About Time 6: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 22 to 26, the TV Movie) [Paperback]

Tat Wood (Author)

Book Description

Series: About Time | Publication Date: December 5, 2007

About Time vol. 6 covers Seasons 22 to 26 of Doctor Who, focusing on the tenures of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, as well as the TV movie starring Paul McGann in mind-bending detail. In addition to the usual concerns such as the TV show s continuity (alien races, the Doctor s abilities, etc.) and lore (anecdotal, Did You Know?-style material), author Tat Wood will examine each Colin Baker, McCoy and McGann story in the context of the year/historical period it was produced, determining just how topical the stories were. Essays in this volume include: Is Continuity a Pointless Waste of Time?, Why are Elements so Weird in Space?, Why Do Time Lords Meet in Sequence?, Is There a Season 6B?, Did They Think We'd Buy Just Any Old Crap?, What Might the Other Season 23 Have Been Like?, Who Narrates This Programme?, How Warped was the Doctor's Mind?, How 'Good' is the Doctor?, The Valeyard, Er - How?, What's All This Stuff About Anoraks?m What are the Oddest Romances in the Programme's History?, The Semiotic Thickness of What?, When Did Susan Go to School?, What are the Gayest Things in Doctor Who, Did Cartmel Have Any Plan at All?, Could It Be Magic?, Where Does 'Canon' End?, What Were Josiah's Blasphemous Theories?, Are These 'gods' Related?, What About Season 27? and Does Paul McGann Count?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since the heady days of About Time 3, when Judoon was just the noise a mattress made when you threw down stairs, and Captain Jack was just a bad Billy Joel record, Tat Wood has: left Ilford to live in an attic overlooking Alexandra Palace, which he later left to go out on the open road; run a school for a year; quit teaching - twice; been the public face of the Bangladeshi Women's Society; and written for a forthcoming academic publication whilst reviewing odd television for TV Zone. This is all the more impressive when you realize that he is really in a hospital bed in the year 2041, in a coma and hallucinating about being in 2007 after being struck by a hover-car. Only one of these facts is untrue.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mad Norwegian Press (December 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975944657
• ISBN-13: 978-0975944653
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #934,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Science Fiction & Fantasy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The end of "classic who" brilliantly detailed and deconstructed, July 16, 2008

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Michael A. Duvernois (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: About Time 6: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 22 to 26, the TV Movie) (Paperback)

Gayest Doctor Who moments. The Cartmel Plan. Etc., etc., etc.

If you want a guidebook, or even just a set of essays and opinions, about the sixth and seven doctors episodes, then you need this book. Obsessive doesn't even begin to describe the coverage. Heck, get all of the "About Time" books for the complete Dr. Who fandom experience.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The end...or is it?, December 1, 2008

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: About Time 6: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 22 to 26, the TV Movie) (Paperback)

This last volume of the books that examine the classical Doctor Who series is a must, as is all the books in the series. Sure, there are spelling mistakes and just plain mistakes, but they are few and far between. I loved the extra information - such as the chapters on Peter Cushing and the Daleks movies. I have those movies, so it is great fun to learn more about the behind the scenes and how the films were made.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Were the Late Eighties Really That Bad?, April 20, 2011

By 

Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: About Time 6: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 22 to 26, the TV Movie) (Paperback)

This is a spectacular series of books. The detail provided is unequalled and the observations, particularly through the essays and the lore, are wonderful. I made my way through the tiny print of volumes 1, 2, 4, and 5 with great ease.

Volume 6, covering the end of Colin Baker's tenure as the Doctor as well as Sylvester McCoy's years in the role and McGann's outing, is tougher going. On the surface, all is the same. However, as I read this volume, I couldn't shake the sense of the author's disdain for this period of the series. Granted, these years were not the peak but, as someone who loves Doctor Who, I found the undercurrent of negativity difficult. (Right now, I am reading Running Through Corridors which is a great antidote for this volume. It is relentlessly positive...or tries to be.)

I have to wonder if the absence of Lawrence Miles as co-author of this volume is the reason for the change in tone. Not knowing either author, I don't know, but it's a strange coincidence. I'm almost afraid to go back and make my way through Volume 3. This gigantic tome, covering the Pertwee years, is now in a 2nd edition but has only Wood's name on the cover. I have to hope that the strength of these years will carry us through any of the weaknesses.

All of that said, any fan of the original Doctor Who series is crazy not to have all 6 of these books on his or her shelf. Such a collection of information is a must.