Doctor Who: The Doctor's Lives and Times: An Impossible Life of the Last Time Lord

by James Goss, Steve Tribe

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. And I'm the man who's going to save your life."

This is the story of an impossible life--of a man who borrowed a spaceship, travelled through time and continually saved the universe--as told by the Doctor's friends, by his enemies, and by the man himself. Letters, journals, trial records, secret government files and the occasional bit of tabloid journalism reveal the never-before-told story of Gallifrey's last Time Lord.

Genres: Doctor Who, Nonfiction, Time Travel, Tv, Reference, Childrens, British Literature

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2013

About the author

James Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Reviews

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grrrrrrr I am so tired of having this review backlog that I am just going to churn out some half-assed ones now.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This book is like a fiction and non fiction book in one. Personally, I liked the non-fiction parts better than the fiction parts. I LOVED the little comments from people actively involved in the show. How all the Doctor actors spoke about their interpretation of the character and how some had obviously a whole lot more to say than others. Like they barely squeezed enough out of Jon Pertwee to fill in the "Pertwee on Pertwee" section (they had this section for each actor of the Doctor to comment on their own performance and their own character) and it seemed for Tom Baker's respective section they had to pick and choose what quotes they included because he seemed to be overflowing with things to say!

Also, and it has to be said, someone needs to teach these higher ups people that it is the Doctor not Doctor Who. I know, I know, everyone and their mum says it, but some of these executives claim to be all knowledgeable and yet they can’t even get the character right. Yes I know roll you eyes now.

[Kevinjwoods · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's one brilliant thing in this which is that Clara is placed in old pictures from the classic series, unfortunately they really should have picked someone who knew how to use Photoshop, sometimes it works but more often its just copy and pasting.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't give it 5 stars, nothing about River. WTH?

[I. Anamaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all the behind the scenes, references to the show, and commentary from the actors!

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a colourful and interesting coffee table book created to celebrate 'Doctor Who' at fifty. Well written, but laid out in such a say as to make Kindle reading less than ideal.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit of light reading, and very much a coffee-table tome - but I couldn't put it down.

Having come into Doctor Who fandom during Christopher Eccleston's tenure, and that during a Netflix binge, I had no idea about the "classic" Who past, or just how far back some of the plot lines I was seeing extended. Honestly - I thought the Nestene and Autons were created for the new series!

The book is great, full of scrap-book details that are styled to look as if they've been curated from each of the Doctor's eras, ticket stubs, diary entries, alien hospital reports, etc. In some places this material was a little too long for its own good, but nothing was really lost by skimming.

Where the collection really shines is the Doctor-by-Doctor behind the scenes interviews snippets with everyone involved during those particular seasons, which also in their contents move through the various story arcs of that particular era - as well as a dedicated sidebar for each actor to talk about their time in the TARDIS- "Hartnell on Hartnell, Troughton on Troughton".

This was produced, I believe, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of a few years ago, so the book finishes up just before Matt Smith's run ends, though it includes teasers for the Day of the Doctor special.

Absolutely recommended for any DW fan - especially Nu-Whovians like me.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presented as a collection of documents on the life and activities of the Time Lord, "The Doctor." The story of the doctor is told using letters, journals, trial records, secret government files, news files and interviews with the Doctor's friends and enemies.

In the midst of the documentation of the life of The Doctor, are behind the scenes stories, comments, photos, of the BBC show Doctor Who starting with the first season in black and white, through the current revival of the show now on BBC America.

I have never seen any of the older episodes of Dr. Who so I learned a lot about the show's history and some of The Doctor's history that fills in some details about his life. These details aren't necessary to enjoy the more recent episodes but they do add some depth to the character and his relationships especially to the British government and alien species all over the universe, including his own people, the Time Lords of Gallifrey.

