Is There Life Outside The Box?: An Actor Despairs

by Peter Davison, David Tennant (Foreword)

His fans have spoken, but despite their requests, Peter Davison has gone ahead and written his autobiography anyway. It wasn’t the book they tried to stop – it was more like the book they didn’t want him to start. An aspiring singer-songwriter, once dubbed Woking’s answer to Bob Dylan (by his mum, who once heard a Bob Dylan song), Peter actually penned a hit for Dave Clark but soon swapped a life on the pub circuit to tread the boards.

From colonial roots – his dad was Guyanese and his mother was born in India – the family settled in Surrey where Peter’s academic achievements were unspectacular – he even managed to fail CSE woodwork, eliciting a lament from his astonished teacher (‘All you have to do is recognise wood!’). Despite this, Peter has secured his place in science fiction history, becoming the fifth Doctor Who, although he nearly turned down the role. The Time Lord connection continued with the marriage of his daughter Georgia to Dr Who number ten, David Tennant.

The artist formerly known as Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett has starred in a number of television series including Love for Lydia, A Very Peculiar Practice, At Home with the Braithwaites and The Last Detective and became a national treasure for having his arm up a cow in his role as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. He was also in a Michael Winner movie…

He made his first stage appearance with an amateur dramatic company, but The Byfleet Players’ loss was the West End’s gain as he now has a number of musicals to his name, including Legally Blonde, Chicago and Spamalot. Most recently he starred in the box office record-breaking Gypsy where he rubbed shoulders backstage with Dames Meryl Streep, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench – all asking him for directions to Imelda Staunton’s dressing room.

One thing is for sure: of all the British screen and stage actors of the last fifty years, Peter Davison is certainly one of them and, within these pages, intrepid readers will at last have the dubious honour of sharing in his life and times – as he despairs over whether there truly ever can be life outside the box.

Genres: Doctor Who, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir, British Literature

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2016

About the author

Peter Davison (born Peter Moffett) is an English actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always take a keen interest in any actor who has played The Doctor, so I was excited to read Davison’s autobiography.

The first show I ever watched in the West End was Spamalot as he appeared, so I really enjoyed that section.
I was surprised to learn that he was also in Black Beauty so that’s added to the ‘to watch pile’.
Of course there were some Doctor Who annotates aswell!

An interesting upbringing and I never knew he was a Crystal Palace fan (I’ll forgive him!), this was a highly enjoyable read.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davison's career is unusual. He admits to not being particularly ambitious, but his wit, affability, and talent landed him a series of high-profile television roles, most notably All Creatures Great and Small and Doctor Who. Furthermore, he had a much better post-Doctor Who career than most, landing starring roles in well received shows such as A Very Peculiar Practice and Campion, which is where I first saw him. The chapter on Doctor Who is far less than fans might crave. It is filled mostly with personality clashes, as if Davison is grateful for Doctor Who (he was the first person cast who watched the show) and yet a bit unimpressed with it, particularly John Nathan-Turner's run.

The book comes across much like his time as the 5th Doctor. Disarming, unpretentious, scattered, and a bit melancholy although without a lot of self-reflection. Davison admits it is hard for him to be sincere in that heartfelt way, which is the book's only major limitation. It is not shallow but nor is it deep. Indeed, so much of the book is about those around him, whether he is talking a person up such as Sarah Sutton, or venting his spleen over Tom Baker and especially Michael Winner. There are also the humorous and awkward interactions, like meeting Arthur Miller and working out with David Prowse.

Davison is at heart self-depreciating without self-loathing. He comes across as man surprised he came as far as he did considering his social background and schooling. Yet, he also did not go as far as he hoped and that melancholy can be summed up in one sentence: "So I burned my bridges and tried to imagine a life after Doctor Who, never imagining that there wouldn't really be one." There was a life after Doctor Who, just not the one he planned on and Doctor Who is always there, with him remarking "I'd come a long way and yet, no distance at all."

There are many good parts, but here is my favorite. In his 40s Davison once took mdma, which leads him to love everyone to the point of contacting his second ex-wife, who responds by hanging up the phone. The entire scene is funny, insightful, unpretentious, sad, and succinct. That sums up this memoir rather well.

