A number of Doctor Who annuals have been published from 1965 onwards. They have printed fiction, comics and features based on Doctor Who in the form of a slim hardback volume. The annuals were hardbound books priced at pocket money prices and released near autumn, in time for the Christmas market. Usually a mix of prose and comic strip stories intended for children, they also contained puzzles, quizzes, games and a varying amount of filler material usually having little connection with Doctor Who. From the late 1960s through to the late 1980s (with the exception of 1972), World Distributors, Ltd published Doctor Who Annual. The often notoriously bizarre stories and comics sometimes went in very strange directions and companions portrayed in the illustrations and descriptions of regular characters often bore little resemblance to their actors. The Doctor Who annuals were published each September between 1966 and 1979, after which it moved to an August publication schedule for the remain