[Jorge Rosas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fantastic! We get to know the history of the Doctors inside the show and in the “backstage”, It´s structured in a way that you first get a general idea of what was going on by some character telling their story, then the actors and the people who made it possible tell us their point of view. From the first to the eleventh, and so much knowledge to be read, it can be taken like a written documentary of the show. Full of little details, pictures and stuff that really improves the experience, however I found really vexing that the impossible girl was edited in many of the original pictures.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely wonderful pick-and-mix for the 50th anniversary. Fact as fiction...mashed together with fact and opinion. It's a joyous journey through so much history, distilled with beautiful care & attention to detail. I don't know what I enjoyed more: trying to find all the places where Clara has been inserted into the Doctor's photographic past...or the thoughts of the TARDIS herself, on the Thief she loves so very much. Completely brilliant.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 2 out of 5]

42 WORD REVIEW:

This photograph-rich primer on Doctor Who comprises one-third a potpourri of reminiscences by cast and crew across fifty years (with crosspollination between classic and news series Who) padded unfortunately with an excruciating, nigh unreadable pastiche of ersatz news articles and faux memoire.

[John Peel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing a history of Doctor Who that's different is difficult these days, so I have to give this book credit for managing to do it in a fresh way. The only problem is that it's a dull way. The quotes from other published interviews are interesting, but when you get to New Who, they start sounding awfully smug. Only for the completists.

[Samantha Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge fan of Doctor Who, I was absolutely thrilled to dive into Doctor Who: The Doctor's Lives and Times by James Goss. This book is an absolute treat for any Whovian who wants to get deeper into the iconic Doctor's many incarnations and the fascinating world they inhabit. The book does a brilliant job of weaving together the Doctor's various lives and adventures, exploring each regeneration's unique traits, their companions, and the most memorable moments from the series.

James Goss’s writing is insightful and filled with the kind of detail that true fans will appreciate. The book goes beyond the basics of each Doctor’s era, offering a comprehensive exploration of the character’s evolution, from the very first Doctor to the most recent. Goss provides an engaging analysis of the Doctor’s personalities, the changes over time, and how the character has resonated with different generations of viewers. It’s a wonderful mix of nostalgia and fresh perspectives.

The structure of the book is well-organized, with each section focusing on a particular version of the Doctor, their key adventures, and their impact on the show’s legacy. The writing is accessible to both long-time fans and newer viewers, making it a great read for all levels of Doctor Who enthusiasts.

My only minor critique is that while the book covers a lot of ground, it doesn’t always go as deep as I would have liked in certain areas. There are moments when I wished for a little more analysis or exploration of the Doctor's more intricate relationships and plot points, but overall, it strikes a great balance.

As a Doctor Who fan, I absolutely loved this book. It’s a fun and informative read that brings you closer to the heart of one of television’s most enduring characters. For anyone who’s ever found themselves fascinated by the time-traveling antics of the Doctor, this book is a must-read.

Overall, I give Doctor Who: The Doctor's Lives and Times a solid 4/5 stars. It’s a wonderful celebration of the Doctor’s legacy that any fan will appreciate, even if it leaves you wanting just a bit more.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back when I was a fan, in the tail end of the eighties and early nineties, we had to make do with Peter Haining padding out another book from press releases and whatever else was at hand. This sounds like a Four Yorkshiremen riff, and to a degree it is, but back before the internet which seems to have allowed for forensic research of pretty much every element of the show we hoovered up Haining rattling around the archive to pop another book out for Christmas

Things have changed enormously since then - for good and bad for a fan like me, who tends to prefer the old way of storytelling and old portrayal of the Doctor as an eccentric misfit rather than the dash of messiah complex we get these days (I will quickly make an exception for Capaldi who is in every way my ideal Doctor, alongside Colin Baker). We get books on everything - almost literally so - and if they can’t get published, then you can self release your incredibly focused history of the series. The show is big enough these days (and getting bigger) to allow for all this

So this book, as I’m presuming the flagship 50th anniversary item, has to be everything to everyone - and it does a pretty decent stab at it, to be honest. There’s some self aware fiction for each Doctor, some interesting oral history and oodles of little known images and items swanning in. It covers both the older and current Doctors with the same amount of reverence and also, wisely, gets various people from the show to write little pieces about the episodes they didn’t really work on. So it’s not perfect but it’s as good as any attempt to wrestle fifty years of extraordinary writing and waywardness into one narrative. And possibly better than most Hainings save the Key to Time

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-doctor-his-life-and-times-by-james-goss-and-steve-tribe/

One of the glossy volumes produced by the BBC in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who – and isn't it weird that we'll get to the 60th anniversary next year? This is really very nice indeed. For each Doctor, we get an account of the TV stories written from the perspective of one or more of the characters – Susan, Ian Chesterton, the Brigadier, occasionally the Doctor himself – combined with a collage of other mocked-up material, of which one of my favourites is the Salamander election poster.

