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Doctor Who: The TARDIS Inside Out
Provides a behind-the-scenes look at the popular television series and discusses the six actors who have portrayed Dr. Who in the past twenty-one years.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 23, 2020
If you're looking for behind-the-scenes information, all you're going to find here are some light-and-breezy personal anecdotes...which are entertaining, but not much in the way of substantial content. The real purpose of this book is to enjoy the absolutely stunning & gorgeous, hand-painted portraits of the first 6 Doctors, courtesy of Andrew Skilleter, at the height of his Whoniverse powers in the 1980s. You'll be too busy appreciating the artwork to worry about the anecdotes.
September 15, 2019
This was a book I had searched for as a Whovian collector for decades. Finally, a friend surprised me with it as a gift, and I sat down and read it in one sitting, happily so. It is only 40 pages and the text is relatively short and concise, but it more than makes up for the brevity by being packed with interesting anecdotes, observations, and memories from arguably the most 'mainstream' producer of 'Doctor Who' during it's original BBC run.
John Nathan-Turner was a flamboyant, engaging, fan-friendly producer that knew how to utilize the media to his advantage and maximize press to the hilt. As such, this book, published in 1985, includes delightful stories of former Doctors at various fan conventions and being chased out of pubs on location. 'JNT' as he was referred to in fan circles (both approvingly 'and' condescendingly, depending on the context!), name-checks events and organizations such as the infamous Longleat House convention, addresses the rumours of bad blood between he and Tom Baker that swirled for decades, and provides nice thumbnail sketches of each actor who played The Doctor, his interactions with them (in the case of Hartnell, he focuses on being acquainted with the late actor's family), and even his 'picks' of favourite stories from their TV eras.
As a piece of history-in-the-making, this book is representative of the series in the 1980's: full of superlatives, glossy, colourful in prose and artwork, and more flash than substance. JNT makes the most of his word count, providing insights into the production process as well as his own rise through the ranks from floor manager of selected Troughton Era TV stories to producer during Tom Baker's final season. There is not a tremendous amount of 'meat on the bone', but there's enough here to make a longtime Whovian smile.
JNT was a showman, and his simple yet positive tone in this book is infectious; for all the issues to come in the following year and more of the production, this book is a fly in amber: it is overflowing with a sense of optimism, a sense of pride in the casting of a new Doctor in the form of Colin Baker complete with witty anecdotes regarding the lengths of secrecy involved in the casting process. At this point, JNT was well comfortable in his role as not just producer but one-man PR team, extolling the virtues of everyone involved. He was a master of accentuating the positives and hiding the negatives.
In summary, this was a real treat. It is not meant to be an exhaustive, factual, dry account of camera angle techniques, script breakdowns and financial allocations; instead it is a breezy, informal 'chat' of sorts with the producer most responsible for the highest highs and the lowest lows of 'Doctor Who' during the entirety of the 1980's. He seemed to sense what would most be important for Whovians to know (namely, 'what is the Doctor really like?', given his focus on each actor to play that role to date), and he did a fine job doing so. The artwork by Andrew Skilleter is also up to his usual standards, and instantly recognizable and pleasing to the eye of any fan familiar with his work.
A nice trip down memory lane, and an important book in retrospect, given the tumultuous period that was just around the corner after this book was printed.
John Nathan-Turner was a flamboyant, engaging, fan-friendly producer that knew how to utilize the media to his advantage and maximize press to the hilt. As such, this book, published in 1985, includes delightful stories of former Doctors at various fan conventions and being chased out of pubs on location. 'JNT' as he was referred to in fan circles (both approvingly 'and' condescendingly, depending on the context!), name-checks events and organizations such as the infamous Longleat House convention, addresses the rumours of bad blood between he and Tom Baker that swirled for decades, and provides nice thumbnail sketches of each actor who played The Doctor, his interactions with them (in the case of Hartnell, he focuses on being acquainted with the late actor's family), and even his 'picks' of favourite stories from their TV eras.
As a piece of history-in-the-making, this book is representative of the series in the 1980's: full of superlatives, glossy, colourful in prose and artwork, and more flash than substance. JNT makes the most of his word count, providing insights into the production process as well as his own rise through the ranks from floor manager of selected Troughton Era TV stories to producer during Tom Baker's final season. There is not a tremendous amount of 'meat on the bone', but there's enough here to make a longtime Whovian smile.
