Faber and Faber have announced a book by
Neil Perryman, the author of the popular
Wife In Space blog, based around his experiences growing up and living as a
Doctor Who fan:
Adventures with the Wife in SpaceBy Neil PerrymanPublished 7th November 2013 [pre-order]Neil loves Sue. He also loves Doctor Who. But can he bring his two great loves together? And does he have the right?
In January 2011, Neil Perryman set out on an insane quest to make his wife Sue watch every episode of the classic series of Doctor Who from the very beginning. Even the ones that didn't exist any more. And so, over the next two and half years, Sue gamely watched them all: William Hartnell (the Miserable Git); Patrick Troughton (the Scruffy Drunk); Jon Pertwee (the Pompous Tory); Tom Baker (the Mad One); Peter Davison (the Fit One); Colin Baker (the Court Jester); Sylvester McCoy (the Crafty Sod) and Paul McGann (the One-Night Stand). The result was a wildly successful and hilariously revealing blog called Adventures with the Wife in Space.
But the adventure continues. From awkward years at school, terrified of giant insects, Daleks and rugby players, to even more awkward years as an adult, terrified of unexpected parenthood and being called a Whovian, here Neil tells the all too true story of life as a Doctor Who fan. Funny, honest and surprisingly brave, he also captures perfectly the joys - and fears - of sharing the thing you love with the people you love.
Adventures With the Wife in Space is, at its heart, the story of Doctor Who, and its fans, seen through the eyes of two people - one who knows almost nothing about the programme and another who knows way too much.
Neil Perryman fell in love with Doctor Who when he was 3 years old and 40 years later, he still can't stop thinking about it. Neil has also been responsible for a number of popular websites over the last 10 years, including ‘Tachyon TV’ and ‘Behind the Sofa’. He lives in County Durham with Sue and her daughter, Nicol.Sue was born and raised in the north-east of England. When she’s not rescuing feral cats, building houses or playing tennis, she teaches video production at the University of Sunderland. Thanks to her husband, she has now seen more episodes of Doctor Who than you have.Competition:
Doctor Who News is able to offer five signed copies of the book, courtesy of Faber and Faber. In order to be in with a chance to win a copy answer the following question:
The revived series of Doctor Who has intimated a number of 'marriages' the Doctor has undertaken during the course of his recent adventures: name two of those 'wives'.
Send your answer to
comp-wife@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line
"I do!", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open worldwide,
except for residents in the United States, and the closing date is
31st October 2013.
have also announced four new
Doctor Who related books being released over Autumn:
Inside The Tardis - The Worlds of Doctor WhoBy James ChapmanPublished 30th September 2013 [order]Inside the Tardis has been acclaimed as a definitive history of Doctor Who. In this second edition, published to mark the 50th anniversary of everyone’s favourite Time Lord, James Chapman has brought the story up to date to include new material on the ‘eras’ of showrunners Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffatt, as well as the latest incarnations of the Doctor in David Tennant and Matt Smith.
James Chapman is Professor of Film at the University of Leicester
NEW DIMENSIONS OF DOCTOR WHO: Adventures in Space, Time and TelevisionEdited by Matt HillsPublished 30th September 2013 [order]New Dimensions of Doctor Who brings together experts to explore contemporary developments in the series: the music, design, representations of technology, showrunner authority, star authorship, changes in the TV industry, producer/fan interaction via Twitter, and so on. This book explores how current Doctor Who relates to real-world spaces and times.
Matt Hills is Professor of Film and TV Studies at Aberystwyth University. He has published widely on Doctor Who.
DOCTOR WHO, THE ELEVENTH HOUR: A Critical Celebration of the Matt Smith and Steven Moffat EraEdited by Andrew O’DayPublished November 2013 [pre-order]This first book devoted solely to the Steven Moffat/Matt Smith era is written by experts on the Doctor. It is wide-ranging and varied in viewpoint and explores such issues as the performance of the Doctor, the gothic and fairy tale genres, the portrayal of history on screen, gender and sexuality, the phenomenon of Christmas television, the transatlantic dimensions of the programme, its look and sound, promotional culture and audience response.
Andrew O’Day is co-author, with Jonathan Bignell, of Terry Nation (2004). He received his PhD in Television Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London
WHO IS WHO? The Philosophy of Doctor WhoBy Kevin S. DeckerPublished 18th December 2013 [pre-order]This is the first in-depth philosophical investigation of Doctor Who in popular culture. From 1963’s An Unearthly Child through to the latest series, it considers continuity and change in the pictures that the programme paints of the nature of truth and knowledge, science and religion, space and time, good and evil. i.e. the Doctor’s complex ethical motivations, questions of personal identity in the Time Lord processes of regeneration, the nature of time travel; and the nature of the mysterious and irrational in the Doctor’s universe.
