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.
The Leisure Hive is the first story in season 18, Tom Baker‘s last series as The Doctor and John Nathan-Turner‘s first as producer. We see here Tom’s new costume with the burgundy coat and scarf. The Doctor and Romana finally make their way to Brighton Beach for a holiday but the English weather and K-9 getting wet and exploding make them decide to go to the resort planet Argolis instead. The Foamasi are a well realized monster and the radioactive planet of Argolis make a fine backdrop. 7 out of 10.
Meglos sees The Doctor turn into a cactus monster! We also see the return of Jacqueline Hill to the program playing Lexa the leader of the Deons, the religious Tigellans who worshipped Ti. It was jarring seeing Jacqueline in another role after her iconic role of Barbara Wright. It is unfortunate that the actress did not reprise her role in some way. 7 out of 10.
Full Circle sees the introduction of Adric to the cast. Going against the opinion of most fandom I quite like Adric as a companion. Unlike many cardboard cutout companions Adric had his faults and personality right from the beginning. The complicated biology of Alzarius with its swamp creatures, spiders and humanoids are an interesting backdrop to the story. Teenager Andrew Smith makes a fine debut as scriptwriter. 8 out of 10.
