‘I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord. I’m from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. And I’m the man who’s going to save your life.’
He’s made a mark on almost every era of history, and he’s touched millions of lives across space and time. In these pages you’ll find just some of the stories behind those brief encounters, each of them addressing the question that must never, ever be answered: ‘Doctor Who?’
This is the story of an impossible life – of a man who borrowed a spaceship, travelled through time and continually saved the universe – as told by the Doctor’s friends, by his enemies, and by the man himself. Letters, journals, trial records, secret government files and the occasional bit of tabloid journalism reveal the never-before-told story of Gallifrey’s last Time Lord.
Get the Hardcover! One of two “must haves” for the 50th Anniversary First, I want to point out that fans in North America should consider buying *this* version of the book, through Amazon UK. In the USA, it will not be released until Jan 7, 2014, and only as a softcover. This is a treasure well worth having in hardback. Along with “Doctor Who: The Vault: Treasures from the First 50 Years”, “The Doctor – His Lives and Times” is one of the two “must have” books commemorating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.”The Doctor – His Lives and Times” is a like graphical narrative of the series as seen by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In other words, previously unseen fictional details of events, objects and characters from the history of the show, such as a glimpse into the 500 Year Diary, UNIT memos, newspaper and magazine articles, and so much more that I wouldn’t want to spoil.Also interspersed throughout are hundreds of quotes and insights from the actors, production crew and others through the years. In addition, the book includes so many photos I’ve never seen, despite decades of reading Doctor Who Magazine (since it was Weekly!) and uncountable books and tie-ins.Casually paging through it is a delight. Reading closely is like finding deleted scenes on a DVD. Don’t hesitate, get it now, or gift it this Christmas.
The Lives and Times of the Doctor Of course given the 50th anniversary books like this are going to keep popping out of the woodwork, and generally I’m slightly sceptical as to their value or veracity – but in this case this book definitely lives up to what a dedicated fan of the good Doctor would want to read, and see. Published by the BBC, it ought on that basis alone to offer information and photos and other items of interest that may not even be available to authors in other circumstances.The book contains absolutely loads of interesting snippets – including news releases and recollections, but also information from the friends and foes that the Doctor has met over all the years, reports on Cybermen activity, newspaper clippings of the finding of Dodo, a cover of a book written by Sarah Jane Smith – absolutely loads of things like this. Each Doctor has his own section; his story is told by someone who knew him, for example Fenric tells of the Seventh Doctor, Sarah Jane and K9 of the Fourth Doctor, Victoria of the Second Doctor. There are mementors from their `time’ such as `newspaper clippings’ of events. We even get to read the Doctor’s Academy report for the class of 92, where he failed driving – “It will be a sorry day for the universe if he ever gets his hands on a dematerialisation circuit.” It seems Cardinal Borusa was not overly impressed.Each section then continues with the actor playing the Doctor telling of their role, and others of the time telling of that Doctor’s era – producers, writers, actors etc. There are also heaps of photos from the series. Really, this book is loaded with things to read, things to see, and things to chuckle over and remember. Great stuff.
Absolutely LOVE this great book! Any good fan of Doctor Who should own this book. It is thorough, both in fantasy and reality, meaning that they go into great detail about the characters and stories but also about the real people that have made it happen for all these years. Highly recommended!