Nick Griffiths watched his first Doctor Who aged four and a bit. He would have hidden behind the sofa but it was back against the wall and his parents didn’t let him move furniture so he hid behind a cushion instead. He’s since been told by his mum and dad that they didn’t have a sofa only armchairs. So this book should really be called Behind the Armchair, but that didn’t sound right. And so began a life long obsession. When Doctor Who started getting rubbish (after Tom Baker basically) he nearly escaped into the world of music and girls until he discovered someone selling tapes of old episodes in the small ads and that was that again. Only in the last few years has an anti-social obsession become something he can earn a living from as a journalist and happily this coincided with Doctor Who getting good again. Plus he has a son now so he can claim he’s watching it for him. Oh and his son’s called Dylan not Gallifrey or Davros.
“A very funny book for anyone who grew up wearing Tom Baker underpants. I know I did.” DAVID TENNANT
“An unadulterated nostalgia-fest written with fun, wit and love. I’m a number of years younger than Griffiths and of a different sex, but I’ve rarely read anything that so reflects my own opinions and feelings about the series and more besides. If friends, parents and partners don’t quite comprehend a fan’s love for the Doctor, this is the book that might help them get there.” DR WHO MAGAZINE
“He conjures up just how mind-blowing it was for an ordinary suburban kid to be transported to a realm of danger and rampant sci-fi imaginings.” FINANCIAL TIMES
“If I am getting carried away, it is the fault of Griffiths’s awfully charming memoir of boyhood and Doctor Who, with its deft evocations of eight-year-old invincibility and embarrassing school discos as well as arguments about Cybermen vs Autons or Jon Pertwee vs Tom Baker. Griffiths’s chatty, self-deprecating style is disarming…” THE GUARDIAN
“Popbitch’s favourite new memoir.” POPBITCH
“… he writes with such wit and warmth, and a strong line in observational humour.” THE DAILY MAIL
“… the book Nick Hornby would have written if he’d spent his life obsessing over Doctor Who rather than footie. Nostalgic and funny.” THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
Nick Griffiths watched his first Doctor Who aged four and a bit. He would have hidden behind the sofa but it was back against the wall and his parents didn’t let him move furniture so he hid behind a cushion instead. He’s since been told by his mum and dad that they didn’t have a sofa only armchairs. So this book should really be called Behind the Armchair, but that didn’t sound right. And so began a life long obsession. When Doctor Who started getting rubbish (after Tom Baker basically) he nearly escaped into the world of music and girls until he discovered someone selling tapes of old episodes in the small ads and that was that again. Only in the last few years has an anti-social obsession become something he can earn a living from as a journalist and happily this coincided with Doctor Who getting good again. Plus he has a son now so he can claim he’s watching it for him. Oh and his son’s called Dylan not Gallifrey or Davros.
“A very funny book for anyone who grew up wearing Tom Baker underpants. I know I did.” DAVID TENNANT
“An unadulterated nostalgia-fest written with fun, wit and love. I’m a number of years younger than Griffiths and of a different sex, but I’ve rarely read anything that so reflects my own opinions and feelings about the series and more besides. If friends, parents and partners don’t quite comprehend a fan’s love for the Doctor, this is the book that might help them get there.” DR WHO MAGAZINE
“He conjures up just how mind-blowing it was for an ordinary suburban kid to be transported to a realm of danger and rampant sci-fi imaginings.” FINANCIAL TIMES
“If I am getting carried away, it is the fault of Griffiths’s awfully charming memoir of boyhood and Doctor Who, with its deft evocations of eight-year-old invincibility and embarrassing school discos as well as arguments about Cybermen vs Autons or Jon Pertwee vs Tom Baker. Griffiths’s chatty, self-deprecating style is disarming…” THE GUARDIAN
“Popbitch’s favourite new memoir.” POPBITCH
“… he writes with such wit and warmth, and a strong line in observational humour.” THE DAILY MAIL
“… the book Nick Hornby would have written if he’d spent his life obsessing over Doctor Who rather than footie. Nostalgic and funny.” THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
“Invasion of the Nostalgicons” A warm and charming book in which the author tells his life story so far, referenced to what Doctor Who stories were showing during key events. Yes I know I’ve made it sound anoraky, but it isn’t.Readers who love Dr Who and are of the same age will find lots to smile and chuckle at, while they are sat on the train or wherever with knowing smiles. The acid test of any book that gives an author’s subjective opinion of a Dr Who story is do you want to keep reading when he disses your favourites and in my case the answer was yes.Readers may find as they did that they compare themselves to Nick Griffiths on the fabled “Anorak Scale” e.g. he will clearly pay considerably more for a piece of Dr Who merchandise than me and it is in these key areas that spell out what kind of a fan the author is, where his humour makes it such an ejoyable read. Parts such as where he deals with friends reaction to a show they hold in much less regard and attempts to buy Dr Who videos from a paper where he makes it sound almost shady are a treat.If you are 35 plus then you’ll find plenty to enjoy especially if you’ve already done the big 4. Much younger and you won’t get enough of the references (not just to The Police Box Show but to events at the time) to get anything out of it.I definitely think my mate Alastair should be made to read it and I don’t say that lightly!
The Best Seventies Memoir Around Dalek I Loved You looks like it’s going to plough the same well-worn material as other seventies memoirs, such as those written by Andrew Collins. Actually – this one is far superior to any of the others in this genre. It’s funny, genuine, and Griffiths comes over as a really decent bloke who can’t believe his good fortune to be earning a living writing about stuff he loves.The Dr Who material is well-handled, and brought back loads of great memories for me from the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker eras of the programme. With a writing style that is slick and easy to read, Griffiths has put together a real page turner of a trip down memory lane that will appeal to lots of people who grew up loving classic Dr Who. Really well done – and a great feel good read!