These books use alternate timelines and parallel universe tropes to enable The Doctors to meet and interact with various literary figures. Keeping this conceit in mind they are enjoyable romps. I do wish we could get more serious fiction in the vein of The New Adventures or Eighth Doctor Adventures with current publishing efforts but we will take what we can get. This book sees the Eleventh Doctor and Clara meet up with Long John Silver and his companion Janey Hawkins. We also see them joined by The Paternoster Gang and River Song. Jenny bonding with the Pirate Nanny and sharing stories of their rough lives growing up was moving and Vastra using the Tardis laboratory was maybe the best depiction of the Tardis lab tht we have seen. Even Strax got to use his nursing skills. With so many characters there was not room for everyone and Clara was the one sidelined for a good portion of the narrative. 8 out of 10.
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.
A Good Man Goes to War is the Avengers Endgame moment for Doctor Who. The Doctor gathers up a collection of his old Allies to rescue Amy from Madame Kovarian and her cohorts. We see the introduction of the Paternoster Gang, and the wonderful Christina Chong as Lorna Bucket as well as the return of Dorium Maldovar and Captain Henry Avery. The deaths of Strax and Lorna after the battle are both touching. The scene with Rory and the Cybermen as the cold opening is memorable and iconic. The final moments with River finally revealing her backstory is one of the best moments in the show. 10 out of 10.
Let’s Kill Hitler completes River’s origin story following directly on from A Good Man Goes to War. Nina Toussaint-White gives a fine performance as Mels an earlier incarnation of River. A light-hearted beginning to the story leads into a poignant finale highlighting the relationships of The Doctor, River and Amy. 9 out of 10.
A number of licensed aliens such as the Sontarans, Krynoids and Autons appeared
… as well as BBV’s own Cyberons
Dancing aliens
I was never a fan of comedy pastiches of my favorite show and this is no exception. I found this effort especially silly and over the top. I feel McCoy was wasted even though he is channeling his comedy roots. It would have been much better to draft a story using the licensed characters and having McCoy in a pseudo-Doctor role to avoid copyright violations. 5 out of 10.
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.
Planet of the Ood sees the return of the Ood slave race first seen in The Impossible Planet. They are an interesting race of aliens and the concept of slavery is ably highlighted. The Ood make several reappearances where they act a a all knowing prognosticator of future events. 7.5 out of 10.
The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky sees Freema Ageman emerging naked from a pool of slime, sorry sees the return of Freema Ageman as Martha and Bernard Cribbens as Wilfred Mott as well as the Sontarans and UNIT. Luke Rattigan comes across as an annoying antagonist but the Sontarans make for a nice returning monster. It is always nice to see returning companions and seeing what they are up to after leaving The Doctor. Martha being my favorite NuWho companion was especially nice to see. 8 out of 10.
The Doctor’s Daughter sees the creation and first appearance of Jenny the Doctor’s cloned offspring played by David Tennant‘s future wife Georgia Moffett. There is nice interplay between The Doctor, Donna and Jenny in the episode and The Tenth Doctor‘s anti-violence speech is powerful. Martha has an interesting B plotline with the alien Hath. 8 out of 10.
The Unicorn and the Wasp sees The Doctor and Donna meeting Agatha Christie. Christie’s well publicized two week disappearance is addressed in the episode. As a fan of Christie’s work and knowing about her mysterious two week gap in her life I always thought that it would have been a good period to set a Doctor Who story. I envisioned her going on adventures as a companion and thought that this episode did not fully utilize the mystery to its full potential. The story as presented was solid if not spectacular. 7 out of 10.
Matthew Jacobs was the writer of the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, he is notorious for two things from the film the Doctor kissing his companion and stating that he was half-human on his mother’s side. Doctor Who Am I is his documentary about his first ventures into the Doctor Who convention scene where he dreads meeting the wrath of his “fans.”
I did not mind the Doctor kissing Grace in the movie as it was fine within the context of the story but I admit I was as upset with the half-human line as anyone. The documentary is very well done with interspersed interviews with most of the people involved in the TV movie as well as a number of fans. An interesting behind the scenes look at both the film and the Doctor Who convention scene. 7 out of 10.
