on-screen version of the First Doctor was almost identical to the version in my imagination.”

London. 1900. The First Doctor is missing his hand and his granddaughter, Susan. Faced with the search for Susan, a strange beam of soporific light, and a host of marauding Soul Pirates, the Doctor is promised a dangerous journey into a land he may never forget …

For further information about Eoin Colfer please visit www.eoincolfer.com.