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.
Series 2 is one of my least favorite in all of NuWho and yet two of the stories covered in this volume are two of the very best. School Reunion brings back to the program Sarah Jane Smith. Sarah Jane remains my favorite companion of all time ever since I first watched her on an endless loop back in the 1970s. It was thrilling to see her return here. It may be nostalgia but just seeing Sarah back with the Doctor is worth my rating of 10 out of 10.
I never liked the dynamic between The Doctor and Rose finding it totally unbelievable and out of character. It is not that I felt that the Doctor could not have an affection for a companion but that Rose would not be the most logical choice. The Girl in the Fireplace gives us a reasonable alternative in the intelligent and sophisticated Madame de Pompadour. The scene where she looks into the Doctor’s mind is both indicative of her intelligence and gives insight into the Doctor’s psyche as well. The use of the passage of time and the poignancy of the ending cements Steven Moffat as the greatest of all Who writers. 10 out of 10.
The two part story Rise of the Cybermen / Age of Steel begins the downfall of the season. I was immensely disappointed when first watching the story. Although I am a great fan of parallel Earth stories having the first appearance of Cybermen in NuWho not be a continuation of the ones from the classic era was upsetting. This plus the reappearance of the most annoying character in all of Doctor Who Jackie Tyler made this a slog to get through. 6 out of 10.
Mark Gatiss the writer of The Idiot’s Lantern is a long time Doctor Who fan and a great writer, however this is not one of his better works. The story made such little impact to me that I found myself having difficulty remembering any details. I do remember that the Tenth Doctor – Rose relationship was starting to get very annoying. 6 out of 10.
