Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fifth Doctor
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Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fifth Doctor, often referred to as simply The Fifth Doctor Handbook,[1][2] is the fourth[3] in the Handbook series by David J Howe and Stephen James Walker — the major contribution by Doctor Who Books to the world of professionally published Doctor Who reference works.
The book is highly regarded as a significant work of Doctor Who scholarship and is used as one of the main reference works for several later reference projects, perhaps most ubiquitously Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of (Time) Travel website and several issues of Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition, which in turn are two of the major resources used by this wiki.
Subject matter[[edit] | [edit source]]
Like all in the Handbook series, it is divided into three major sections. The first presents a series of snippets from interviews with principles involved in the creation of the persona of the Fifth Doctor; the second gives detailed notes about every televised adventure of this Doctor; and the last concerns itself with behind-the-scenes developments during this Doctor's era.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
"Doctor Who is the world's longest running science fiction television series. Each handbook provides both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of one phase of the programme's history.
"When Peter Davison took over the part of the Doctor in 1982, he was already a familiar face on British television as the much-loved star of All Creatures Great and Small. Within a few months, Davison had won acceptance for his sensitive portrayal and starred in some of the most adult and arguably best-written stories in the programme's history.
"This book is an in in-depth study of Peter Davison's tenure as the Doctor, including a profile of the actor, a critical summary of each story in which he starred, an extensive feature on the making of the 20th-anniversary special The Five Doctors and much more. The authors have established their reputation with best-selling books such as The Sixties and The Seventies, and their acclaimed work on the three previous books in the handbook range."
-- From the back cover
Notable features[[edit] | [edit source]]
- This volume includes a particularly detailed examination of the making of The Five Doctors.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Unlike all but The Third and The Seventh Doctor Handbooks, this volume was not co-written by Mark Stammers. However, it was dedicated to him.
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- ↑ Bibliography at "The Doctor's Dilemma", published by the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club
- ↑ Reference book page at the Doctor Who Ratings Guide website
- ↑ The Handbook series was not published in numerical order of the Doctor's incarnations.