Each chapter then includes a box on the lead actor, and an assembly of quotes about the making of the show from those who were involved. There are also a few short commentaries on individual stories by guest commentators, most of whom have strong connections with the show, the exception being Sir Tim Berners-Lee on The War Machines. As my regular reader knows, I rate James Goss very highly as one of the best Who writers, and this really doesn't disappoint. It's the sort of thing that could, perhaps, be easily updated to include the next ten years and two Doctors for 2023; and would it be too much to hope that such an update could also include Torchwood, the Sarah Jane Adventures and Class?

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME Doctor Who book, a must-have for any Whovian. A great book for people new to DW, who want to know more of the Doctor's classic incarnations. James Goss proves he's got a wonderful grasp for Doctor Who canon, both classic and modern. So far, all of the DW books I've read by him have been wonderful.

[Audra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, and the way they laid out the pages was creative, but I was hoping for something that summed up the lives and times of the old doctors. Even though this book's layout made it visually interesting, I wasn't motivated enough to read through all the "fluff".

[Matthew Greenblatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a good book to catch up on doctor who!!!

[Beth Huddleston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was cleverly put together to appeal to a wide range of fans. I learned a lot about the doctors and stories that existed before I started watching the series. The information is pretty accessible, but it also didn't dumb it down for someone like me who really only knows the eighth-twelfth doctors and has seen only a smattering of episodes from the prior doctors. I really liked three aspects of the book and have one critique (hence 4 stars instead of 5).

1. The information in this book is astounding. There are huge sections written from the point of view of the characters, companions, talk show hosts, propaganda, brochures, and other tidbits that tie-in to the first 50 years of the show.

2. The personal first hand accounts for each Doctor were probably my favorite. The writers, directors, actors, producers, etc. all share personal stories. Sometimes they talk about how a particular episode came about; sometimes about how it was to work with a particular person from the show.

3. There are great sidebars from people that were influenced by certain episodes or how the cultural icon influenced their lives. My favorite is by Georgia Moffett, the daughter of Peter Davisson (the Fifth Doctor). She writes about growing up with Doctor Who as always a part of her life.

My one critique deals with the editing. I found a couple of capitalization and punctuation mistakes in the last chapter. Mostly I can overlook that. My bigger complaint with the editing happened with every single chapter layout. After a series of memorabilia from the season, the personal accounts start with "The Story of Doctor Who". The second page of each of those segments is a full page sidebar with the actor who played that particular doctor. The sidebar and the chapter beginning have the exact same formatting save for a line dotted line. It confused me going from one personal account into another without a clear indication that the first account would then be continued on the following page. It sadly took me more than one chapter to figure out what was going on.

Otherwise a great resource for any Doctor Who fan.

[Leonardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published as a prelude of sorts to Doctor Who's 50th anniversary movie, "The Doctors: Lives and Times" is an enrapturing summary of the plot of the show from 1963 to 2013, as well as of the behind-the-scenes story. Each Doctor's tenure is divided in two sections. First comes a scrapbook/file developed by The Silence, which includes a wealth of photos from each era of the show, along with extracts from the entries from various of the Doctors' companions, accounts and legends from other organizations and alien races that have been confronted by the Doctor or that have helped him in his adventures, along with book covers, posters, and other memorabilia. And I must say that a lot of effort was made to have every piece of material sound and look real and appropriate to each regeneration of the Doctor. The second section of each Doctor is comprised of tidbits from interviews from the different actors, writers, producers, and technical personnel that have been involved in that particular stage of the show. It's obvious that much thought was given to the selection of those tidbits, and as whole they manage to develop an interesting plot of their own, which should reveal to the younger fans that the Doctor is far more than a pretty young face (and I've got nothing against Tennant and Smith, two of the best Doctors). Of course, the books is full of spoilers, but none of them are too flagrant or gratuitous. Certainly, fans of specific regenerations of the Doctor will complain that certain adventures or certain companions were not given enough attention (or even mentioned... noticeably regarding the 8th Doctor), but this is just an introduction to the main TV series, so there's plenty of room left for mystery and research (including the Peter Cushing movies, and the countless books, audio CDS, comic books that have come out over the course of the decades). As a whole, this should be a most entertaining reading for Whovians and a great introduction to the series for those new to the world of the (formerly... sorry, spoilers) last of the Time Lords.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, unique in that it presents the story of the Doctors both from the perspective of characters in the show (in the form of River Song's research into The Doctor), as well as from the cast & crew. The cast & crew parts read like the script from a documentary, and, in fact, if you've seen the "Doctors Revisited" series BBC ran over the course of 2013, much of the same information is covered. However, the book goes into more depth than the docu-series did, using quotes from actors/crew who have passed on, as well as touching on aspects that were skipped on TV. Notably, all companions are discussed, many talking about the show in their own words. The River Song sections are neat, featuring a central thread running through the section, and supplemental materials in the margins, chronologically progressing through that particular Doctor's run. It's neat to see postcards and memos and such, though the use of terms/people from modern who in classic who paraphernalia sometimes feels forced (particularly a certain current character popping up in photographs).

