Companions (reference book)
- You may be looking for a similarly-titled reference book or the documentary.
Companions was a Doctor Who reference book written by David J. Howe and Mark Stammers, and published by Virgin Publishing in October 1995 and September 1996.
Publisher's summary
(This synopsis is taken from the 1995 hardback edition)
SUSAN IAN BARBARA VICKI STEPHEN DODO BEN POLLY JAMIE VICTORIA ZOE LIZ BRIGADIER LETHBRIDGE-STEWART SERGEANT BENTON CAPTAIN YATES JO SARAH-JANE HARRY LEELA K-9 ROMANA ADRIC NYSSA TEGAN TURLOUGH KAMELION PERI MEL ACE
(taken from the inner flaps of 1995 edition)
From the authors of the best-selling Doctor Who books The Sixties, The Seventies and Timeframe comes Companions, the complete guide to everyone who has been dragged along on the Doctor’s adventures in time and space. All the Time Lord’s travelling companions are here: three decades of miniskirts and platform boots, kilts and crinolines, leather bikinis and silver jump-suits. Companions includes interviews with the stars, the facts behind the headlines, and hundreds of photos — including glamourous shots of the actresses who played the damsels in distress and warrior women in the changing TARDIS crew.
David J Howe and Mark Stammers have spent many years researching and writing about Doctor Who for magazines, both professional and amateur, as well as contributing to books about the series and other cult television programmes.
Doctor Who books by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker:
- THE SIXTIES
- THE SEVENTIES
- THE HANDBOOK: THE FIRST DOCTOR
- THE HANDBOOK: THE FOURTH DOCTOR
- THE HANDBOOK: THE SIXTH DOCTOR
By David J Howe and Stephen James Walker:
- THE HANDBOOK: THE FIFTH DOCTOR (To be published in December 1995)
By David J Howe:
- TIMEFRAME
Edited by Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker:
Subject matter
This book includes detailed coverage of all the Doctor's travelling companions and the actors and actresses who brought the characters to life.
Contents
- Introduction
- Why does the Doctor Need a Companion Anyway?
- Who Were the Companions?
- In the Beginning
- Three becomes Two
- The Troughton Years
- A United Front
- Aliens in the TARDIS
- A Sign of the Eighties
- Future Matters, A Novel Solution (films, comics and novel)
- Index of Companions (Actor's biographies)
Notable features
- This book is fully illustrated with photographs throughout — many had never been published before.
- Among those photographs is "the one" with actress Katy Manning (aka Jo Grant) posing naked with a Dalek.
- Each companion has a featured TARDIS log infobox detailing name, likes, dislikes, why they joined and left the Doctor and a general descriptive comment.
Notes
- The 1996 paperback edition's synopsis got rid of all the companions' names as well as the list of other titles by the writers, instead adding the reviews:
- ‘Refreshingly irreverent, although still manages to pack in the facts.’’’ — SFX Magazine
- ‘Excellent.’’’ — Q Magazine
- ‘Not before time, someone has decided to devote an entire book to these gorgeous lovelies.’’’ — Loaded Magazine
- This publication followed the success of the writer's titles, Doctor Who: The Sixties, Doctor Who: The Seventies and Doctor Who: The Eighties.
- The hardback was priced £15.99 in the UK.