[Alex Sarll]

If you’re a celebrity writing a memoir, especially if you’re a man of a certain age and a certain mid-level fame, the spectre of Alan Partridge will always loom. The wise man owns this, for by acknowledging you’re a bit Partridge, you at least ensure you don’t go full Partridge (and you should never go full Partridge). And Peter Davison, as much as he wouldn’t admit it in public, is a wise man. So he’s quite upfront about stuff like being an actor who’s only done two feature films (and one of those was with Michael Winner, so doesn’t really count). Davison has always been good at a certain self-deprecating Britishness – but it’s the sly sort, where by being a little modest about oneself, you can get away with being absolutely savage about everyone else and yet still come across as a good egg. This is a book which has on its cover a quote from the Mail calling it “A hugely enjoyable book”, despite containing the line “There was at least a small amount of truth in their assessment, which for the Daily Mail is surprising.” Nor are they the only ones to get a discreet kicking, though for the most part professional solidarity means directors and producers get it far worse than other actors (with the obvious and understandable exception of Adric). Davison resists the urge to make the book too thoroughly about Doctor Who, while being well aware that it will probably always be his defining role. Put it this way: if you enjoyed 'The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot’, you’ll find the same dry humour here, but this is not a book which needs readers to have seen 'The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot’. Nor do you have to have heard, or even heard of, Big Finish to appreciate Davison’s take on his first story for them, the multi-Doctor Sirens of Time: “I had almost no idea what the story was about, which was a tiny bit more than Colin and Sylvester did, but we all enjoyed the experience enormously.” It’s a gently amusing autobiography, rather than the sort full of shocking revelations – though I was amazed to learn that Davison, the blondest and most blue-eyed Doctor, is in fact of mixed racial heritage, having a West Indian father. And also that arranger Nelson Riddle’s son was the man who gave the UK unreliable VCR-programming technology VideoPlus+, though I suppose that’s maybe more of a niche news item. The heart of the book is probably the chat with another veteran of low budget BBC SF, Gareth Thomas, aka the Blake who never quite seemed to have exactly Seven. He was selective, wanted to establish a legacy, didn’t take every job that came along; Davison was petrified whenever he didn’t have a gig, so tended to accept whatever. And on balance, the latter’s unfussy approach seems to have made him a much happier man with a much more impressive career, however much he might try to deny it.

[John Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celebrity autobiographies are a mixed bag - some good, some ruined by the writer's ego. Thankfully, this is definitely one of the former! Peter Davison tells the story of his life with a delightful, whimsical wit, drily punctuating any possible pomposity with well-timed quips. There are stories, of course, about the people he's worked with (and, sometimes, against) and tales of dreams not achieved. But it's all told in a delightful manner, and you really do get a feeling of who he is under the makeup - a lovely chap. Highly recommended.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, this book is full of hilarious anecdotes. Even better, the voice sounds so distinctly like Peter Davison's as given in interviews and voiceovers, that one does not have to worry that this book was written by a ghost writer. Davison's voice just leaps off the page and takes on a character all its own. I felt like I could curl up somewhere and let him tell me a story.

Also, the title is a reference to two great things: David Bowie's "Life on Mars" (which is one of my top 5 songs of all times) and the famous Stanislovski theatre guide An Actor Prepares. I got an especially good laugh when Davison admitted to his publishers that he wanted to make a pun on the title without ever having actually read Stanislovski's book.

The only reason that I could not give the book a full five stars has to do with a lack of attention to details that could have been easily avoided with just five seconds of research. The main one that got me was that he states numerous times that Doctor Who went off the air in 1987; the book even had three editors that never bothered to check. While I accept that Davison is not a Whovian, despite having played the title character for three years, this is a fact that is easily checked by a Google search.

