The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the Production of Doctor Who (Dr Who Telos) [Paperback]

David J Howe (Author), Stephen James Walker (Author), Mark Stammers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1903889596 | ISBN-13: 978-1903889596 | Publication Date: May 19, 2005 | Edition: 1

The complete guide to the production of Doctor Who from 1963 to 1996 - in one bumper volume! On their first publication, the Doctor Who Handbooks were hailed for their comprehensive behind the scenes exploration of the BBC's cult science fiction show Doctor Who. Now collected in a revised and updated edition, this book is the definitive guide to the background and production of a television classic. Authors David J Howe, Stephen James Walker and Mark Stammers spent a decade researching, and then a decade writing this acclaimed and in-depth look at the background to Doctor Who. Every Doctor's era is examined through articles and analysis, key decisions are documented, and the people involved in these decisions interviewed or quoted to create one of the most revealing behind the scenes books on the trials and tribulations of arguably the greatest cult show ever to grace Saturday evening television. Includes extensive interview quotes from all eight television Doctors, many of the actors and actresses who played their faithful companions, and literally dozens of production team members - producers, script editors, directors, designers and other behind-the-scenes staff - who brought the original series and the 1996 TV movie to the screen over a period of some thirty-three years. Features articles on the Doctor, his companions, the effects, the locations, the costume design, the script editing, the mythos behind the series and much, much more. Includes detailed script to screen examinations of one story from each for the first seven Doctors' eras, analysis of the media attention given to the series, plus an exhaustive breakdown of the production of the first three years of the show.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Telos Publishing; 1 edition (May 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903889596
• ISBN-13: 978-1903889596
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,932,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not complete. Abridged!, January 28, 2010

By 

Aaron "Where is my sonic screwdriver?" (South Bend, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Production of Doctor Who (Dr Who Telos) (Hardcover)

I am a happy owner of all of the original Doctor Who Handbooks written by Howe, Stammers, and Walker. These books are fantastic, filled with interesting stories of the character of the Doctor, the actors who played him, and the production of the stories. I have devoured these handbooks over the years, and each one of the 7 that I own (one for each of the original Doctors) is falling apart, faded, and dog-eared. They have been well-loved.

Imagine my delight then on learning that the 7 handbooks, long out of print, had been collected in a single volume. "Finally," I said, "I can retire my original copies and read instead from this massive tome! And look, it has been updated!" So I orderd this book, and eagerly awaited it's arrival.

So my disappointment was supreme yesterday when it arrived, and I settled down to reacquaint myself with the great Handbook series, and I discovered that this is NOT a complete collection of the Handbooks, despite what the cover print may claim. Rather, this is a collection that composes about 2/3s of each handbook, leaving out the truly excellent episode listings. These listings consisted of a good summary (essential for some of the episodes which no longer exist), as well as information on their novelizations, and on their various video releases. There was info on the budgets of the episodes, and interesting trivia related to their production. The authors would review the episodes, and provide their opinions. NONE of these episode guides have made it into the book.

So, my opinion on this book? The content that is in there is excellent, but it is incomplete. I am disappointed in the misleading description of this book (which is not cheap), which claims that it is a collection of the Handbooks, for it certainly is not.

I guess I'll be sending this one back for a refund, and I'll keep refering to my old dog-eared copies for the foreseeable future.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Long, February 3, 2011

By 

Kevin - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the Production of Doctor Who (Dr Who Telos) (Paperback)

This is rather a large book. It took many sittings and does not cover all of the Doctors. However, if your favorite Doctor was on TV between 1963 and 1996, this is the book for you. I fear the new crowd would be bored by a book like this, but I would say just avoid this unless you Doctor is in here.