Book picks similar to
Doctor Who: the Pandorica Opens: Exploring the Worlds of the Eleventh Doctor by Frank Collins
doctor-who
non-fiction
criticism
essays
Script Doctor: The Inside Story of Doctor Who 1986-89
Andrew Cartmel - 2005
For fans, this book is a unique insight into an area of the show's history that has previously been shrouded in mystery. For those with a wider interest in the creative processes of television drama, it is a fascinating account of the individual's creative vision at odds with the machinery of broadcasting. It features a foreword by the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.
TARDIS Eruditorum - A Critical History of Doctor Who Volume 1: William Hartnell
Elizabeth Sandifer - 2011
TARDIS Eruditorum tells the ongoing story of Doctor Who from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present day, pushing beyond received wisdom and fan dogma to understand that story not just as the story of a geeky sci-fi show but as the story of an entire line of mystical, avant-garde, and radical British culture. It treats Doctor Who as a show that really is about everything that has ever happened, and everything that ever will. This volume focuses on the earliest years of the program, looking at how it emerged from the existing traditions of science fiction in the UK and how it quickly found its kinship with the emerging counterculture of the 1960s. Every essay from the Hartnell era has been revised and expanded from its original form, and the eight new essays exclusive to the collected edition have been augmented by a further eleven, providing nineteen book-exclusive essays on topics like what happened before An Unearthly Child, whether the lead character's name is really Doctor Who, and how David Whitaker created the idea of a Doctor Who novel. Plus, you'll learn: How acid-fueled occultism influenced the creation of the Cybermen. Why The Celestial Toymaker is irredeemably racist. The Problem of Susan Foreman
Running Through Corridors, Volume 1: The 60s - Rob and Toby's Marathon Watch of Doctor Who
Robert Shearman - 2010
In Running Through Corridors, two Doctor Who lovers of old - Robert Shearman and Toby Hadoke - embark on an epic quest of friendship: spend the gap year of 2009 (when Doctor Who consisted of a handful of specials rather than a full season) re-watching the whole of Who two episodes a day, every day, from the show's start in 1963 and ending with David Tennant's swan song on New Year's, 2010.This three-volume series contains Shearman and Hadoke's diary of that experience - a grand opus of their wry observations about the show, their desire to see the good in every story, and their chronicle of the real-life changes to Who in that year.With this book, Who fans will feel that they're watching along with Shearman (World Fantasy Award winner, Hugo Award nominee and writer on the new Doctor Who) and Hadoke (renowned stage performer for his one-man comedy show, Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf) as they make their grand journey through the world's most wonderful and longest-running drama series.
About Time 1: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who
Tat Wood - 2006
Written by Lawrence Miles (Faction Paradox) and long-time sci-fi commentator Tat Wood, About Time focuses on the continuity of Doctor Who (its characters, alien races and the like), but also examines the show as a work of social commentary. In particular, Miles and Wood dissect the politics and social issues that shaped the show during its unprecedented 26-year run (from 1963 to 1989), detailing how the issues of the day influenced this series. As part of this grand opus, About Time 1 examines Doctor Who Seasons 1 to 3 (1963 to 1966) -- the show's every beginnings, with William Hartnell in the lead role. Among other things, About Time 1 answers such vitally important Who questions as Where (and When) is Gallifrey? and Why Couldn't the BBC Just Have Spent More Money?
Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It
Lynne M. ThomasJody Lynn Nye - 2010
These essays will delight male and female readers alike by delving into the extraordinary aspects of being a female Doctor Who enthusiast. Essays include Carole E. Barrowman discussing what it was like to grow up with her brother John (including the fact that he's still afraid of shop-window dummies), columnist Jackie Jenkins providing a Bridget Jones' Diary-style memoir of working on Doctor Who Magazine, novelist Lloyd Rose analyzing Rose's changes between the ninth and tenth Doctors and much more. Other contributors include Elizabeth Bear (Jenny Casey), Lisa Bowerman (Bernice Summerfield), Mary Robinette Kowal (Shades of Milk and Honey), Jody Lynn Nye (Mythology series), Kate Orman (Seeing I), and Catherynne M. Valente (The Orphan's Tales). Also featured is a comic from the Torchwood Babiez creators, plus interviews with Doctor Who companions India Fisher (Charley) and Sophie Aldred (Ace).