But, if you are a Whovian, or even just a fan of Davison's other works, this book is a great read! It's funny and full of stories that you would never get to hear at a Doctor Who convention; mainly because it's more about Davison's personal life and Doctor Who conventions are decidedly geared toward questions about the three years he was on the programme. But there are plenty of laughs, some good inside stories about working with various famous British icons, and some good life lessons to be absorbed.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Peter's since I first saw him on tv. Can't remember the year, but it was whenever my local PBS station started airing All Creatures Great and Small. In pre-internet days, it was difficult to be in the US, and a fan of an actor who only worked in the UK, believe me. Not only was there no IMDb, there wasn't even Entertainment Tonight until the fall of 1981. I can't remember when or how I found out that he'd been cast as the 5th Doctor, but I do remember waiting and waiting (and waiting) for the Tom Baker episodes to be done airing (also on PBS) so I could finally, FINALLY see Peter in the role. I still haven't seen a good chunk of his TV work-- only some of A Very Peculiar Practice, a bit of Fear, Stress and Anger, and none of Distant Shores. I stumbled upon the complete series of At Home with the Braithwaites only a couple of weeks ago on a free streaming channel, and rejoiced-- BBC America started airing it shortly after it aired in the UK, but did not air the entire series. That was something they were notorious for-- they stopped airing Law and Order UK pretty soon after Peter joined the cast. I'm still searching for the second series of Great British Car Journeys.

The biggest question I am left with after finishing the audio book is: Why in the name of all that is holy did Peter not read the audio book? I mean, for a guy who has made a career of accepting pretty much every job he's offered, and is perpetually worried about continuing to get work, did he not think about getting two paychecks from one project?

Since Peter is pretty much at the top of my favorite actor list, it's sad that I'll always remember this book as the one I was listening to when I found out that a dear (but far away) friend had passed away unexpectedly. Peter seems like a nice guy, so I don't think he'll mind if I ignore him for a few paragraphs and talk about my friend Dawn.

Goodreads is a perfect place to talk about her, since she was the most voracious reader I've ever known. She loved to read material that most people would find challenging. She went hunting for, and found, a Great Books book group in her home town, hoping to find people with which to discuss the writings of Greek philosophers. Her favorite book was Proust's In Search of Lost Time.

We met in the nerdiest of fashions, on a message board for a small tv-related fandom. We forged a fast friendship despite living 1,500 miles apart, and despite significant differences. She was a self-professed gun nut; I was raised as a Quaker. We were on opposite ends of the political spectrum. I was east, she was west. But our mutual love of books, reading, a few old tv shows, and nature were enough to drive a 20+ year friendship, including two trips to Yellowstone National Park, and a jaunt to Michigan to see one of her favorite actors in a stage performance. She got to meet him because she'd flown so far to attend, and the people running the theater at the tiny college were so impressed that they arranged it.

The details of her death were sad, and in other circumstances, it could probably have been avoided. It's going to be awhile before I can remember her with joy in my heart, rather than grief and guilt that I wasn't closer and able to help. If she was ever going to believe in an afterlife, it would have been The Rainbow Bridge, where all the cats she rescued, fostered, helped at spay/neuter clinics, and welcomed into her home would greet her. Rest easy, friend, with a kitty snuggled nearby, and a book in your hands.

Thanks, Pete, for your patience. For heaven's sake, someone give that man an award. Preferably one that doesn't fall apart immediately.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3279791.html

I met Peter Davison and his wife Elizabeth Morton at Loncon in 2014, and was just a bit starstruck. This was at the pre-Hugo reception, where he was attending in case The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot won (I had voted for it, mainly because it is very enjoyable but partly because I am briefly visible in it at about 08:03, but it didn't win). I chatted to them for a few minutes, and then Elizabeth's phone rang; it was David and Georgia, who had been dropped at the wrong end of the ExCel building, so I went off to get them.

I've read a lot of celebrity memoirs, including Doctor Who memoirs, by now, and this really is one of the most entertaining of them. There are some major surprises as well, of which the first is that his father was black - or anyway, mixed-race, from Guyana (then British Guiana). Obviously his English mother's genes won out in terms of skin and hair colour, but you can clearly see the resemblance from the pictures in the book.

The book is told as a series of flashbacks in chronological order, as seen from a tour in 2015-2016. Young Peter Moffett did appallingly badly at school - “Perhaps my greatest triumph was managing to fail CSE woodwork. As my teacher, Mr Bidgood, said in his state of shock: ‘All you have to do is recognise wood.’” He studied at Central, but it took a long time for his career to get going; a brief appearance in The Tomorrow People was followed by a dry spell, and then suddenly in 1978 he hit the big time as junior vet Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. The extent to which this was cult family viewing in the late 1970s and early 1980s cannot be exaggerated; as the world around us appeared to be going to hell, here was a lovely nostalgic visit to a gentler past, where young Tristan was frequently brought up short by his older brother Siegfried (as played by Robert Hardy), genially observed by James Herriot (Christopher Timothy).

