About Time 7: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Series 1 & 2) (About Time series)

Were the world to descend into post-apocalyptic chaos (no doubt caused by an alien invasion) and I could only save one series of books about Doctor Who, there is absolutely no question: It would be the About Time series. There is no other series/episode guide I've found that is as exhaustive . . . yet interestingly so.Like any good episode guide, it includes copious amounts of facts about the program: who wrote each installment, when they aired, what other acting efforts you'd recognize significant performers from, etc. It goes over information that you'd logically want to know -- how significant characters evolve and what kind of traits, abilities, or insights each episode provides into them; how the episode fits into the larger whole; what kind of continuity gaffs or problems there are; copious trivia; lengthy qualitative critiques; etc. It also includes great research into placing episodes in context: historical (what likely inspired the episode or elements within it), cultural (especially useful for me as an American), continuity; and more.However, this series goes beyond the call by invariably presenting information about and insight into matters you DIDN'T KNOW you wanted to know. About Time 7 ramps this up a notch as it talks about the first two series of the 2005 revival, ensuring that EVERY episode it covers has a supplemental essay. As a few examples: "The Girl in the Fireplace" gives rise to trying to sort out who qualifies as a companion, by asking if Arthur the Horse counts; "The Unquiet Dead" takes the opportunity to ponder whether the new series is more xenophobic; and "Bad Wolf" gave the most comprehensive unpacking I've yet found into trying to figure out why Christopher Eccleston left after only one season.The entire book series also has a wonderfully cheeky sense of humor, dropping in asides and stray observations that prove insightful at the same time they're amusing. For example, one section of this volume begins, "Unavoidably, the bulk of this essay is going to be an attempt to get the chronology of the 'present-day' stories to make sense, despite BBC Wales' strenuous efforts at times to prevent this." It can be dense reading, but it always tries to be interesting.My complaints are minor, and primarily conjured in an effort to appear impartial. First, this book series is exhaustive . . . yet this thoroughness means it can be exhausting. I estimate there to be at least 20,000 words devoted to the episode "Rose" alone, and even lesser episodes probably receive 7,000-8,000 words apiece. If you start reading an episode's chapter at the same time you load that episode's DVD and press "Play," you'll likely STILL be reading that chapter by the time the closing credits roll. Being presented with this much material -- all of it interesting -- can feel at times overwhelming.Second, since so much of this book is a reference, the lack of electronic versions of these books is at times painful. Trying to read nearly 26 ounces of information where each page is crammed with text can make the whole experience feel a little unwieldy . . . and the lack of searching ability is sometimes sorely missed (although the existence of copious cross-references obviates this need a fair bit). The paper version has certain benefits, but I suspect a Kindle or PDF format would be where it truly shines; I can offer no greater compliment than to note that if/when this series is available electronically, I will almost certainly re-buy it.Third, the writing often takes some unpacking -- especially if you're hoping to extract every bit of marrow. For example, the section on "The Unquiet Undead" contains this sentence talking about the classic Seventh Doctor episode "Ghost Light": "The process of stacking-up the references for the viewer to tick-off and feel slightly cleverer for getting was characteristically late-80s, but in 'Ghost Light' it was a side-effect of a critique of that very mentality, set against the opposing idea of allowing change, diversity and experimentation." There's nothing explicitly WRONG with that sentence (outside of hyphen usage that made me cringe as an editor with an internalized style guide); however, it's 46 words in one sentence being used to convey at least four ideas. This book is NOT Twitter.Nonetheless, these complaints are all minor, and should do nothing to dissuade prospective buyers outside of making sure they know what they're getting into. Anyone who has ever fallen down the rabbit hole of TV Tropes or Wikipedia and emerged hours later -- exhausted but invigorated with new levels of understanding, insight, and knowledge -- has already touched the mindset that comes to mind when reading an About Time volume. About Time 7 continues this tradition, and I emphatically recommend these books to all Doctor Who fans looking for what I consider to be the best episode-guide series ever. Let the alien apocalypse come; I'm ready.

Having all the other volumes I was looking forward to the volumes that would deal with the New Series. The insight, humor, references, and information in the past books were wonderful and had me rereading the volumes again and again. They allowed me to watch the old episodes in a new light. Not that I always agreed with the volumes, of course. Many of the episodes they felt had failed I thought were wonderful, sometimes for the same reasons!So when Volume 7 came out I was happy to snap it up and read it. And it was worth it. The volume covers the first two series, starring Christopher Ecclesron and David Tennant, and does it well. It treats the new episodes JUST like the old ones, breaking them down, examining them, exploring the issues they bring up. The essays, as in the other books, were wonderful. They ask such important questions as "Gay Agenda? What Gay Agenda?", "Is Doctor Who Fandom Off-Topic?", and "Why Doesn't Anyone Read Any More?".One issue the book brings up is the second series the Golden Age of the new Doctors. Sadly, Tat Wood does not seem THAT impressed with many of the second series episodes and suggests that it isn't the Golden Age. In fact, from his comments in this book, it seems that the series will be going down hill from here. From his point of view - unless I am reading more into his writing than is there. I don't know if I agree. For example, he rates "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" pretty low when I thought both episodes were pretty good. I liked the idea of the Doctor dealing with something outside his sphere of understand and knowledge.Still, this is a must for any fan of Doctor Who, any science fiction fan, or any library dealing with British Television. Enjoy!

