Inside the Tardis: The Worlds of Doctor Who

by James Chapman

James Chapman's history of Doctor Who has been acclaimed by fans and scholars alike as a definitive book on the world's longest-running television science fiction series. In this new edition, published to mark the 50th anniversary of everyone's favourite Time Lord, Chapman has brought the story up to date to include the new series of Doctor Who as well as its spin offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
With new chapters on the eras of showrunners Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, and the latest incarnations of the Doctor in David Tennant and Matt Smith, this updated edition of Inside the Tardis shows how Doctor Who has triumphantly reinvented itself for the twenty-first century. Chapman maps the continuities with classic Doctor Who, as well as exploring how the series has evolved to take account of new institutional and cultural contexts. This new edition is essential and enjoyable reading for all those interested in both the classic series and its thoroughly modern reincarnation.


"The best overview of Doctor Who that I have ever read." - Andrew Pixley, Doctor Who Magazine

Genres: Doctor Who, Nonfiction, Tv, Reference, Essays, Fandom

372 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

James Chapman is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Leicester. He has written several books on the history of British popular culture, including work on cinema, television and comics.

He attended Wales High School during the 1980s. He took his BA (History) and MA (Film Studies) at the University of East Anglia and then undertook his doctoral research at Lancaster University, completing his thesis on the role of official film propaganda in Britain during the Second World War.

In 1996 he joined The Open University where he taught a broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and was principal contributing author to the university’s first dedicated course on Film and Television History. He joined the University of Leicester as its founding Professor of Film Studies in 2005.

Chapman’s research focuses on British popular culture, especially cinema and television in their historical contexts. He has written or edited ten books, including two which he has co-authored with Professor Nicholas J. Cull. His work draws upon the ideas of the film theorist Gilles Deleuze and applies them to understanding the role and nature of popular film and television. His books include studies of the science fiction television series Doctor Who and the James Bond films. SFX magazine described his book Licence To Thrill as "thoughtful, intelligent, ludicrous and a bit snobby - bit like Bond really".

He is a Council member of the International Association for Media and History (IAMHIST) and is editor of the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television.

Chapman has also published articles in the following journals: Screen, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Journal of Popular British Cinema, Visual Culture in Britain, Journal of Contemporary History, Contemporary British History, Media History and European Journal of Cultural Studies.

Reviews

[Yogarshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down to 3.

A semi-academic look at the TV phenomenon that is Doctor Who, this books charts the show's journey over the 50 years of its existence. I've watched all of Doctor Who since it was renewed in 2005 (the so called "Nu Who"), and some episodes from its older run ("Classic Who") - to me it was a fascinating tour through the early years of Who, from a low budget, slot filler show, to the current high budget event that it is. The author does a good job of charting thematic movements within the show, associated with each incarnation of the Doctor, and each showrunner-producer combination.

There are nuggets here that will please hardcore Whovians. For instance, it was interesting to find out that some of the best episodes of the Russell T. Davies era, were commissioned due to budgetary constraints. These include the classic "Blink", as well as the hugely underrated "Midnight" - in fact, "Midnight" was a script written by Davies in *3* days because he did not like the original script for the episode that was supposed to be produced in that slot. Budgetary constraints were also the reason why the Third Doctor's earliest episodes with UNIT took place on Earth.


The language of the book suffers a bit because of its dry, academic tone (I officially hate the phrase "institutional and cultural context". This detracts from the book in some places, but its not horrible enough to annoy you.

Only recommended to hardcore Doctor Who fans, for a thoroughly enjoyable tour through Who history.

[Edward Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shouldn’t an academic book be more careful and less hyperbolic than popular books about their alleged research breakthroughs? Professor Chapman, whatever your book’s blurb and text might claim, you are not the first researcher to use the BBC written archives intensively in a book. The First Doctor Handbook beat you by over 10 years in 1994 and reported in print a number of the same quotes that you use (one of which you explicitly present as though it is a new revelation, while in other cases implying the same) in your own book. Why did you give such trivial and inadequate citation of the 1990s Howe-Stammers-Walker breakthrough books on 1960s Doctor Who?

[katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really didn't do much for me. I thought there'd be more thematic analysis and stuff, but no. Lots of re-telling of plotlines.

[Michael Keskeys · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise history of the series, with overviews on the spin offs of this fantastic tv series. Definitely a must read for any Whovians out there.

[Jaime Bridle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and intelligent. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and highly recommend it.

