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Doctor Who: The Handbook #4
Doctor Who: The Handbook - The Fourth Doctor
"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.
"The volume covers the years from 1974 to 1981. During this time Doctor Who achieved its highest viewing figures in Britain, and became a sensation in the United States. Tom Baker played the leading role — he was the longest-serving of the seven actors who have played the Doctor to date — and for many people his portrayal of the Doctor is the definitive one.
"David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James walker are the authors of Doctor Who - The Sixties and The Seventies, the complete guide to the programme's early years.
"In this Handbook they set the fourth Doctor in historical context, and go on to describe: Tom Baker, the actor; the development of the role of the fourth Doctor
the stories behind the TV stories; the re-creation and expansion of DOCTOR WHO mythology; a typical fourth Doctor story from script to screen
the marketing of the fourth Doctor
"The Handbook is a must for every Doctor Who fan — and for everyone whose favourite Doctor is the curly-haired chap with the teeth and the long scarf."
"The volume covers the years from 1974 to 1981. During this time Doctor Who achieved its highest viewing figures in Britain, and became a sensation in the United States. Tom Baker played the leading role — he was the longest-serving of the seven actors who have played the Doctor to date — and for many people his portrayal of the Doctor is the definitive one.
"David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James walker are the authors of Doctor Who - The Sixties and The Seventies, the complete guide to the programme's early years.
"In this Handbook they set the fourth Doctor in historical context, and go on to describe: Tom Baker, the actor; the development of the role of the fourth Doctor
the stories behind the TV stories; the re-creation and expansion of DOCTOR WHO mythology; a typical fourth Doctor story from script to screen
the marketing of the fourth Doctor
"The Handbook is a must for every Doctor Who fan — and for everyone whose favourite Doctor is the curly-haired chap with the teeth and the long scarf."
256 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 28, 2019
"Doctor Who: the Handbook"--a somewhat plain and generic title, but this handy little tome is after all just what it says it is: a trade-paperback sized reference for the dedicated Doctor Who fan. One of a seven-volume set each of which focuses on a particular Doctor of what has now come to be called the classic series, this one of course covers the Tom Baker years, a particularly definitive era for the long-running sci-fi program.
For its unassuming size, the book packs a lot of interesting information and this from a number of angles. Excerpts from interviews with Tom Baker on everything from his early life and acting career to his many thoughts on different aspects of his tenure as the Doctor start things off; this alone is worth the price of the book, as these many comments are taken from vastly scattered sources, including newspapers, magazines, and fanzines now all but inaccessible to all but the most obsessively diligent scrapbook keeper. Then a brief overall account of this period in the show's history puts everything in context, followed by a summary of each storyline with associated facts, observations, and comments (the latter of which are a bit critical sometimes but seem fair and balanced overall, as these things go anyway). After this comes a number of sections zeroing in on particular facets of the show: the succession of producers and their differing approaches to the program, the nuts-and-bolts making of the show using "The Brain of Morbius" as an example, the development of special effects, the ups and downs of location filming, and the show's impact on popular culture more generally (including its rising profile in the realm of barely reputable British tabloids--no publicity is bad publicity?).
As the book was published in the early 1990's before the advent of the internet and DVDs, some aspects of it are just a bit retroactively obsolete. The story summaries and related data can mostly be found online nowadays and the remarks by the director and set designer on the filming of "Morbius" read like the old-fashioned equivalent of a DVD commentary track. Still, if you ever desperately need to look up the author of "Meglos" during a power outage, this book's got you covered. With that in mind, though, the majority of the book is full of fascinating information, amusing anecdotes, enlightening reminiscences, and nuanced overviews of the show's history and development that all stand the test of time nicely. The authors also demonstrate throughout a balanced view of the constraints under which the "Doctor Who" creative team worked and a fair and realistic sense of the varying audiences to which they needed to appeal--diehard fans, casual viewers, and everything in-between. In general they strike a tone that's appreciative and positive without being gushingly overenthusiastic. This is the kind of reference book that one can just sit back and enjoy reading at one's leisure, a nifty behind-the-scenes look for anyone who loves the show and wants to know more about it.
For its unassuming size, the book packs a lot of interesting information and this from a number of angles. Excerpts from interviews with Tom Baker on everything from his early life and acting career to his many thoughts on different aspects of his tenure as the Doctor start things off; this alone is worth the price of the book, as these many comments are taken from vastly scattered sources, including newspapers, magazines, and fanzines now all but inaccessible to all but the most obsessively diligent scrapbook keeper. Then a brief overall account of this period in the show's history puts everything in context, followed by a summary of each storyline with associated facts, observations, and comments (the latter of which are a bit critical sometimes but seem fair and balanced overall, as these things go anyway). After this comes a number of sections zeroing in on particular facets of the show: the succession of producers and their differing approaches to the program, the nuts-and-bolts making of the show using "The Brain of Morbius" as an example, the development of special effects, the ups and downs of location filming, and the show's impact on popular culture more generally (including its rising profile in the realm of barely reputable British tabloids--no publicity is bad publicity?).