When he was named as the fifth Doctor in November 1980, it was the first item on the BBC news that evening, ahead of some bloke called Reagan being elected to something or other. It did not last; after Doctor Who, and the subsequent successes of A Very Peculiar Practice and Campion, he had a very slack decade and a second divorce, and his personal life and career only really picked up again around 2000. But now, particularly with the renewal of fannish interest in his earlier years, it sounds like things are on track again.

The anecdotes are great fun, told with a combination of acute observation (mostly sympathetic) of his fellow actors, and self-deprecation (sometimes brutal). When we met in 2014, I asked if he had written anything other than The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, and he said that the only other script he had done was for his video message to Gallifrey 22 in 2011. I don't know if that was completely true then, or if it's still true now, but based on those dramas and this book, I hope he tries some more writing. It's good stuff.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I continue to read actor's autobiographies. Most of them have come from fairly uninteresting, affluent, middle class backgrounds and their books largely consist of dull recounts of various plays and films they've starred in, listing other actors they've played against. I don't think I've ever been thrilled by any of them.

Truth is of course, I'm a fully paid up Doctor Who geek, zip pulled right up to the top of my anorak. So after seeing a glut of promising reviews, the chance to read the life story of the actor who played the 5th Doctor between 1982 and 1984 was too tempting. Particularly after a very honest and enthralling recent interview in Doctor Who Magazine.

Sadly however, this largely falls into the same traps as expected. Davison even apologises twice early in the book for having such a dull upbringing. He also spends far too much time on his family background, a fair chunk of the initial pages recount the lives of his grandparents, parents and uncles, of which I've no interest in.

The book does pick up once we get to his mid to late teenage years and from this point on it's written with a good deal of warmth, wit and Davison's trademark honesty. It's never edge of the seat stuff but harmlessly diverting and his brief snippets on Doctor Who are always fascinating for nerds like me. A warning to anyone picking this up solely for his Who work though, it's given minimal exposure here, he explains that he's already covered all he can about this time in numerous books, magazines and interviews and that much of his era has been better detailed by fans than he ever could himself.

The other problem I had with the book, which is no fault of Peters, is that reading it I discovered how little I'd ever seen of Davison's film and television work beyond Doctor Who. In fact, other than his 60 second stint as a space cow in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I've seen nothing else at all! This did result in me struggling to stay keen whilst ploughing through his memories of stuff I've never watched nor am unlikely ever to do so.

But I'm sounding harsh here, I did enjoy the book for the most part and it's shortcomings are the usual shortcomings of an actor's autobiography. I know what I'm letting myself in for when I pick these things up! For anyone more well versed in Davison's body of work it's worth a moment of your time and as ever, he comes across as a thoroughly nice chap.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Davison appears to be that little boy standing in the corner, wondering what all the fuss is about. It doesn't occur to him that the fuss is all about him. Not a bit of it. I found his book totally engaging, interesting and a little twisted... In a good way. Having watched Peter on things since I was six years old, having met him a couple of times and having read and listened to interviews over the years, I thought I had a pretty good idea what the man was like. He has always had that self-depreciating air about him and this comes across so clearly in his book. This is a man who clearly has no idea just how awesome he is... Despite being told over and over.

I tried to take my time with this book, but (and let's face it a lot of autobiographies can seem a little self-serving and tedious) Peter had written a real page turner. You'll laugh, you'll cry and be majorly surprised throughout this book. Peter has added another string to his bow and has proven to be an able and entertaining writer. Look at The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot for evidence of that. Here is a gentle soul, though not so gentle that he can't sit back and laugh about himself (have you seen the wig he has to wear in The Tomorrow People???) and others. A genuine man with a sense of humour that is just that little bit twisted.

One of the things I have always loved about Peter is that, despite his success, he has never considered himself above others, has never wanted to be the centre of attention, and always has time for his fans. Case in point, he felt so bad that not everyone could get in to see the 1983 Longleat celebrations for the 20th Anniversary of Doctor Who, that he took it upon himself to walk up and down the queues in his break times, just talking to people, posing for photos and signing autographs. He tells this in the book like he's a little embarrassed. Not embarrassed about having to do it, embarrassed that people think he's great for doing it.