One couldn't help wondering, of course, after completing the sixth volume of Mad Norwegian Press' exhaustive study of each story of Doctor Who, when they were going to tackle the new series (or, as they call it, "the Welsh series"). Well, here is the first volume beginning that new epic, covering the complete Eccleston turn as the Doctor and David Tennant's first year in the role. Plot summaries, cast lists, critiques, bloopers, etc. are just part of these detailed volumes; each of them also contain essays about such varied things as "if Torchwood goes back to Victorian days, where were they for Doctors 1-7," the development of British television, the background behind the creation of the new series, the Bad Wolf subplot, the definition of a companion, etc., and all told with enough snark to have it not become boringly academic. But really, for devoted Who fans only; if you're just looking for a plot summary and a cast, this will overwhelm you.

This series should be required reading for casual readers up to and including those fans that vibrate at a whole different fervent frequency

I gave this as a gift to a 14 year old who has recently gotten into Dr. Who. He liked being able to read about episodes as he watched them. I've read other installments in the About Time series, and the authors make interesting and witty observations about the production of the show and it's content. A lot of fun!

This Dr. Who book was purchased as a gift to a real, live, Dr. Who FAN. It was a birthday gift and the recipient was thrilled.If you are a sci-fi addict - this is for you!Again, Thank You Amazon, for your prompt service.

Interesting insights into series 1 & 2.

Covers almost everything you could want to know about the first two seasons (2005 - 2006) of the New Doctor Who series with completeness, insightfulness, and depth.

If you enjoyed the previous books in this series then you won't be disappointed with this one. It covers the first two years of the revived 'Doctor Who' - that is, Christopher Eccleston's time in the TARDIS as well as David Tennant's first season. It's not an episode guide as such - it doesn't provide a full synopsis of the stories. What it does do is analyse the stories in minute (some might say obsessive) detail with notes on how they fit into continuity, new facts about the Doctor or his companions that are revealed for the first time and things to watch out for as you view the episode for the umpteenth time. Then there's a detailed analysis, which includes notes on British culture so that overseas viewers will understand the UK-centric references, identification of what that particular actor has been in before, and (my favourite part) the nitpicks - plot holes and other stuff that doesn't quite make sense when you think about it. This is followed by a critique - the author is clearly a big fan of the programme but he doesn't let this blind him to any faults that the episode might have had, so it's not unending praise. Finally there's the Facts section, with original transmission date, viewer numbers and the behind-the-scenes stuff.Previous books in the series, which covered the era when 'Doctor Who' was a serial, devoted a separate chapter to each individual story. Now that the episodes are mainly one-off self-contained stories, each one gets its own chapter, though for the occasional two-parter some of the sections are combined. Each chapter has at least one accompanying essay on a linked theme, covering such topics as why Eccleston left after only one season, why the series is made in Wales as opposed to, say, Manchester, and whether the horse in 'The Girl in the Fireplace' can be counted as a true TARDIS Companion. (No, really!) You may well disagree with some of the conclusions here but that's the fun of it.This is not a book for the casual viewer, who will watch the programme if there's nothing else on. That said, you don't have to be an obsessive fan to enjoy it. But for those who like me have been left wanting more, there's good news: there are numerous references in the text to future volumes, and those for Volume 8 are so detailed as to strongly suggest that it at least is in an advanced state of preparation, so hopefully the wait won't be too long.

I own all the previous books in this series, and have enjoyed each one. The writer has strong opinions which, although I don't always agree with them, do give one much food for thought. The mixture of analyses and essays give lots of insights into the making of the series and where the ideas came from. If you're interested in how TV is made in the UK in general and Doctor Who in particular you should get this book.

This book is beyond fabulous! It's not only full of extremely interesting facts about the first two series of the rebooted WHO but also lots and lots of informative articles and essays on Doctor Who in general. I started reading it at 10am and was STILL reading it at 1am the following morning. I was obsessed! Bloody great!

I agree with others here that this volume is nowhere near as good as previous books. Humour is definitely lacking. Previous volumes treat Doctor Who with gentle whimsy, but this book has none of that. Mr Wood's scathing and often downright nasty critique does not make enjoyable reading.

As mentioned elsewhere, this is nowhere near as entertaining as the earlier volumes. The tone often becomes annoyingly snide, reminding one of the worst excesses of Who internet forums.The know-all attitude of Tat Wood becomes very irritating very quickly. He either possesses the most brilliant mind on earth, or he's got an internet connection. Whichever it is, what a shame that he can't tell a cor anglais from an oboe...