The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the Production of Doctor Who

Doctor Who: The Handbook #1-7

by David J. Howe, Stephen James Walker, Mark Stammers

The complete guide to the production of Doctor Who from 1963 to 1996 - in one bumper volume! On their first publication, the Doctor Who Handbooks were hailed for their comprehensive behind the scenes exploration of the BBC's cult science fiction show Doctor Who. Now collected in a revised and updated edition, this book is the definitive guide to the background and production of a television classic. Authors David J Howe, Stephen James Walker and Mark Stammers spent a decade researching, and then a decade writing this acclaimed and in-depth look at the background to Doctor Who. Every Doctor's era is examined through articles and analysis, key decisions are documented, and the people involved in these decisions interviewed or quoted to create one of the most revealing behind the scenes books on the trials and tribulations of arguably the greatest cult show ever to grace Saturday evening television. Includes extensive interview quotes from all eight television Doctors, many of the actors and actresses who played their faithful companions, and literally dozens of production team members - producers, script editors, directors, designers and other behind-the-scenes staff - who brought the original series and the 1996 TV movie to the screen over a period of some thirty-three years. Features articles on the Doctor, his companions, the effects, the locations, the costume design, the script editing, the mythos behind the series and much, much more. Includes detailed script to screen examinations of one story from each for the first seven Doctors' eras, analysis of the media attention given to the series, plus an exhaustive breakdown of the production of the first three years of the show.

Genres: Doctor Who

816 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[P.J. MacNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh look, another book with no reviews!

I didn't select the triple signed, deluxe, limited edition hardback version of this book by accident, I am actually one of only 500 proud owners of it in the entire world. I bought it on the day it came out in 2005, and I actually had to get it sent back here to the UK from Chicago, Illinois because all the UK suppliers were already sold out. Guess I should have got out of bed earlier, eh? It was advertised as coming in a lovely slipcover but I didn't get one and I'm still peeved about that. When I complained to those long-suffering guys at the Doctor Who Store (YES, there really is one!) they told me it didn't come with one, so I've never really been sure who got swindled, me or them?! Did your copy come with a slipcover? If it did, mine's probably worth half what I think it is. Bummer, eh?

How anyone can NOT give this book five stars is beyond me. It is one of the five best non-fiction Doctor Who books ever published. And I'm pretty sure I've got all of them. We have been so spoiled over the last 20 years. In the 70s there were hardly any non-fiction books at all. In the 80s they started coming out, but most of them were rubbish. In the 90s they finally started getting it right. And this book, which as you'll probably know is basically the original seven Virgin paperback handbooks from the 90s altogether in a single volume, revised, corrected, updated and expanded into something truly awesome and beautiful, is as close to perfection as a book without pictures can ever get. If you were going to be buried with a Doctor Who book in your hand, this is the that one a lot of us would choose.

I have a lot of interests, but Doctor Who was my first love. Love at first sight it was for me back in 1971. This is the great cornerstone of my 70s childhood. I have walked away from it altogether more than once, but no matter what kind of tripe they put on the TV it will always be in my heart. Most serious Doctor Who fans aren't like me. They don't have 15 other hobbies and interests in their life that take up their time and consume their hard earned cash, and as a result of that, their collections are bigger than mine. I have been to some of their houses and seen their stuff. My Doctor Who collection is mostly just books, magazines, CDs and DVDs, with some trade / trading cards ancient and modern, some signed photographs and art prints and posters and first day covers from the Strand Stamp Centre....I don't do figurines or action figures, toys or games or novelty items of any kind, but my collection would probably fill a Transit van at least halfway. Some of the guys I've met could fill an articulated lorry. There is a guy in Australia I know who bought an extra shed just to put his duplicate copies in; he buys three copies of every book that comes out - one to read, one to display proudly in mint condition, and one to wrap up in plastic and store in a dark, airtight, secure location untouched by Human hand. I know another guy who buys every book that comes out in every language available (eg Japanese!), and every time a book comes out with a new cover illustration, he buys it again. I love these guys. They make me feel so normal.