Doctor Who - The Scripts, Tom Baker 1974-5

by Andrew Pixley (Editor), Justin Richards (Editor), Bob Baker

Scripts for the years 1974/5 from the long-running BBC TV series. Extra detailed annotation includes: set, costume and make-up design; production codes and dates; edits made to the scripts during the writing stage; and visual electronics and sound effects.

Genres: Doctor Who

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2001

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not so much another retelling of a year of "Doctor Who" as the ultimate reference guide to Season 12 of the series, "Doctor Who: The Scripts, Tom Baker 1974/5" tells virtually everything you could want to know about the production and execution of "Doctor Who" in the first year of Tom Baker's tenure as the Doctor. Included here are the scripts (complete with changes made during shooting) for all 20 episodes across the 5 stories of the year, story histories, production notes, casting choices, transmission information, music notes, prop histories and inventories, scene sketches and maps, reproductions of newspaper clippings, notes on potential but unmade stories, changes made for American TV, audience reaction polls, and a ton of footnoting for just about every reason imaginable.
More than any other behind-the-scenes science fiction book I've read, this one really tells you what tough choices and concessions had to be made, why they chose person A over person B, what got cut for budgetary reasons (a common problem with Doctor Who) and what concessions (or lack thereof) were made for continuity.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an amazingly deep dive of the making of Tom Baker's first season as the Doctor, with all the shooting scripts from those episodes. I'm honestly surprised the BBC didn't release more books like this after this one. They are such a valuable and educational look into not only the making of Doctor Who but the running of a TV series in general.

[Regina Cattus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some excellent stories, and interesting behind-the-scenes info. I'd rather it if the detailed production spiel was not weighing down the start of it though (and was instead at the end) - let me get into Robot now, please!