All in all, a wonderfully entertaining and genuinely interesting read.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Peter Davison. He's one of those actors I've always liked, since before I really knew who he was, although my fandom wasn't cemented until university when I got into The Last Detective, and consequently, needing a Peter-Davison-playing-a-detective fix, Campion, who is now one of my favourite fictional characters. Anyway, Davison's autobiography perfectly encapsulates his gentle charm and self-deprecating and acerbic wit. There are a few moments of repetition, but I feel like I should let those slide since he's an actor, not a writer by profession.

These days everyone who's ever appeared on TV seems to have an autobiography, and I'm not a particular fan of the genre. The fact is that most people do not have a novel-worthy life story to tell. And in some cases, you can seriously go off a celebrity after finding out what they are really like. That's not the case here. I liked Peter Davison before I read his book and I like him just as much having read it and now I know a bit about his life that I didn't know before, mainly because I didn't know anything about his life at all. But if he wasn't an actor I already admired, I'm not sure how much there is to get out of his story. Which is probably redundant, because who would be reading this other than a fan anyway? In some ways, maybe many ways, it's reassuring to read the life story (albeit a very abridged and occasionally rather vague one) of a man who seems to be recognisable and normal - not normal in a dull way, but the sort of person who I'd probably actually get along with. It's a sort of tale of luck and optimism, despite all the bad luck and self-deprecation along the way.

This isn't ground-breaking stuff, but it's certainly very readable, a good laugh and leaves you with a wry smile and a weird fatalistic optimism. And also a huge list of TV shows I now have to go rent.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a celebrity autobiography this is refreshing. Of course I read it because I am a Doctor Who fan but actually there is only a small section devoted to that show - Peter has had a varied career in which he has starred on stage and (small) screen, but despite that he comes across as a very normal person, in touch with reality and a better person for it. And actually I had no idea that he had done quite that much stuff.
He doesn’t take things too seriously, admits that his life just sort of happened without a grand plan, and you are left thinking he’s one of the worlds nice guys. Well worth reading.

[Adam Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously I picked this book up because I'm a Doctor Who fan, and Peter Davison knows that that's the reason many people will pick this up, but he's not tailored to us fans and it's very much an interesting account of a well-respected actor's life, so even non-fans will enjoy this.

As with an actor's autobiography it's full of "...and then I did this play, with these people, and it was great/awful, etc" - what matters is the style of writing and Davison has a dry and self-deprecating wit, and engages the reader well, so that you feel sympathetic to whatever situation he found himself in.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 4 out of 5]

42 WORD REVIEW:

Peter Davison is self-deprecating to a fault in this frank, entertaining, career-spanning autobiography, taking responsibility for his failings but not his successes (which are put down to good fortune and the one acting ability Davison is prepared to acknowledge: hitting his mark).

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much more that I didn't know about Peter Davison than I thought there was to know about Peter Davison. I'm very grateful (and this is coming from a fan of Doctor Who) that there wasn't a lot about Davison's time with the series, Doctor Who. The man had led a fascinatingly mundane life, and that's what makes his autobiography that much more interesting.

[Jonathan Palfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Tennant’s foreword begins, “As a child who grew up obsessed with television, I recall Peter Davison was absolutely all over my childhood.”

Unlike David Tennant, I’m only 3 years younger than Davison, so I was adult myself by the time he started appearing in “All Creatures Great and Small”; and a travelling life gave me much less exposure to and interest in British television, so I never saw that series, although I was peripherally aware of its existence.

I vaguely remember him in “Doctor Who”, despite having seen only parts of his three-year run; and that’s about it.

Of course he’s had a full acting career that I was mostly unaware of, and this book gives the whole story, although it’s concise enough to avoid boring people.

The main characteristics of this book are modesty and wry humour. Initially the modesty predominates, to such an extent that it begins to seem like ‘justifiable modesty’. After “Doctor Who”, which is dealt with relatively briefly in Chapters 9 and 10, Davison gets into his stride and it becomes an amusing and quite accomplished theatrical memoir, in which growing confidence and ingrained modesty cohabit somehow. I found it very readable despite having seen nothing of his performances apart from the Doctor.

