Paul Simpson has been appointed the new Range Editor of Obverse Books’ successful Black Archive range, alongside Philip Purser-Hallard, James Cooray Smith, and publisher, Stuart Douglas.
The Black Archive was launched in March 2016 as a series of critical monographs on individual Doctor Who serials; the first title was Jon Arnold’s Rose, while subsequent releases include Simon Guerrier’s The Evil of the Daleks, Ian Millsted’s Black Orchid, and The God Complex by Paul Driscoll. It started out as a bi-monthly project, but its popularity has meant it’s moved to a monthly schedule and gained a sister range, The Silver Archive (which turns the focus on other popular shows, like A For Andromeda, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Stone Tape). Stuart Douglas says:

“When we realised that we would need to take on a third Range Editor to cope with our new schedule, Phil and I both immediately thought of Paul. His wide and detailed knowledge of genre television has already proven invaluable on previous Archives, and I’m very much looking forward to see what he can bring out of our authors as editor.”

Simpson has actually been helping the Black Archive from behind-the-scenes for a little while, as well as being the managing editor of Sci-Fi Bulletin. Paul has over 30 books to his name, and has worked with the BBC, Titan, and Virgin Books.
Phil Purser-Hallard, the Black Archive’s founding Range Editor and author of The Black Archive: Dark Water/ Death in Heaven, said:

“I’m delighted that Paul’s stepping up his involvement in the Black Archive – he’s an excellent editor, and a wise and knowledgeable Doctor Who fan. With our increased output of titles this year and into 2019, we will be relying on him to help us maintain the high standards our readers have come to expect.”

Paul adds:

“Even for someone who’s been a fan of Doctor Who since the late 1960s, the Black Archive has been a constant source of new ways of looking at the show, and I’m looking forward to working with Stuart, Jim, Phil and the writers on the forthcoming Archives.”

Upcoming Black Archive titles include Una McCormack’s The Curse of Fenric, Kara Dennison’s Heaven Sent, and Matt Barber’s The Dæmons. The schedule for late 2019 and early 2020 is expected to be announced later this year.
To find out more about the range, head over to Obverse Books now!