Editing Iris Wildthyme (section)

==History==
Iris Wildthyme first appears in one of Magrs's non-genre novels, ''Marked for Life'',<ref name="sfo">[http://www.sci-fi-online.com/reviews/audio/05-11-27_WildthymeLarge.htm Wildthyme at Large]</ref> as a lesbian novelist who has lived for far longer than a normal lifespan.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UxUtJJKycRoC&dq=%22Iris+Wildthyme%22&pg=PA140 "Hypothetical Hills", in ''Territories of Desire in Queer Culture: Refiguring Contemporary Boundaries''], James Knowles, pp.133, 140</ref> At the end of the novel, Iris Wildthyme seems to die and then become a baby in a scene reminiscent of [[Time Lord#Physical characteristics|regeneration]]. The infant Iris appears in later books by Magrs taking place in the same Phoenix Court setting, and an apparently adult version re-appears in the story "Hospitality", in the collection ''Iris: Abroad''.

Iris's first ''Doctor Who'' appearance is in the short story "[[BBC Short Trips#Short Trips|Old Flames]]", where she meets the [[Fourth Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]. [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]] already knows Iris as an "old friend", and she is seen to be travelling in a 20th-century [[London]] [[AEC Routemaster]] [[double-decker bus]] (the [[London Buses route 22|route 22]] to [[Putney Common]]), which is, in reality, her [[TARDIS]].<ref name="iwho">{{cite book |title=I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels |last=Pearson |first=Lars |author-link=Lars Pearson  |edition=1st |year=1999 |publisher=[[Mad Norwegian Press]] |location=Des Moines, Iowa |isbn=0-9673746-0-X}}</ref><ref name="ahistory" />

The character was described as "a studied affront" to existing ''Doctor Who'' texts<ref name="britton">Britton, Piers, [https://books.google.com/books?id=S89yHFl57uQC&pg=PA200 TARDISbound: Navigating the Universes of Doctor Who], IB Tauris, p.200</ref> and "an ethical challenge" to some of the series' "main inconsistencies".<ref name="britton2">Britton, Piers, [https://books.google.com/books?id=S89yHFl57uQC&pg=PA200 TARDISbound: Navigating the Universes of Doctor Who], IB Tauris p.201</ref> In 2011, ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'' called Iris Wildthyme one of the 'Top 5 Spinoff Companions' and said 'her adventures (with the Doctor, and in her own line of books) are a joy'.<ref name="top5">[http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/11/23/the-ultimate-doctor-who-top-fives/2/ SFX - The Ultimate Dr Who Top Fives], SFX, November 2011</ref>

Iris was featured at length in ''[[The Scarlet Empress (novel)|The Scarlet Empress]]''<ref name="dwm269">"Shelf Life", Dave Owen, Doctor Who Magazine No. 269, August 1998</ref> and ''[[The Blue Angel (novel)|The Blue Angel]]'',<ref name="dwm282">"Shelf Life", Dave Owen, Doctor Who Magazine No. 282, August 1999</ref> and went on to appear in several more short stories and novels in the [[BBC Books]] range, most recently ''[[Mad Dogs and Englishmen (Doctor Who)|Mad Dogs and Englishmen]]'' in 2002.<ref name="ahistory">{{cite book |title=AHistory: An Unauthorized History of the ''Doctor Who'' universe |last=Parkin |first=Lance |author-link=Lance Parkin |author2=Lars Pearson |author2-link=Lars Pearson |edition=2nd |year=2007 |publisher=[[Mad Norwegian Press]] |location=Des Moines, Iowa |isbn=978-0-9759446-6-0}}</ref><ref name="dwm312">"Preview: Mad Dogs and Englishmen", Paul Magrs, Doctor Who Magazine No. 312, January 2002</ref><ref name="dwm314">"The DWM Review", Doctor Who Magazine No. 314, February 2002</ref>

Since then the character has been the subject of a number of short story anthologies, edited by Magrs and others, published by [[Obverse Books]] and one by [[Big Finish Productions]],<ref name="wot">[http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/wildthyme-on-top-158?range=12 Big Finish - Wildthyme on Top]</ref> and two novels published by [[Snowbooks]].<ref name="snow1">[http://www.snowbooks.com/webs/471#nav=0 Snowbooks - Enter Wildthyme!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615165943/http://www.snowbooks.com/webs/471 |date=2013-06-15 }}</ref><ref name="snow2">[http://www.snowbooks.com/webs/525#nav=0 Snowbooks - Wildthyme Beyond!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825110618/http://www.snowbooks.com/webs/525 |date=2013-08-25 }}</ref>

In 2001, [[Philip Purser-Hallard]] submitted a proposal for a novel, ''Iris Wildthyme in the City of the Saved'', which would have seen Iris in a hedonistic artificial world at the end of time where all people are resurrected and made immortal. It was rejected as an Iris Wildthyme novel range was considered unviable at the time. Purser-Hallard reused elements of the story in 2002's ''[[The Book of the War]]'' (in which Iris appears as an unnamed traveller) and 2004's ''[[Of the City of the Saved...]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infinitarian.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/iriscity.html|title=Iris Wildthyme in the City of the Saved - Rejected Novel Proposal|last=Purser-Hallard|first=Philip|author-link=Philip Purser-Hallard|work=infinitarian.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk|date=2001|access-date=26 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218193226/http://www.infinitarian.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/iriscity.html|archive-date=18 December 2014}}</ref>

In 2002, the character started appearing as an occasional crossover character in audio plays by [[Big Finish Productions]], where she is voiced by [[Katy Manning]].<ref name="manning">[http://www.katymanning.co.uk/ Katy Manning CV]</ref><ref>Sandifer, pp. 274–275</ref>  Following the casting of Manning in the role, imagery of the character used by Big Finish (and, later, Obverse Books) on packaging and covers now depicts Manning's likeness.<ref name="bf">[http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/iris-wildthyme Big Finish - Iris Wildthyme]</ref>

The character has appeared as the main character in five "seasons" of audio dramas, released respectively in 2005, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2015,<ref name="bf" /> along with a 2009 Christmas special.<ref name="bf2">[http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/iris-wildthyme-and-the-claws-of-santa-100?range=12 The Claws of Santa]</ref><ref name="kmnews">[http://www.fantomfilms.co.uk/katy/news.htm Katy Manning News and Event] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130707041742/http://www.fantomfilms.co.uk/katy/news.htm |date=2013-07-07 }}</ref>  Each release of the second season is a pastiche of a decade of televised ''Doctor Who'', from the 1960s through to the 1990s.  The 2012 release ''[[Iris Rides Out]]'' is a crossover with the out-of-copyright character [[Carnacki|Carnacki the Ghost-Finder]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/series-3-box-set-727 |title=Series 3 Box Set |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=August 2012 |website=[[Big Finish Productions]] |access-date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

Although in some of her early appearances (including ''[[Verdigris (novel)|Verdigris]]'' and ''[[Wildthyme on Top]]'') Iris is accompanied by her companion Tom (played on audio by [[Ortis Deley]]), her usual foil in her Big Finish, Obverse Books and Snowbooks appearances is Panda, a 10-inch-tall sentient, stuffed toy (played on audio by [[David Benson]]).<ref name="interviewbenson">"Soho Stories", Clayton Littlewood, Polarimagazine, Feb 2010</ref>