He was a Doctor Who fan from when the series started, in 1963. Although he’s careful not to say so, I get the impression that he found his time as the Doctor a disappointing experience, because of the showrunner (John Nathan-Turner), the scripts, the low budget, and the companions he was given to work with. He’s polite about Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton, and indeed they were good enough that they might have shone with better scripts, direction, and budget; but Matthew Waterhouse and the late JNT don’t seem to have endeared themselves to anyone.

He comments that Tom Baker consistently refused to have anything to do with the other Doctors, and was consequently unpopular with them. I was unaware of this, being a relatively casual fan of the show; but it was already clear from other sources that being the Doctor for 7 years was the most important part of Tom Baker’s life, and apparently he felt he owned the character.

Most actors barely manage to scrape a living, as I know because my sister was in the business (I think she also did better than average). Davison has done a lot better than the average actor, staying in work throughout his life and earning quite well, with a period of financial difficulty only because he’d been overspending.

At the end of the book, he muses that he was the first actor in his family, and yet his descendants all seem to be going in for it.

“I have been luckier than most, but not as lucky as some, and that’s fine with me. As for those in my family about to roll the dice and wondering what the future will bring, there is always me: the bloke from the vet series, the Fifth Doctor and all that other stuff that my children barely noticed. They can look at me, pictured in sci-fi magazines, immortalised in six-inch-high figures with articulated limbs, and in various re-runs on any number of cable channels, and think with some confidence – if he can do it, anyone can.”

[Tim Rideout · Rating 4 out of 5]

'There were moments where I was supposed to be myself and yet as I looked at this soft-spoken, charming Englishman, I didn't recognise him at all.'

I have always admired Peter Davison's tendency to self-deprecate, a quality that ensures that his many television appearances are so watchable (Stephen Daker in 'A Very Peculiar Practice' most notably comes to mind).

This quality pervades 'Peter Davison: Is There Life Outside The Box', a candid and witty account of Davison's long and successful television career.

With the same deceptive effortless that characterises his acting, his autobiography is both a funny account of the ups and downs of a long career and a more interesting exposition of Peter Moffet's longest running performance, as the popular actor 'Peter Davison'.

We all have our own construction of a self that may or may not fully reflect the real person underneath. Davison's honest confession about his will resonate with many.

[Stephen Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Davison is absolutely splendid

To anyone other than a Doctor Who fan, the title of the review is going to sound a bit poncey. But I’m betting the majority of people interested in this book are Who fans, eager to hear the life story of one of their favourite Doctors.

I really enjoyed Peter’s autobiography. It was my first Lockdown Listen (the first of many). The book covers Peter’s whole life, and a fair bit of his prior family history, too. I have to be honest, this is the bit I always struggle with in any autobiography. If the subject has a fairly average childhood, ie they go to school, they’re mostly happy, nothing horrendous happens, and their parents are kind of OK (give or take a war) then I’m pleased for them, but it isn’t always the most fascinating story.

For me, Peter’s autobiography gets going about the time he joins drama school. I like hearing about how famous people ‘made it’: How and when they get their breaks; the kind of knock-backs they get; and the type of life they have to lead in order to create opportunities for themselves. Peter lays it all out in his usual humorous, self-deprecating style.

He tells us about his early career breaks, the rise to fame as Tristan in All Creatures, and provides lots of great anecdotes about his time on the show. I love listening to actors. I find what they do totally amazing, and I can (and indeed, now do) listen for hours to their stories of working in the profession.

I particularly enjoyed the parts relating to Peter’s time as the Doctor. Sadly it seemed all too brief (as did his tenure, which was a formative part of my childhood), but his subsequent ‘wilderness years’ and his ability to come back from that is absorbing and entertaining. He was always too good an actor to just disappear forever in a dry patch. His talent and simple likeability guaranteed his return to mainstream acting parts, thank goodness.

I loved listening to this book. I’m a runner, but my mojo had slipped a bit, so I needed a way back into enjoying running again without the pressure to hit PBs every time I went out. I’d already downloaded this book, and it had been sitting in my library unlistened because I never seemed to have the time. The answer to both problems was simple: listen to my book while running. Yes it was lockdown, but I got out for my hour’s exercise most days and listened to Peter’s story. When it was over I felt like I’d lost a friend.