JNT was a showman, and his simple yet positive tone in this book is infectious; for all the issues to come in the following year and more of the production, this book is a fly in amber: it is overflowing with a sense of optimism, a sense of pride in the casting of a new Doctor in the form of Colin Baker complete with witty anecdotes regarding the lengths of secrecy involved in the casting process. At this point, JNT was well comfortable in his role as not just producer but one-man PR team, extolling the virtues of everyone involved. He was a master of accentuating the positives and hiding the negatives.
In summary, this was a real treat. It is not meant to be an exhaustive, factual, dry account of camera angle techniques, script breakdowns and financial allocations; instead it is a breezy, informal 'chat' of sorts with the producer most responsible for the highest highs and the lowest lows of 'Doctor Who' during the entirety of the 1980's. He seemed to sense what would most be important for Whovians to know (namely, 'what is the Doctor really like?', given his focus on each actor to play that role to date), and he did a fine job doing so. The artwork by Andrew Skilleter is also up to his usual standards, and instantly recognizable and pleasing to the eye of any fan familiar with his work.
A nice trip down memory lane, and an important book in retrospect, given the tumultuous period that was just around the corner after this book was printed.
June 7, 2025
Book 335 - John Nathan-Turner -Doctor Who-The Tardis Inside Out
Illustrations by Andrew Skilleter
A sidestep to a book by the longest serving Doctor Who producer... John Nathan-Turner. A charismatic man who had worked on the long running Sci-fi series on and off from the late 1960s until its cancellation in 1989. He goes through each of the first six Doctors as that is how many had been on television at the time of writing. He gives a very personal account of each actor and their performance followed by a brief anecdote and his choice of favourite story.
It is a quick but insightful read of someone who was there for many years and his personality and love for the programme shine through.
With each page accompanied by portraits of each Doctor by the great Doctor Who artist Andrew Skilleter.
I loved getting lost in the dim and distant past of my favourite television series.
Illustrations by Andrew Skilleter
A sidestep to a book by the longest serving Doctor Who producer... John Nathan-Turner. A charismatic man who had worked on the long running Sci-fi series on and off from the late 1960s until its cancellation in 1989. He goes through each of the first six Doctors as that is how many had been on television at the time of writing. He gives a very personal account of each actor and their performance followed by a brief anecdote and his choice of favourite story.
It is a quick but insightful read of someone who was there for many years and his personality and love for the programme shine through.
With each page accompanied by portraits of each Doctor by the great Doctor Who artist Andrew Skilleter.
I loved getting lost in the dim and distant past of my favourite television series.
June 11, 2018
Producer John Nathan-Turner shares memories of the different Doctors - William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker - and how he worked his way up from floor assistant to producer on Doctor Who. It's honestly an easy breezy read, though I can't say for certain that the experiences Turner graciously offers are all that memorable; the most I recall from the book is brief explanations of what it was like to work with the actors and how he ushered in new Doctors when the older ones felt it was their time to go. For its length, it's not going to be an in-depth book, but I felt like there could've been more detail especially as one of the longest-running producers for such a popular show. Nice read anyways.
December 22, 2015
This was okay. Covers Doctors 1-6 with some info on each in regards to how the author knew them.
Short and oddly it is written as if for very young children but the content reads more like "Producer John Nathan-Turner's Dr. Who resume with some small interesting tidbits about the show and actors who played the doctor." Definitely feels as if the content is meant for older readers but the format is nearly that of a picture book with limited text and drawings throughout.
Not a lot of "behind the scenes" and there's nothing at all about the tardis itself despite the title.
Short and oddly it is written as if for very young children but the content reads more like "Producer John Nathan-Turner's Dr. Who resume with some small interesting tidbits about the show and actors who played the doctor." Definitely feels as if the content is meant for older readers but the format is nearly that of a picture book with limited text and drawings throughout.
Not a lot of "behind the scenes" and there's nothing at all about the tardis itself despite the title.
December 28, 2007
An inside look at the doctors, from William Hartnell to Colin Baker, from the eyes of the author - who started as a floor assistant and later became a producer for the show. Very short, and can be interesting for a hardcore Who fan.
January 18, 2013
Published 1985, goes up to Colin Baker. It's written by John Turner, who was a producer in the show. It has very little to do with the Tardis. This is an early version of the annual that comes out each year now, except it includes the first six Doctors.
November 6, 2013
The first 6 Doctors: Hartnell, Throughton, Pertwee, T. Baker, Davidson & C. Baker. Discriptions, history and anecdotes by by producer John Nather-Turner. Love the color plates and illustrations of each Doctor.
December 29, 2007
read 12.16.85
February 11, 2016
This guy was a producer on the show for a while back in the eighties, with the Sixth Doctor. A few of his anecdotes are humorous!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews