Pugwash Ahoy!
Published in Radio Times in 1965, Pugwash Ahoy! marked the first ever published crossover between Doctor Who and another fictional series - a bizarre meeting between William Hartnell’s Doctor, Captain Pugwash, a Dalek and a Zarbi.
Pugwash Ahoy!
Captian Pugwash Radio Times Comic Strip
“I’m sorry Doctor… You’re in the wrong place… and the wrong century… and the wrong page of the Radio Times!”
Captain Pugwash was a long-running comic and animated series created by the cartoonist John Ryan. Although the characters first appeared in The Eagle, Captain Pugwash became a regular feature of Radio Times in 1957. As a permanent feature of the magazine, it was often used in small crossovers to promote other TV shows airing that week using topical references. One such example was Pugwash Ahoy!, published in issue 2159 of Radio Times, and the issue was largely devoted to the Doctor Who serial The Crusade.
The comic itself is extremely short, being a mere three panels. After the Doctor lands his TARDIS on the deck of The Black Pig, Captain Pugwash attempts to figure out who this strange man is. He finds the answer in his Who’s Who book, and informs the befuddled Doctor that he is in the wrong place. Matters begin to escalate when Captain Pugwash’s crew take aim at the Doctor, a Zarbi and a Dalek.
Although extremely short, the strip is significant in the history of Doctor Who due to being the first published crossover between Doctor Who and another fictional series. It was produced barely a year and a half into the programme’s run, and it demonstrates how rapidly Doctor Who had become part of children’s media through promotions. The dedication of a large part of this issue of the Radio Times reflects the programme’s popularity at the time, with the serial attracting audience of just below 10 million viewers during its 1965 transmission.
This short comic is available through the Radio Times archive, and was released as a bonus as part of The Collection - Season 2. Although it is easily accessible digitally, it is near impossible to find an original physical edition. The digital version was archived by this collection.