The only negative of the book is that it isn’t read by Peter himself. It’s a big shame, but the narrator does a good job, and in my memory it feels like I did hear the story from Peter himself. Actors are clever like that.

[Jeff Hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

An actor who has been a constant on my telly for five decades tells his story in a refreshingly honest and deadpan way.

I always enjoy watching Peter Davison on tv. My earliest memory as a child was watching him v a Cyberman when I was ill in bed with chickenpox for goodness sake. He is and always will be "my Doctor" as they say so I was delighted that on reading his exploits he is both self depreciatory and as humble as you would like your favourite celebrities to be.

If you are looking salacious gossip or scandal about other actors in this book (which, to be fair, I normally am when I read an autobiography) you will be disappointed. You just have some well written and at times hilarious anecdotes from an actor who has thoroughly enjoyed his experiences and feels very lucky to have been in that position in the first place.

[Carol D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished listening to the audio version of the book (I also have the kindle ebook version) and it was lovely to listen to. Full of warmth and humorous reflection. It's become one of my favorite autobiographies right along with George Takei's books.

He's such an Earnest writer that I really would love to see him write more. I'm actually going to go back to read my ebook kindle version because it's worth re-reading.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant autobiography, hilarious, and provides a really great insight into Davison's life.

[Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Davison writes with a self-deprecating wit that makes his autobiography a very entertaining read. I'd love to see him apply his talents to a novel.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting read. an amazing career and family life ,. love the pride peter has for his children and son-in-law David.

[Nick Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining and well written book, really enjoyed reading it

[J G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book I can ever remember making me laugh out loud. Highly amusing recollection of an erratic life.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This year, as anybody who’s seen my last circa 14 book ratings will have noted (😁), I’m on quite the Campion kick, which led me to watch the TV adaptation starring Peter Davison, which led me also to watch All Creatures Great and Small starring the very same, which then led me to this memoir, perhaps unusually for someone who’s never seen an episode of pre-2005 Doctor Who, except for a vague hungover memory of one early morning re-run in which I’m pretty sure the villains were anthropomorphic liquorice allsorts.

For me one of the best things about reading is that it’s often when you settle down to a supposed ‘quick’ read that you encounter exactly what you needed to hear in that moment.

”Actors despair. They despair no matter how well, or badly, they're doing. You might ask what I've got to despair about but I look back at my career, and think: OK, I've done series telly, but not the really prestigious stuff, and I've been in two feature films in my whole life, and one of those was a Michael Winner film so that doesn't count. In fact, it was enough to send me spiralling into despair all by itself. So the point is: whether you don't get the part with three lines in weekly rep in Skegness, or you just miss out getting the lead in the next multimillion-dollar Spider-Man reboot, your level of despair is fairly constant.”

I’d argue it’s probably not just actors but humans who despair, and thinking about it I could imagine a former Prime Minister despairing that they were ‘just’ a one-term PM with a frustrated agenda, or a former England player despairing that they were ‘just’ an adequate defender with 20 caps, and so on.

It’s something I’ve not been invulnerable to myself lately and so this memoir was heartening in its honesty, as well as being an enjoyable read all-round for a telly-head.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vaguely unsatisfying read, not sure if it's because the book is meandering fluff, Davison's life/career is only mildly interesting or if I find Peter mildly annoying.

As with most readers, I first encountered him through Doctor Who and liked his performance enough to check out some of his other work.
He has a decent writing style, has the feel that he's telling you these stories and a nice, dry sense of humor, but the self-depreciating bit feels like fake modesty or he really has no clue what he's doing or any idea how he got where he did.

Plus, he seems to use it to deflect from any real deep introspection of his life.
Heck, a big chunk of the personal life stuff feels like an afterthought, that he'd rather just focus on the career stuff but needs to hit a page count.
We rush through break up of his first marriage, never get any stated reason what happened to his second and then are supposed to be thrilled that he's found true love with number 3...?

The acting stuff is interesting, but I really wish he'd focused more on it and spent more time telling us about it. He rushes through his Who years, I guess because he assumed everybody already knew that stuff, but he also does it for a good chunk of his career, which is the same stuff he assumes people don't know much about because mostly Tristian/Who fans are buying the book...

I felt like I spent a good amount of time saying 'But, wait...what about that other bit...? Is that all you're going to tell us about...? Really, one page to cover all of...?"

