About Time 7
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About Time 7 is the seventh volume in the About Time series of Doctor Who reference books. It covers Series 1 and 2 of the televised series, from Rose to Doomsday.
Publisher's summary
In About Time, the whole of classic Doctor Who is examined through the lens of the real-world social and political changes — as well as ongoing developments in television production — that influenced the series in ways big and small over the course of a generation. Armed with these guidebooks, readers will be able to cast their minds back to 1975, 1982 and other years to best appreciate the series’ content and character.
Volume 7 of this series covers series 1 and 2 of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, focusing on the tenures of Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant 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 Russell T Davies-era story in the context of the year/historical period it was produced, determining just how topical the stories were.
Subject matter
Areas of examination include production notes; logical flaws in the story; detailed catalogues of facts; and an attempt to examine where each story came from, and why each was made in the contemporary cultural climate of Great Britain and Earth. Carrying on from the previous chronological volume, this volume also charts why and how the series was brought back, and how showrunner Davies managed to make it a mainstream concern once again after more than 15 years off the air.
Contents
- Each story is broken down into many segments, including: Which One Is This? (very brief introduction, as the writers eschewed dense plot summaries), Firsts and Lasts, Continuity - encompassing The Doctor, The TARDIS, The Time Lords, The Supporting Cast, The Supporting Cast (Evil), Planet Notes, Non-Humans and History -, Additional Sources (for information provided only in DVD extras or spin-off series), a Catchphrase Counter and lists of any Deus ex Machina, The Big Picture analysis, Things That Don't Make Sense, Critique, Facts (writer, director, ratings, guest cast) and Production (behind-the-scenes notes).
Essays
Most serials are accompanied by an essay, and the essays cover a very broad range of topics.
Essays in this volume include:
- Why Now? Why Wales?
- RT Phone Home?
- Is the New Series more xenophobic?
- Why is Trinity Wells on Jackie's telly?
- He remembers this how?
- What's happened to the Daleks?
- Why doesn't anyone read any more?
- Reapers - err, what?
- What's so great about the 51st century?
- Gay agenda? What gay agenda?
- Does being made in Wales matter?
- Did he fall or was he pushed?
- Bad Wolf - what, how, and why?
- What's a "story" now?
- How long is Harriet in No. 10?
- Has all the puff "totally" changed things?
- Stunt Casting: what are the dos and don'ts?
- Why the great Powell Estate debate?
- Is Arthur the Horse a companion?
- Are credited authors just hired hands?
- How many Cyber-races are there?
- Are we touring theme-park history?
- Can he read smells?
- Why's the Doctor so freaked out a big orange bloke?
- Is Doctor Who fandom off-topic?
- Was Series 2 supposed to be like this?
- What are the most over-familiar locations?
- Was 2006 the Annus Mirabilis?
Notes
- The cover is designed by artist Jim Calafiore, and is his representation of The Empty Child.
- Throughout the book, Wood refers to as-yet-unpublished volumes 8 (covering the remainder of Tennant's era) and 9 (covering most or all of Matt Smith's era).
