Day: December 4, 2023

Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.

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Last Christmas was the Christmas special for 2014 and was meant to be Jenna Coleman‘s last episode as Clara. She had a change of heart at the last minute and her final scene was changed to account for her staying on. The old age makeup was very good and it would have been a unique and devastating end for her character. The plot with the dream crabs was reminiscent of several movies but still provided a few scares and visceral pumps. Faye Marsay as Shona would have made a good companion if Coleman did leave. Nick Frost did a nice turn as Santa. A solid story 8 out of 10.

The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar saw the returns of Davros and Missy in an epic two part season opener. The opening scene with the young Davros in the handmine field was riveting with a shocking reveal. The scenes in the Skaro wilderness with Missy and Clara were fantastic and the final confrontation between The Twelfth Doctor and Davros exceptional. The Doctor riding on a tank playing the Doctor Who theme on his electric guitar is an iconic moment in the history of the show 9 out of 10.

Red White and Who: The Story of Doctor Who in America was a reference book published by ATB Publishing in 2017.

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This book is an in-depth review of everything Doctor Who pertaining to America. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, copies of flyers and advertisements every aspect of the show and fandom is covered. The indexes alone are a wealth of information with airdates, lists of fanzines and dates of conventions. An excellent reference work for any American fan of the show 9 out of 10.

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Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.

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Shada was the story that was halted mid production because of a strike at the BBC. It was remade in several variations on audio and DVD with animation. The story itself was a solid but not spectacular episode that was a bit long at six parts but interesting with the Gallifrey lore. 7 out of 10.

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Dimensions in Time was a two part Children in Need skit during the show’s fortieth anniversary. They were able to gather together all the surviving Doctors as well as numerous companions for skit. The plot was inconsequential but was enough to provide an excuse to gather all the diverse characters. Fine for what it was 7 out of 10.

The Curse of Fatal Death was a skit on the Comic Relief charity telethon. Unlike the other skits in this volume this was a pastiche and not part of continuity for the show. The skit was written by future show runner Stephen Moffat and did have several elements that would be revisited in the actual program. It was nice seeing Hugh Grant as the Doctor and wondering what it would have been like to see him as The Doctor in the show. Richard E. Grant reprises? predicts? his version of The Ninth Doctor. We also see the first women Doctor with Joanna Lumley. Parody is not my favorite thing when concerning my favorite show so my rating despite the elements cited above is 6 out of 10.

Time Crash was another skit written by Stephen Moffat but this time it was embedded within continuity of the show. This was a nice mashup of the two Doctors with nice interplay between the two. I wish we had more of these short scenes and hope we get them during the RTD2 era. 8 out of 10.

Frazer Hines best known as companion to The Second Doctor Jaime published this autobiographical montage of photos, playbills and comics.

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The book is an interesting collection of photos and playbills with some brief captions setting the stage for them. This is best read in conjunction with Frazer’s autobiography Hines Sight. 7 out of 10.