The TARDIS Inside Out
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The TARDIS Inside Out is a 1985 illustrated, non-fiction book in which John Nathan-Turner gives his personal reflections on each of the six actors who had then played the part of the Doctor.
Despite the title, this book has absolutely nothing to do with the workings of the TARDIS.
Publisher's summary
(this synopsis is taken from the UK and AUS editions)
At last, a book on DOCTOR WHO actually written by an insider — the producer!
John Nathan-Turner, in his unique position as producer of the programme for the past six years, is able to discuss the six Doctors and the actors who played them with fresh insight. He reveals not only how many of the decisions are made, but also what really happens behind the scenes.
Each Doctor has a full-page colour portrait painted by the talented Andrew Skilleter. More colour and black and white illustrations detail the Doctors’ activities and their most exciting adventures.
(The last paragraph was changed for the US edition)
Each Doctor has a full-page color portrait, and more color and black-and-white illustrations detail the Doctors’ activities, some of the now legendary monsters they’ve encountered, and their most exciting adventures. Here is an essential album for fans of TV’s science-fantasy classic.
Main focus
The TARDIS Inside Out is skewed towards what John Nathan-Turner personally knows about the actors. For instance, he claims The Space Pirates is his favourite Patrick Troughton story, not because it was Troughton's finest hour, but because it "was [his] first encounter face to face with the Doctor". William Hartnell's section is tiny, because Nathan-Turner admits he never met him, and the sections on Hartnell's next three successors focus largely upon their involvement with The Five Doctors, one of his own Productions.
The book is something of a forerunner to The Writer's Tale, the work of a producer offering his thoughts on his involvement with Doctor Who. It is not as detailed as Russell T Davies' book, which is effectively an annotated production diary. Neither does it include any primary source material, like internal memos, and so Nathan-Turner is allowed to claim anything he likes without reference to supporting documentation.
Because of the lack of proper sourcing, and his failure to admit to any conflict between himself and any of the actors, critical readers can find cause to doubt the accuracy of Nathan-Turner's recollections.
Notable features
The book tends towards a few major areas of interest:
- John Nathan-Turner's favourite story of each of the (at the time) six television Doctors.
- The production of The Five Doctors.
- Nathan-Turner's working relationship with each actor.
- Within the Tom Baker section, by far the biggest in the book, he devotes his attention to the circumstances surrounding Baker's resignation, and goes to great lengths to suggest that he and Baker had an amicable relationship. He also claims he "never stopped to think of Tom and Lalla as a couple", an unlikely occurence, as their relationship negatively affected the production of the show under his watch. (DCOM: State of Decay and others).
- Nathan-Turner's memories of working with each actor outside Doctor Who proper, particularly in panto and convention settings.
Notes
- The US edition's synopsis had slight changes added including spelling, adding the word "fascinating" in the second paragraph and rewording the last paragraph.
Gallery
Textless cover
