FULL REVIEW

A journey through Doctor Who's cultural history…

The 2005 rebirth of former BBC stalwart Doctor Who as Saturday night event television proved to be one of the most surprising TV success stories of recent years, not least for the BBC itself. As this critical history of the show’s 45 years so far illustrates, however, Doctor Who has always confounded expectations.

Meticulously researched, Timeless Adventures reveals that from its very inception the series has triumphed against the odds. Author Brian J. Robb is particularly good at conjuring up the show’s beginnings, when it appeared to have everything against it – BBC top brass who were not at first willing to commit to the show beyond the first four stories, a young and untested female producer (far from the norm in those days of course) and a reticence to go down the sci-fi route of ‘bug-eyed monsters.’

As Robb points out, Doctor Who’s first producer Verity Lambert and BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman both spent formative periods working in the more dynamic world of US television before Doctor Who. The US influence would also come into play in 2005 for its highly successful rebirth.

As opposed to some critical histories, the aim of Timeless Adventures is not in looking at each story and giving a blow-by-blow account of what went right and wrong with it. The real interest is in demonstrating how the show has reflected the world around it, from the fear of the effects of technological progress in the 60s, through the budding environmental concerns of the 70s, and the rampant consumerism and globalisation of today. As the book demonstrates, Doctor Who has been at its weakest when it has strayed from this goal of reflecting the world around us in favour of cheap thrills or fan service.

Some eras of the show are necessarily given more focus than others – some of the less eventful seasons of Tom Baker’s long run as the Doctor are passed through fairly briefly, for instance. The rationale for the chapter divisions in the book, however, highlights where the real meat of the show’s story lies. More, even, than by the different incarnations of the Doctor himself, Doctor Who’s history has been defined by the change in producers at its helm. It has moved from the adventurous, educational style of Verity Lambert through the “gothic thrills” of Philip Hinchcliffe, right up to the populist, bombastic Russell T. Davies and beyond.

The book rightly takes into account too the 16-year period the show spent in hiatus before its noughties rebirth when fans (including many creative staff who later became involved in the show) were effectively keeping Doctor Who alive themselves, whether through spin-off fiction, audio dramas or conventions.

Reading about publicity-hungry John Nathan-Turner’s (rather too) lengthy run in charge of the show during its most unsatisfying period in the 80s in particular provides a salutary lesson that Davies seems to have done the right thing by stepping down after the recent series of specials. As always, Doctor Who can continue to regenerate itself just as the Doctor does.

VERDICT 9/10
This behind-the-scenes and critical story of the show is just as eventful as the Doctor's travels.

Chad Ross

Total Sci-Fi Online

FULL REVIEW

A lone traveler in a battered blue police box traveling through time and space, righting wrongs and keeping the universe safe. Doctor Who is an amazing show with a phenomenal 40-plus year history. But more than being the longest running and greatest resurrected television show ever, it's a reflection of the culture that created it. Brian J. Robb captures Doctor Who's cultural importance with Timeless Adventure: How Doctor Who Conquered TV, a critical study of the impact the show has had on British society and, through that, the world.

Robb has done a phenomenal amount of research for this undertaking, commenting on not only every episode, movie, novel in the Doctor Who canon but also the political, social and historical context in which each piece of fiction premiered and the reality of England at the time versus the Whoniverse.

Starting with the early days of the show's creation and production, he chronicles the socio-political elements as well as blind luck that resulted in the show's creation as little more than a children's show. From there, he moves through each episode, some more in-depth than others, continuing his case and point as the series grows beyond these humble begins to reflect the flavor of the times.

For long-time fans, this creates an interesting dichotomy, reliving the classic story, but seeing it placed in a context that might have been overlooked during the initial viewing. One would think this constant analyzing would wear a bit thin, but it actually serves to heighten the enjoyment of the read and builds the desire to watch these episodes again.

As he continues through each season, Robb emphasizes how, above all else, Doctor Who was the show with a very solid fan base that was accessible to the casual viewer but honored those who had been with it from the beginning. He sites the Jon Pertwee to the early Tom Baker era as the pinnacle of this style of visual and narrative openness.

Then we reach the 80s, producer John Nathan-Turner takes the helm of the show and its popularity dwindles. Reading between the lines, Robb possess an extreme dislike of John Nathan-Turner and his long stint on the series. Some of it is well-deserved, however, as he attests and cites multiple examples of the show growing so mired and ingrained in its own continuity from late 4th Doctor to the end of the 7th Doctor's run (and the original series itself) that this period became almost incomprehensible to the casual viewer.

Robb does briefly mention the 1996 made-for-TV film, but things really take off in 2005 with the introduction of the current series. Here, Robb notes how the show has reclaimed the "anyone-can-join" quality the early years had while still respecting all that came before for the hardcore fans as well as maintaining its air of relevance to the current social situations of the world.

Political, economic and social realities are ever-changing, just like the style, feel and storytelling of Doctor Who. But it's the unconventional, humorous, frightening and sometimes baffling ability of this offbeat, seemingly immortal series that has persisted through the decades to not only remain relevant, but allow us insight into our own changing times.

David Maddox

sfsite.com