[Wes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for learning more about the Doctor Who universe. I enjoyed getting a little more insight into the classic episodes. This enhanced my viewing of the new series as I saw a lot of themes and ideas being repeated. A lot of questions were answered as to why things came out as they did. There is a lot of behind the scenes information given to help to understand what was going into a lot of the decisions. The explanations and descriptions were very clear. A lot of the British aspects of the show were given American corollaries to aid in understanding. The updated version is great as it provides information about Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures. I recommend this book to any Doctor Who fan or anyone who wants to learn about it.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word to describe it is "encyclopedic." As someone who only really clicked into the revival, it was a good backgrounder on the original production run. One question that the book raises but never quite answers is, why was the series cancelled? The book quotes internal memos way too sparingly-- I was hoping for an insider's look, but came away a little unsatisfied.

[Emma Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully interesting look at the culture surrounding and influencing each era of Doctor Who. As someone who only recently started watching the show this was a wonderful introduction to the history of the show, giving context to the decisions made in the show.

I can’t wait for the next update covering the most recent three Doctors!!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable history of the production of Doctor Who and its cultural contexts, both within and outside the BBC. It has academic nous without the jargon, so you can feel smart without being made to feel stupid. Highly recommended to my fellow nerds.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great history of the whovian universe. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was sad when I finished it.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for all whovians,and a guide for those that want to know more about the series.a good start for beginners.

[Adam James · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to understand why James Chapman would complete SO much research for a novel that's essentially a Doctor Who episode guide. Have you ever wanted to know what every episode of Torchwood is about? Well, you're in luck! Because James Chapman dedicates like 20 pages to summarizing almost every episode. Have you ever wanted an inside look at the individual ratings for a mildly popular Doctor Who spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures? Well Chapman's got 'em!

While Inside the TARDIS is a nice and concise overview of a pop culture favorite...Chapman doesn't dig much deeper than ratings numbers and overall era themes (Douglas Adams was funny! He headed the "comedy" era!). I'd much prefer to learn more about the relationships between the production and crew of the show during various eras as well as even offer some direct criticism. Chapman's refusal to point a finger at John Nathan-Turner for ruining the show in the 80's is unforgivable. C'mon Chapman; it's the common belief amongst Whovians that John Nathan-Turner destroyed the credibility of Doctor Who leading to its cancellation in 1989. How can you possibly defend him, Chapman??

Now that I know the summary of every Sarah Jane Adventures episode (FINALLY), hopefully I can find a book that actually analyzes and dissects any of the fifty years of Doctor Who.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough and easy-to-read history of the television series, mostly from the BBC's own written archives. The author is a fan, but generally keeps the opinionating to a minimum and explores events and the show itself from multiple perspectives. Audience research and other semi-scholarly topics are discussed without descending into dullness like some authors I could mention. Overall, this book gives an excellent overview, as much as can be done, of how the show came into existence, how it evolved, how it died and how it was reborn.


My only gripes have to do with the editing. The phrase 'in the event' is used at least twice per chapter, and the verb 'aver' as if it were the only one of its kind. The wrong 'reign' and the wrong 'night' also put in an appearance. While they don't detract from the content, they sure distract this grammar nerd from an otherwise excellent read.

[Irene Bowie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book, discussing the classic series was much stronger than the latter half, which focused on the new series.

I would recommend it to anyone interested in finding out more about the early years of Doctor Who, especially if (like me) they've only been casual viewers and need plot lines discussed along with the analysis.

If your looking for a thoughtful commentary on the new series, I'm afraid to say this isn't it. Maybe this book was just written to soon after the new series commenced and it will take a few more years for that commentary to appear. Until then more thoughtful analyses can be found online and that's where I'd suggest readers look.

[Morgan Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book at Blackstone in Oxford, UK while there on a school trip. As an obsessed Whovian I found the book to be a very well written and intriguing history. Also, when writing a theme paper for school on Doctor Who's influence on western civilization in Europe, this book was immensely helpful and provided many useful resources. I highly recommend it for anyone with a vested interest in Doctor Who.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/701832.html

[Redruth1955]

A gift from my little friends across the street.

[Paul Doody · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best non-fiction books about Doctor Who tells the story of how the programme was made, with particular focus on the politics within the BBC that almost scuppered the show.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only for Dr Who fans really

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the author gets too pompous from time-to-time, there's quite a bit to like as he breaks down the several cultural periods of the Doctor Who show.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable look at the history of the Doctor Who series contextualized against the internal politics of the BBC and the external politics and culture of British society.

[Ian Mcardell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite in-depth, loses focus one the BBC Cavesham archives aren't a resource post 1980 and seems to fall into some familiar theories.

[Iain Parkes]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13409164

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars = Okay. I liked the book. It was worth reading.