There were enough nice bits to keep me reading/putting up with the annoying bits, the Photo section was fun, but all in all "it was okay" is the nicest thing I can say about it.

[Debbie Koester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humble. Actually humble, but humorous would be the easiest way to describe Peter Davison’s autobiography. His easy-breezy writing style made it a pleasure to read. From what I’ve gleaned from others who have actually met this talented actor, he is a very kind soul; his book most certainly manifested that. No where did he write the usual “I was the good guy and everyone else was horrid” sort of stuff, even when mentioning ex wives. It speaks very well of his character and his morals. I was delighted to get the back story on his many series, shows, and other things in his life. I felt like I was introduced to the man and his life and not a fake person who is always right. My only regret was the book ended -- after reading I felt like “our friendship” was severed. To be honest, I felt like we had become friends as he told me his life story through so many experiences. To me, that is the mark of a good writer -- one where you don’t want the book to end. He was serious when it was necessary. He showed his spark of humor in the good parts and I could almost picture him smiling with that ornery sparkle in his eye. I enjoyed his fondness for food; but what touched me was the love for his children. The only part I question was his statement when he was playing Tristan in “All Creatures Great and Small” was when he put his arm up the cow, he thought the cow enjoyed it too. Just a little bovine humor, I bet!

[James Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book to read. Peter Davison is one of my favourite actors, and reading all 400 pages of his life and that of his family was a joy.

I've had this book on my shelves since the 21st of December, 2024, when I took it out from the library, altering the due date from a mere 3 weeks to a good 6 months as I drastically underestimated my efficiency in reading it. It's a good job I did as it's now the 6th of April 2025, and I think the library would've marked it missing by this point.

I don't actually remember what it was that made me pick this book up again sometime in March. Perhaps it was being quite disappointed with reading "Her Body and Other Parties" (I don't think I've ever seen a book that is more obsessed with sex; I was mortified). Either way, I am certainly glad whatever happened happened, as I don't think I would've read this book, truth be told.

Oh yes, the copy I had was one that is designated as "Large Print" for readers with poor eyesight. Whilst I've been told by both my parents I am either short-sighted or whatever the alternative is, I will most likely acquire a pair of glasses later in life. That day is not now, but at least I am prepared to read large print if needs be.

I think I'd be quite good at writing an autobiography of my own. Mayhaps I will.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Is There Life Outside the Box? An Actor Despairs' is an autobiographical account of Peter Davison's life, and goes into some depths about his career on television, film, and stage.

I've had the book for a few years, but upon re-watching Davison's Doctor Who episodes recently, I decided to give this book a go. As to be expected, it is filled with Davison's dry wit and self-deprecating humour, which makes it an absolute page turner.

Davison is a good writer and there is lots of context for shows I wasn't as familiar with, such as 'All Creatures Great and Small' and 'Sink or Swim', and some lovely anecdotes about his fledgling music career, family, and acting work. The book also goes into some detail about surviving his ten years in the wilderness (as he calls it), and it is quite an inspiring segment of the book.

The only negatives I have about the book are the narrative style it is presented in (the book skips around his life a bit, and has a framing device of his work on 'Gypsy' which is a bit confusing at first) and the family history chapter at the start, which seems to go on for far too long and simply didn't interest me.

Nevertheless, it is an interesting read overall and one I would definitely recommend to fans of Peter Davison.

[Erin Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it weren't for the odd typo or missing word I'd probably have given this five stars! Although, to be fair, that's more of a criticism of Mr Davison's editors than Mr Davison's writing ability.

I found this autobiography a lot easier to read and enjoy than Who the Hell is Tom Baker? I found Mr Davison's writing and means of storytelling more digestible, and I rarely noticed time passing as I read it. It's most likely just a differing preference of writing style. I appreciated his honesty in many areas and only wish that there had been a bit more about his current (or current at the time of writing) work and plans. However, I did appreciate the inserts he included of present day as it added a sense of time to the events he was recalling, and more weight to the interactions of the people mentioned.

All in all, a really enjoyable read! It's autobiographies like these that make me glad I started dipping into non fiction last year. There's so much intrigue in there, almost just as much as in fictional stories. What's more mystical than life itself? I don't know what I'm going on about now to be honest. Long and short of it is: fantastic book, I'd totally recommend it.