BBC Books

BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The imprint has been active since the 1980s.

Via its Ebury Publishing division, Random House publishes a range of books connected to BBC radio and television programming, including cookery, natural history, lifestyle, and behind the scenes "making-of" books. There are also some non-programme related biographies and autobiographies of various well-known personalities in its list.

Amongst BBC Books' best known titles are cookery books by former TV cook Delia Smith, wildlife titles by Sir David Attenborough and gardening titles by Alan Titchmarsh.

Doctor Who

Since 1996, BBC Books has also produced a range of tie-in novels connected to the television science-fiction series "Doctor Who", the only full-length fiction to be printed by the company. Their first release related to the series was a novelisation of the 1996 "Doctor Who" telemovie published in the spring of 1996. Then, in 1997, BBC Books launched two concurrent series of books, the Eighth Doctor Adventures (EDA) (featuring the then-current incarnation of the Doctor), and the Past Doctor Adventures (PDA), featuring the seven previous incarnations. Between 1997 and 2005 approximately 150 original novels were published for both lines, combined. BBC Books also launched a short-lived line of "Doctor Who"-related short story collections called "Short Trips"; Big Finish Productions later obtained the rights to publish these books and that series continues as of 2006.

In 2005, BBC Books began to phase out the EDA and PDA lines as it launched a new series of books (informally dubbed the New Series Adventures) based upon the newly-revived television series. Featuring the Ninth Doctor, the new books were published in hardback (as opposed to the EDA, PDA and "Short Trips" lines that were exclusively paperback releases). The Eighth Doctor line was discontinued during the summer of 2005, followed by the final Past Doctor Adventure in November. Beginning in 2006, BBC Books continued the New Series Adventures, now featuring the Tenth Doctor, with no word (as of February 2007) whether any more Past Doctor Adventures are planned. The books continue to be published in hardback, with the exception of three novellas, "I Am a Dalek", "Made of Steel" and "Revenge of the Judoon", which are paperback releases under a series called Quick Reads.

In January 2007, BBC Books launched a new line of original novels based upon the "Doctor Who" spin-off series, "Torchwood". These books are also being published exclusively in hardcover and, like the TV series itself, are aimed at an older audience.

In May 2008, BBC Books issued its first original made-for-audio "Doctor Who" adventure, "Pest Control", which was released as part of the Tenth Doctor Adventures line and read by David Tennant.

New ownership

In 2006, the Ebury Publishing division of Random House acquired a majority shareholding in BBC Books. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2006/06_june/bbc_books.shtml]

External websites

* [http://www.eburypublishing.co.uk/bbc_books.html About BBC Books]