Peter Haining RIP

[Pip Madeley]

Sad news for those of a certain age - Peter Haining died of a heart attack yesterday, aged 67.

Some of the first books I ever read about Doctor Who were his work - A Celebration, The Key To Time, The Doctor Who File, 25 Glorious Years... a sad day.

[Dirk Gently]

I haven't read my copies of those books for such a long time.

Sad news.

R.I.P. Peter.

[SiHart]

It's a sad day for the Book Anthology world. His great genius was getting a bunch of disperate writers together to create his books- and you know what, for those few years in the 1980s, it was wonderful to get his Doctor Who books at the end of each year.
Doctor Who- A Celebration remains a favourite to this day, even though it's largely been superceded by other books. It was a landmark release and one of my favourite Doctor Who books. As Pip said, for those of us of a certain age, these were essential.

RIP.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

The Doctor Who File, A Celebration, 25 Glorious Years... Peter Haining's name was on the front of some of the most wonderfully exciting Doctor Who books.

Sad news

[Larry]

I muss confess to not knowing who Peter, is but non the less still a sad loss

R I P

[Stuart Wallis]

For a long time, The Key To Time was my favourite Doctor Who book, so i have a lot of fond memories of Peter.

[Stephen Morgan]

It's a sad day for the Book Anthology world. His great genius was getting a bunch of disperate writers together to create his books- and you know what, for those few years in the 1980s, it was wonderful to get his Doctor Who books at the end of each year.
Doctor Who- A Celebration remains a favourite to this day, even though it's largely been superceded by other books. It was a landmark release and one of my favourite Doctor Who books. As Pip said, for those of us of a certain age, these were essential.

RIP.

Si xx

I'm not familiar with Haining's other work, I gather he was quite prolific, but his Dr. Who books certainly were essential. Back in the days of just the Target books, and our memories of certain stories Dr. Who A Celebration was much anticipated. Those days in the run up to the 20th anniversary were very exciting times.
The book, along with The Key To Time has been much read by myself. I must take another look through them.

RIP Peter, a sad loss.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I certainly loved the Key to Time book. I remember reading the whole thing in a day or two when I got it, which wasn't bad going considering I must have been about 8 or 9 at the time. I remember the book with the TARDIS going through the cover too, although only as something leafed through in W H Smiths. I never got that one

[Captain Tancredi]

In accordance with his wishes, his remains will be scattered and re-used by other writers.

I suspect Haining himself would have thought of himself as a professional anthologist who just happened to be contracted to write one Who book after another, with diminishing amounts of originality. I've seen a few of his other books around and about, mostly TV or horror themed, and I think there's a definite skill to putting together a compilation of tit-bits which will please general readers and entertain enthusiasts. But his first two books were certainly much-needed at the time.

[P-Bal]

His books were legend! RIP.

[Lord President]

I read many of his books as a youngster, they taught me so much about DW before my time! RIP PH!

[Wayne]

I've only just seen this thread.
I'll raise my glass & say RIP to Peter Haining. Not only for his Who books, of which i used to own 2 or 3, but also for Horror Films anthologies, & also for this one which still resides on my shelf.

[Rob McCow]

Obituary at The Independent. Seems to portray him as the king of finding things out of copywrite. He also 'discovered' Philip Pullman and published his first story.