A Celebration: Two Decades Through Time and Space

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A Celebration: Two Decades Through Time and Space was a Doctor Who reference book published by W.H. Allen in 1983. It was re-published by Virgin Books in 1995.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

1983 hardback edition[[edit] | [edit source]]

With the benefit of hindsight it is difficult to see how BBC TV's Doctor Who series could possibly have failed. In fact, it had a most inauspicious beginning. Due to the extensive television coverage devoted to the assassination of President John Kennedy the day before, the first episode of Doctor Who went out later than scheduled. Viewing figures were disappointing, but a decision was made to give the programme a second showing the following week. The response was tremendous, and after a shaky start the series was all set to run and run and run...

Peter Haining has compiled a fitting tribute to the success of this remarkable programme, to mark its twentieth anniversary. His book reflects the rich diversity of talent and ideas that have invested Doctor Who with its unique appeal to viewers of all ages and made it the vital and popular series it remains to this day — a popularity reinforced by W.H. Allen/Target's novelisations of the stories.

In addition to articles on key landmarks in the Doctor Who universe, this celebratory volume contains contributions from Verity Lambert, the first producer of the programme; Barry Letts, one-time director, producer and executive producer; Terrance Dicks, ex-script editor, script writer, and author of many of the Doctor Who novelisations; John Nathan-Turner, the current producer; and all five actors who have played the part of the Doctor give their views on this epic phenomenon.

For those who first saw the programme in 1963 to those who regularly watch it today, this W.H. Allen special will be a constant source of pleasure and a unique volume to treasure.

Peter Haining has long been an admirer of the Doctor Who series and these days enjoys watching the programme with his three young children. He is the author of many books that have entailed detailed and extensive research — experience that makes him ideally suitable to put together this celebratory volume. Previous works by Peter Haining, published by W.H. Allen, include The Sherlock Holmes Compendium, Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Legend of Charlie Chaplin and The Legend of Brigitte Bardot. He lives in Boxford, Suffolk.

1995 paperback edition[[edit] | [edit source]]

First published in 1983 to mark Doctor Who's twentieth birthday, A CELEBRATION has long been out of print and has become a collector’s item.

When this book was first published in 1983 Doctor Who was at its popular peak: the highest-ever viewing figures had just been achieved in Britain, and massive success in the USA was just around the corner.

Doctor Who had become established as a British institution. After two decades of popular television, the TARDIS, the Cybermen and the Doctor himself were familiar to just about everyone.

This volume, compiled by Peter Haining, traces the history of the series. It includes contributions from some of the talented people who helped to shape Doctor Who: Verity Lambert, the first producer; Barry Letts, one-time director, producer and writer; Terrance Dicks, one-time script editor and prolific author; John Nathan-Turner, who in 1983 had only recently taken over as producer of the series; and all five of the actors who had at the time played the role of the Doctor on television.

This book, republished in its original, unchanged form, is a piece of Doctor Who history, available to a new generation of Doctor Who fans.

Peter Haining is the author of many books about the past and television. After A Celebration, he went on to write more books about Doctor Who, including The Time-Travellers' Guide and The Key to Time, which are being reprinted, and 25 Glorious Years. He is also the author of Virgin Publishing's The Television Sherlock Holmes.

Subject matter[[edit] | [edit source]]

The first twenty years of Doctor Who - up to The King's Demons

Contents[[edit] | [edit source]]

Introduction: The Changing Face of Doctor Who
1. The Arrival of a Time Lord
How We Created Doctor Who by Verity Lambert
2. The Coming of the Daleks
"My God, What Is It?" The Daleks and Me by Terry Nation
3. The Doctor Who File
William Hartnell:
"A Time Traveller with Long White Hair and Eccentric Clothes"
I Felt Like the Pied Piper by William Hartnell
Patrick Troughton
"The Cosmic Hobo"
Doctor Who Indulged my Passion for Clowning by Patrick Troughton
Jon Pertwee
"The Man of Action"
I Saw the Doctor as an Interplanetary Crusader by Jon Pertwee
Tom Baker
"Hello, I Am the Doctor - Have a Jelly Baby!"
I Liked Doctor Who Because It Was All Fun, Fun Fun! by Tom Baker
Peter Davison:
"A Sort of reckless Innocent"
I Thought I Was Too Young to Play the Doctor! by Peter Davison
Who's that? A Sixth Doctor!
4. The Forgotten Doctor
5. The Good Companions
6. The Story of K9
7. The TARDIS - and the Reality of Time Travel
8. The World of Gallifrey: The Planet of the Time Lords
9. The Two Regenerations of the Master
10. Back with Who by Barry Letts
11. Who and I by Terrance Dicks
12. The Continuing Story of Who by John Nathan-Turner

The Whoniverse

The Twenty-Year Travel Log: The Doctor's Adventures and Their Background by Jeremy Bentham
The Doctor Who Library
The People Who Made Doctor Who
The Doctor Who Exhibitions
The Doctor Who Fan Clubs
The Doctor Who Film Archives

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The cover was illustrated by Graham Potts.
  • Benton's first name is given as John.
  • With over 100,000 copies sold in hardback it was one of W.H. Allen's best-ever sellers.
  • The publisher's summary on the regular 1983 hardback edition was not covered on the backside of the book, but rather on the inner cover flap.
  • The copyright page of early printings not only lists the hardback "ISBN 0 491 03351 6" but also a "Comet Books softcover edition" with "ISBN 0 86379 031 3", which appears never to have happened.
  • The regular hardback and the deluxe hardback from W.H. Allen share the same ISBN number.
  • The standard hardback edition was priced at £10.95 (UK).
  • The 1983 deluxe edition was leather-bound, slipcased and limited to 500 copies, priced at £30 (UK).
  • Page columns when flipped show a TARDIS rising from the bottom to the top of the page.
  • The 1995 paperback edition from Virgin Books was priced at £14.99 (UK).
  • The publisher's summary on the backside of the 1995 paperback edition mentions a re-printing of The Key to Time, which appear to never have happened.
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