With Doctor Who Magazine reaching Issue 500 last month, efforts were made to try to track down many of the title’s former contributors with whom we have since lost touch. Sadly, it has come to light that Roger Birchall, who was a full-time member of the DWM team between 1982 and 1985, passed away in 1998 at the tragically young age of 36.
The DWM team of 1984: assistant editor Roger Birchall, designer Jane Hindmarsh and editor Alan McKenzie
photographed by Steve Cook.
Roger was born in Chester on 30 August 1962, and came to work at Marvel Comics in London as a teenager. He was part of Doctor Who Magazine’s design team from Issue 63 onwards, but was later promoted to become the assistant editor from Issue 80 until 102, working initially with editor Alan McKenzie and later with Alan’s successor Cefn Ridout. After three years, Roger left the magazine in 1985. He moved to Cambridge in the 1990s, working as a reprographic technician. He married Elizabeth Fuller in August 1997 – but he died from cancer just over a year later, on 20 November 1998, sadly making him the first – and to date the only – full-time DWM staff-member to have died.