Doctor Who: The Key to Time - A Year by Year Record
Peter Haining - 1984
It is a familiar and much-loved British institution that after more than twenty years continues to enjoy enormous success both at home and abroad.The Key to Time marks the programme's coming of age — twenty-one years old on 23 November 1984. Peter Haining has adopted the novel technique of exploring the history of the series through key dates in its many life-cycles. He demonstrates — with extensive reference to files kept in the Doctor Who Production Office — how much a part of British life the programme has become, and how the impact of this extraordinary phenomenon has travelled further afield. He traces the many changes the series has undergone since the first episode was broadcast in November 1963 — not only in terms of regenerated Doctors but also new methods of programme-making. The beginning of the Jon Pertwee era coincided with the switchover from black-and-white to colour, but Peter Haining also gives details of how many of the special effects were achieved, and how this initially modest television series pioneered techniques used in the multi-million-dollar Star Wars.The enthusiastic support of viewers all over the world has contributed to Doctor Who's long and happy life, and The Key to Time includes tributes from fans in Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States, in the form of drawings and sketches inspired by the series.This extensively illustrated special publication, with twenty-four pages of colour photographs, is a superb follow-up to the runaway success of W.H. Allen's Doctor Who: A Celebration.
Doctor Who: The Inside Story
Gary Russell - 2006
This book is the definitive account of how the new Doctor Who came to our screens. Gary Russell has talked to everyone on the show from David Tennant, to executive producer Russell T Davies, to the people normally hidden inside the monster suits.With unparalleled access to design drawings, backstage photographs, costume designs, previously unpublished photographs and with an in-depth look at each of the 26 episodes of series one and two, as well as an exclusive look ahead to the Christmas special and series three, this is the book no Doctor Who fan can afford to be without.
Doctor Who - The Vault: Treasures from the First 50 Years
Marcus Hearn - 2013
The Doctors Are In: The Essential and Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who's Greatest Time Lord
Graeme Burk - 2015
And yet the questions about him remain the same: Who is he? Why does he act the way he does? What motivates him to fight evil across space and time?The Doctors Are In is a guide to television’s most beloved time traveller from the authors of Who Is The Doctor and Who’s 50. This is a guide to the Doctor himself — who he is in his myriad forms, how he came to be, how he has changed (within the program itself and behind the scenes) . . . and why he’s a hero to millions.
Blue Box Boy
Matthew Waterhouse - 2010
What starts as a heart-warming story, of a boy growing up with Doctor Who as his trusted friend, engaging the reader memories and nostalgia that will be familiar to any Doctor Who fan, takes a sudden twist when he is thrust into an alien and adult world - cast as Doctor Who’s youngest ever travelling companion - for two of the series’ most inventive seasons. Matthew’s sense of wonder with his dream job and his love for the show are palpable; as is his shock at genuine hostilities between cast and crew members and considerable tensions on set, which are counterpointed with poignant reminders that he is just a boy, and still a fan, who finds himself in the absurd, comic world of minor celebrity.What follows is a story-by-story memoir of his time on the show, peppered with glimpses into Matthew's personal life, tales of conventions, DVD commentaries, and some revealing anecdotes about everyone from fellow actors to Doctor Who’s more high-profile fans.This memoir holds nothing back: written with honesty, warmth, a rapier wit and a good dose self-depreciation, the book is essential reading for any Doctor Who fan. Finally, we get to hear Matthew's side of a story which has been told and embellished and imagined by fans and fellow actors for years. This affectionate and darkly humourous memoir is a record of what it was like to make Doctor Who, and to work for the BBC in early '80s, and is proof that you can take the actor out of Doctor Who, but you can never quite take Doctor Who out of the actor...