As the book was published in the early 1990's before the advent of the internet and DVDs, some aspects of it are just a bit retroactively obsolete. The story summaries and related data can mostly be found online nowadays and the remarks by the director and set designer on the filming of "Morbius" read like the old-fashioned equivalent of a DVD commentary track. Still, if you ever desperately need to look up the author of "Meglos" during a power outage, this book's got you covered. With that in mind, though, the majority of the book is full of fascinating information, amusing anecdotes, enlightening reminiscences, and nuanced overviews of the show's history and development that all stand the test of time nicely. The authors also demonstrate throughout a balanced view of the constraints under which the "Doctor Who" creative team worked and a fair and realistic sense of the varying audiences to which they needed to appeal--diehard fans, casual viewers, and everything in-between. In general they strike a tone that's appreciative and positive without being gushingly overenthusiastic. This is the kind of reference book that one can just sit back and enjoy reading at one's leisure, a nifty behind-the-scenes look for anyone who loves the show and wants to know more about it.
September 19, 2021
This was the first of the handbooks to be published, and it comes with fond memories. I had no idea what this series was about at the time. I picked it up at a mall bookstore...and I must have ignored everyone and read it cover to cover during the course of the entire shopping trip. The overviews of locations and the commentary making-of section on "The Brain of Morbius" remain the strongest and most interesting sections of this book. But it loses a star rating for the same fault that plagues all the other books: the old-school fan reviews that particularly trash the 1980s stories. A pox on that.
January 5, 2026
Valiant attempt to cover an era long enough that they could have probably justified splitting this into two volumes. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
March 17, 2012
I discovered the good Doctor during reruns in the early 1970's on my black & white television. I enjoyed the show, but I drifted on to other genres, particularly monster films from Japan.
In the late 1970's I ran across the new Doctor while channel surfing (while standing next to the TV and twisting the knob.) I was hooked.
Tom Baker is the true essence of Doctor Who, in my opinion. His goofy mannerisms and sharp wit appealed to me. I can understand why Tom is the American's favorite Doctor.
David J. Howe's book is like a doorway into the past. There's quite a bit of interesting facts and trivia artfully arranged by the author to make this a fascinating read. Mr. Howe cast his net to capture a wider range of topics, including some early Tom Baker info that I was not aware of. David is an accomplished true Doctor Who expert, and this book shows his writing and research skills are exceptional. If you want to know more about the fourth Doctor, this is the book to pick up.
I found a copy of this book in an old box I had in storage. I never read it before I packed it away, but I'm going to find more of David's work going forward. I'll make sure I read them before putting them on my bookshelf.
In the late 1970's I ran across the new Doctor while channel surfing (while standing next to the TV and twisting the knob.) I was hooked.
Tom Baker is the true essence of Doctor Who, in my opinion. His goofy mannerisms and sharp wit appealed to me. I can understand why Tom is the American's favorite Doctor.
David J. Howe's book is like a doorway into the past. There's quite a bit of interesting facts and trivia artfully arranged by the author to make this a fascinating read. Mr. Howe cast his net to capture a wider range of topics, including some early Tom Baker info that I was not aware of. David is an accomplished true Doctor Who expert, and this book shows his writing and research skills are exceptional. If you want to know more about the fourth Doctor, this is the book to pick up.
I found a copy of this book in an old box I had in storage. I never read it before I packed it away, but I'm going to find more of David's work going forward. I'll make sure I read them before putting them on my bookshelf.
January 24, 2016
The fourth installment of the 1990s series of handbooks on what then seemed a series with little hope of a comeback, the 4th Doctor's handbook remains quite enjoyable reading and a very detailed and valuable source for information (even for 21st-century standards, when everything seems to be available online) for a show that, with Tom Baker in the leading role, was at what is still considered by many as its Golden Age. The book is made up by excerpts from interviews in magazines and radio and TV shows, an episode-by-episode guide to every single season (although Shada was not taken into account, as the legendary lost episode had not been recontructed yet), a very detailed description of how a classic episode (The Brain of Morbius) came to be, an analysis of how Doctor Who's mythology was modified during the Tom Baker era, and an account of how the show was promoted and where it was broadcasted. This book will certainly remains a key part of Doctor Who bibliography and an interesting window into the world of fandoms before the Internet.
November 27, 2011
This was really bland. I am a huge fan of the Tom Baker years of Dr.Who and I was hoping this was going to be a big book of behind the scenes- making of- type info and interviews.
It focuses way to much on the fictional universe, and then it focuses way to much on the actors childhood, and other boring stuff people like me don't care about. It does have the juicy behind the scenes stories stuff I was looking for but, not nearly enough of it and I found it to be presented in a very bland and haphazard way which rendered the whole book dull and lifeless.
What could have been an exciting read about one of the best shows made, ended up being very cookie-cutter and boring to read.
It focuses way to much on the fictional universe, and then it focuses way to much on the actors childhood, and other boring stuff people like me don't care about. It does have the juicy behind the scenes stories stuff I was looking for but, not nearly enough of it and I found it to be presented in a very bland and haphazard way which rendered the whole book dull and lifeless.
What could have been an exciting read about one of the best shows made, ended up being very cookie-cutter and boring to read.
June 16, 2010
David J Howe and co wrote a series of books on each of the Doctors. This was the first, covering the seven year era of the fourth doctor. Full of information about how television was made in the seventies. Excellent.
February 10, 2017
I felt like authors do no longer even try... It's all the same story as in previous two hanbooks. Some passages are even same. No part of book discussed it theme in sufficient depth. Only part about location shooting was somethin new and interesting.
April 28, 2014
The series as a whole is really solid, but this is the weakest entry and the shortest, kind suprising since it covers the longest time span.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews