Adventures with the Wife in Space

Neil loves Sue and Sue loves Neil. But there's a problem; Neil loves Doctor Who too. I'm sure this is a common problem with a lot of marriages (it's certainly been one with mine!), but what happens when Neil attempts to bring his two loves together? First it was a blog, now it's a book.

Adventures with the Wife in Space was a delight to read, especially getting the observations of someone who is definitely not a fan (and along the way you get to find out how Neil offended Colin Baker and Sue John Levine!). I've been trying to get my better half to read it, but so far she's not taken the opportunity.

And now Neil and Sue are on their next quest. To watch in order all of Blakes 7!

Robert Holmes: A Life in Words

Robert Holmes is a writer who looms large in Doctor Who history. He's the writer who created the Autons and the Sontarans, named Gallifrey, created Time Lord culture as we know it and legislated the 12 regenerations rule. He wrote the first stories to feature Sarah Jane Smith, The Master and Jo Grant. He's the writer the likes of Russell T. Davies, Steven Moffat and Gareth Roberts aspire to be. He was script editor for series 12 to 15, agreeably the shows Golden Era. In terms of stories written for the series he's the one with the biggest hit parade: Spearhead from Space, Terror of the Autons, The Time Warrior, The Ark in Space, Pyramids of Mars, The Deadly Assassin, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Sunmakers and The Caves of Androzani. He was the writer who was good enough for highbrow drama like The Wednesday Play, but instead chose to writer for genre TV like Doctor Who, a fact fan should, and are, thankful for.

If you're hoping that this is going to be another JN-T style biography,you're in for a disappointment. It mainly focus' on Holmes' TV career with very little information about his personal life (but for a guy who was an ex-policeman, he didn't write a lot of police shows). It also contains some of Holmes' original story lines for Spearhead from Space and The Time Warrior amongst other projects. It's also clear that a lot of his colleagues held him in high esteem.

I didn't come away from this thinking I knew Robert Holmes better as a person. But I came away with an even greater respect for him as a writer.

Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories

Maybe it would have been better is I'd read these as they were individually published rather than waiting for them to be published in one volume because reading them all one hit just emphasises what a mixed bag they are. The best of the bunch was Philip Reeve's Fourth Doctor story which felt like it would fit easily into the tail end of Season 15 and Neil Gaiman's Eleventh Doctor story which felt like an episode from Matt's first series. The worst was Eoin Colfer's First Doctor story which felt just totally wrong. Marjorie Blackman's Seventh Doctor story was interesting, posing the question of what would the universe be like if the Daleks were a force for good. And Marcus Sedgwick's Third Doctor story is worth a look too.

The Vault

I was very exited when it was announced that this book was going to be published and it do not disappoint. Lavishly illustrated and full of surprises. Doctor Who is, possibly along with Star Trek, one of the few TV series who's production history is extensively documented. But just when I think I know everything, I find out something that surprises me. Early in the narrative Marcus Hearn casually mentioned that David Whittaker (Doctor Who's first script editor) and Terry Nation (the writer who created the Daleks) once had an argument so heated it ended in a fistfight! I never knew that! Sadly he doesn't document what the fight was over though but maybe one day we'll find out (and it's such an un-BBC way of resolving artistic differences!).

Equal with Richard Marson's biography of John Nathan-Turner of being the best book published in the anniversary year.