The best thing about the book, though, is the essays from people related to the show, discussing episodes they enjoyed, or that struck a chord with them. For the most part (I think), these are not the writers of that particular episode, or an actor in the episode. For example, John Barrowman and his sister collaborate on an essay about the first appearance of The Sontarans, when they were kids. Writers from current Who discuss Classic Who episodes, and so forth.

Overall, a lot of fun to read, and highly recommended for Whovians who aren't familiar with the entire run, or even those who watched a lot of Classic Who, but don't know much of the behind-the-scenes stuff.

[Will Meeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge Doctor Who fan. For any of those Whovians out there, the ones that want to really know what the Doctor did, here's your chance. Due to the fact that most of the Whovian books out today are only up to Matth Smith, Doctor #11, Peter Capaldi Doctor #12 is not present. So keep that in mind. The book brings in fictional tid bits of information from the Doctor's several journeys through time and space with the TARDIS. You'll even see his report card from his education with the Time Lord Academy of Gallifrey. The basic flow is through that of a diary, a book not seen within the series itself. Susan Formean, the Doctor's granddaughter and first true companion along for the ride, buys a diary to keep track of their adventures through time and space. Even the dates, of the journal entries, are written in Gallifreyan. The journal itself catalogs the journey of each Doctor, the arrival and departure of companions, leading up to their eventual regeneration. If you've watched the classic era of Doctor Who, you'll be able to tell when words from the show were spoken in the journal. It really does get you into the world of the Doctor. With each new Doctor, the writing style of journal entries becomes different to explain the new Doctor in question. An amazing book for any Whovian.

[Dindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read and a must for any Doctor Who fan. Each doctor is featured, including Paul McGann. A narrator or two is assigned to each doctor to go over stories from the narrator's point of view. For instance, The Valeyard is the narrator for Colin Baker. The actor portraying the doctor has a section to tell his story and then producers and actors, writers, directors, and co-stars and guest stars associated w3ith that doctor have a section to talk about their doctor. It makes me want to go back and watch Doctor Who from beginning to end and increases my admiration for how absolutely special this series is!

It is touching to hear of the love and dedication people have for the Doctor, and the understanding of the Doctor's persona, as well as the knowledge that each actor imbues the Doctor with his own personality.

My only complaint about the book-- and it is slight-- is the occasional misspelled word or other typo. Other than those, this book is wonderful, with lots of pictures and inside stories-- it is a must for any Doctor Who fan!

[Natira · Rating 3 out of 5]

ja, doch, nett
Schnipsel hier, Foto dort, Zitate von Mitwirkenden (incl. einer Spalte Doktordarsteller über Doktordarsteller), Miniabriss zu einzelnen Doktoren, Anmerkungen "Fiktiver" (z.B. ein Interview mit drei Müttern, deren Töchter mit einem Alien wegliefen oder ein Auszug aus den Memoiren des Brigadiers, ein Eintrag Susans in das Tagebuch ... Hier wird natürlich Serieninhalt aufgegriffen, sodass die Dinge einem Fan mehr oder weniger vertraut sind, je nachdem, wieviel man von Classic- und New- Who gesehen hat).
Schade ist, dass John Hurt zwar erwähnt, aber nicht weitere ausgeführt wird, was auch für Peter Capaldi gilt, allerdings erschien das Buch halt auch im September 2013 und nicht nach dem 50-Jahre-November-Special. ;) Das Informationsverhältnis zwischen den einzelnen Doktoren erschien mir ein wenig unausgewogen, aber letztlich müssen die Informationen zugänglich sein und es muss eine Auswahl getroffen werden, die dem subjektiven Fanempfinden auch etwas zuwiderlaufen mag. ;)

[Sarah Bringhurst Familia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone in acquisitions at my library is apparently as taken by Doctor Who as I am, since I've probably checked out a dozen or more books similar this one, which is a sort of documentary-type book about the series.

This one, though, is by far my favorite. While many of the others are simply character encyclopedias, this book has lots of interviews and reminiscing by cast members about what it was like to be part of Doctor Who, and it's laid out in an appealing scrapbook style.

I admit to skimming some of the earlier chapters, since I've only seen a fraction of the classic episodes, and I'm trying to avoid too many spoilers. But if you wanted a nice overview of the series, including characters, plot(s) and behind-the-scenes, you couldn't go wrong with this book.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is basically set up in a scrapbook style with each Doctor's story narrated by a different companion in some way (letters, blog posts, interviews, etcetera) and lots of pictures and miscellaneous information thrown in around it. Which works well mostly, though sometimes the voice feels off or the narrator is just obnoxious (who chose to have Mickey narrate 9's journey?). But it does a pretty decent job of covering what the Doctor did, so this would be a great book for someone who hasn't seen the original series and wants a feel for some of what happened. I also like that at the end of each section are quotes from those involved with the show about each Doctor's era so you get a look behind the scenes as well as at the story.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about complete history of the Doctor. Each Doctor has three parts in his chapter - a narrator going over the events and stories of his time (for example, Jon Pertwee has the Brigadeer and Sarah Jane going over what happened, in character), a section about the actor doing the doctor with comments by that actor and others, and then a section from the writers, producers, actors, guest stars, producers, etc about the behind the scenes happening.

The only thing I found slightly annoying is that they often had bits and pieces done up in cursive, which I found hard to read at times. And occasional misspelling or two.

For any Doctor Who fan, this is well worth reading.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of this book is that River Song has done a lot of research and put together a detailed file about the Doctor for the Silence, and the book very much reads like that. Its a collection of found material (with some behind the scenes information from the cast and crew) all about the Doctor from his first incarnation, all the way through “The Name of the Doctor”.

Rabid fans of the series will probably find nothing new here, aside from an easy way to view the information, but fans of the revived series will be offered an easy way to learn about and understand the Doctors from the classic series.

[Duckpondwithoutducks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good overview of the show for fans.
It describes the adventures of each of the doctors, in interesting and creative ways.
For example, the first doctor's adventures are told by means of a diary of his granddaughter Susan; the third doctor's adventures are partly told through a memoir of Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart; and some of the fifth doctor's adventures are told through a transcribed interview of River Song and Tegan Jovanka.
It also has quotes about the show's production from cast and crew.
It is full of pictures and illustrations, and it has a flipbook element on the side!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see the above stars as four and a half, maybe five.

This book covers through the 50th anniversary special; it’s made up of reports filed by Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge- Stewart during the time of the Third Doctor, trial transcripts from various Doctors, a television interview with Jackie Tyler, Sylvia Noble and Francine Jones that may have been conducted by River Song and reports from the TARDIS herself. Full of pictures, as well as original documents and quotes from the actors, directors and design people involved in the show.

This is a delight. I bought it from SFBC arrived 1/15/15 ~$5.99

[Taksya · Rating 4 out of 5]

In parte è la biografia dei primi 50 anni della serie, vista attraverso le persone che lo hanno creato, scritto e recitato.
In parte è la storia delle avventure dei primi 2000 anni di vita del Dottore. Narrata sia dal Dottore, durante più incarnazioni, che dai vari companion e dalle loro famiglie.
In aggiunta foto, pubblicità e testi collegati alla serie (dal punto di vista della trama e non del mondo reale) che permettono una veloce carrellata sulle varie avventure e un po' di gossip.
Divertente e interessante, da entrambi i punti di vista, come sempre dedicato più ai fan che non al lettore occasionale.
Ora non ci resta che aspettare il volume per i secondi 50 anni.