Doctor Who: The Shooting Scripts
Russell T. Davies - 2005
This book collects together the entire shooting scripts for the first series. Seven of the scripts are by Russell T Davies, with the remainder by Steven Moffat, Robert Shearman, Paul Cornell and The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss. Each story contains the essential ingredients of time travel, adventure, and the mixing of the ordinary with the fantastical that have always characterized the series, while at the same time being thoroughly in tune with contemporary culture and society. This is a Doctor Who for an age defined by irony, technology and celebrity, and the shadow cast by 9/11. It is also cinematic, with fast cutting and special effects that will satisfy viewers brought up on contemporary film and television sci-fi. The shooting scripts give a unique insight into how the first series was visualized and acted. Alongside the exciting action sequences and dialogue are hints about the characters' emotions, and evocations of the settings in which their adventures take place.Pacey, atmospheric and thoroughly absorbing, these scripts practically read like novels. Each of the scripts is illustrated with full-colour screen grabs, ensuring the book appeals to broad audience. Introductions by the writers explain the inspirations for the first series and the fascinating process of creating a Doctor Who script. As the one book that ties directly into the first series, this is a must-have self-purchase or gift for all Doctor Who fans.
Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary
Jason Loborik - 2007
This highly successful title is now updated and expanded to include the latest Doctor Who lore from series three and four and the 2008 Christmas special.The book goes beyond the story lines to examine the characters, aliens, weapons and curiosities that are all in a day's work for the Doctor. Entries are illustrated with annotated photography and specially commissioned cross-section artworks.
Doctor Who The Visual Dictionary
updates the entries of old favorites like Davros and his Daleks, the rhino-headed Judoon and the Doctor's companions Martha Jones and Captain Jack. Forty additional pages introduce and explore all-new characters like the formidable Donna Noble, the Family of Blood and their Scarecrow Henchmen, the warmongering Sontaran and the childlike, but deadly, Toclafane.
Doctor Who: Who-ology
Cavan Scott - 2013
Packed with facts, figures and stories from the show's entire run, this unique tour of space and time takes you from Totters Lane to Trenzalore, taking in guides to UNIT call signs, details of the inner workings of sonic screwdrivers, and a reliability chart covering every element of the TARDIS. With tables, charts and illustrations dotted throughout, as well as fascinating lists and exhaustive detail, you won't believe the wonders that await. Are you ready? Then read on, you clever boy. And remember.
Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography
Elisabeth Sladen - 2011
David Tennant's foreword caps this warm, witty memoir — a fitting tribute to a woman who will be sadly missed by legions of fans. When Elisabeth Sladen first appeared as plucky journalist Sarah Jane Smith in 1973 Doctor Who story "The Time Warrior," little did she know the character would become one of the most enduring and fondly remembered in the series' history. Here she shares the story of her years as Sarah Jane—traversing time and space alongside classic Doctors Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, while a generation of children were terrified but transfixed as their heroine found herself menaced by Daleks, dinosaurs, Cybermen, man-eating alien flora, Egyptian mummies, extras in Bubble Wrap, and even the Loch Ness Monster. By the time she quit the TARDIS in 1976, making front page news, Elisabeth had become one of the most familiar faces of a TV golden age. But that wasn't the end of Sarah Jane. Elisabeth discusses the many times she has reprised her role—anniversary specials, a 1981 spin-off pilot with robotic sidekick K-9, and radio plays. She discusses touring the weird, wide, and wonderful world of Doctor Who fandom. And lastly, she shares details of Sarah Jane's most recent incarnation—when TV wunderkind Russell T. Davies approached her to come back again, this time to a Doctor Who backed by lavish budgets and garlanded with critical plaudits, how could she possibly say no? Funny, ridiculous, insightful, and entertaining, hers is the story of another girl, another planet, completed just months before she died.
The Crystal Bucket: Television Criticism from "The Observer," 1976-79
Clive James - 1981
His work is deeply perceptive, often outrageously funny and always compulsively readable.'Thus the judges of the British Press Awards, in naming Clive James Critic of the Year for 1981. The Crystal Bucket offers a further selection of his inimitable 'visions before midnight ...''C.J. didn't get where he is today just by being funny. He is humane, liberal and compassionate ... What he writes is always pertinent and always witty ... We own him a deep debt of gratitude.' —Gavin Ewart, Listener'Few critics have a more unerring ear for woolliness and doubletalk or a more scathing and entertaining way of dealing with it.' —Lesley Garner, Good Housekeeping'He is one of the most remarkable figures in British cultural life at the moment: a poet and gifted literary critic who is also genuinely liked by the mass audience.' —Michael Mason, London Review of Books'One of the few columnists who make you laugh aloud ... if there were angels he would be on their side: and that would certainly include Charlie’s Angels.' —Melvyn Bragg, Sunday Times