Kevin S. Decker is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Washington University.Competition:
Doctor Who News is able to offer one UK reader a bundle of the books
Who is Who,
New Dimensions of Doctor Who and
Inside the TARDIS, courtesy of I.B. Tauris. In order to be in with a chance to win answer the following question:
One of the authors/editors mentioned above is a regular reviewer for Doctor Who News - who is he/she?
Send your answer to
comp-ibtauris@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line
"In reference", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. This competition is only open to residents of the
United Kingdom, and the closing date is
31st October 2013.
As well as
Doctor Who a new book is being released looking into the four series of
Torchwood:
Torchwood Declassified - Investigating Mainstream Cult TelevisionEdited by Rebecca WilliamsPublished 20th September 2013 [pre-order]As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Torchwood Declassified provides a timely analysis
of its spin-off show. The first critical celebration of Torchwood, this book is written by experts in the field and is essential reading for fans.Torchwood started its life on television as a spin-off from Doctor Who, bringing Captain Jack to join new colleagues in a television series that quickly established itself as fresh and watchable television. Torchwood has continued to entertain, provoke and attract large audiences and an expanding fandom.
This is the first critical celebration of Torchwood across it four series, considering issues of representation, the fandom that surrounds the show and its complex, institutional contexts. Focusing in particular on how the meanings and understandings of cult television have shifted and become subject to technological, industry and marketing changes in recent years, Torchwood Declassified explores topics including the show’s aesthetics and branding, its use of tropes from the horror genre, vast tie-in merchandise, status as a spin off, the nature of a celebrity that is both cult and mainstream, as well as the use of sound and music and of cult writers, and Torchwood’s connection to place and location.
The book will appeal to fans of the series, researchers and scholars, and anyone interested in ongoing questions over what cult television is, what it means, and why it continues to be of importance.
Rebecca Williams is Lecturer in Communication, Cultural and Media Studies at the University of South Wales. She has written in contemporary cult television series in the collections Reading Angel (i.B.Tauris, 2005), British Science Fiction Film and Television: Critical Essays and has published in journals including Critical Studies in Television, Popular Communication, Continuum, Television and New Media and Media History.Competition:
Doctor Who News is able to offer one UK reader a copy of the book, courtesy of I.B. Tauris. In order to be in with a chance to win answer the following question:
In Boom Town Jack arrives in the TARDIS, at this stage in his life unaware of the base beneath his feet; however, Torchwood reveals the wibbly wobbly-ness of time travel - based on events seen in the series, how many Jacks would have been on Earth (or even Cardiff!) at this point, and why.
Send your answer to
comp-twbook@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line
"It was a Miracle", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. This competition is only open to residents of the
United Kingdom, and the closing date is
31st October 2013.
Finally,
Pageturner Publishing are releasing a collection of reviews of each episode day-by-day by
Will Brooks:
Will Brooks' 50 Year Diary Volume One: 1963 - 1969By Will BrooksPublished 4th November 2013 [order now for Kindle]In celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary, Will Brooks sits down to watch every episode of the programme made between 1963 - 2013 at the strict pace of one per day.
Having watched each episode, Will records his thoughts in a daily blog for Doctor Who Online, and scores the episode out of ten, on a scale ranging from ‘Perfect, the absolute pinnacle’ to ‘Why am I doing this again?’
Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary: 1963 - 1969 collects together more than 260 entries of the popular blog, covering the complete eras of the First and Second Doctors (William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton), and also includes exclusive entries for the two 1960s Dalek feature films starring Peter Cushing, and a foreword by Doctor Who writer Gareth Roberts.
Obverse Books have published an e-collection of short stories in memory of
Doctor Who,
Iris Wildthyme and
Faction Paradox author
Matt Kimpton, who died last year of Cystic Fibrosis. Writers include Stuart Douglas, Nick Campbell, Sarah Hadley, Cavan Scott, Simon Bucher-Jones and Jacqueline Rayner, with all proceeds to go to Cystic Fibrosis charities.
More details on the genesis of the book (which isn't itself
Doctor Who-related), and the slightly unusual idea behind it, can be found via
Cavan Scott's
website, and the book itself can be bought from
Obverse (initially as an ebook, with a Lulu paperback to follow).
(with thanks to: Stuart Douglas, Will Brooks, Neil Perryman)
Big Finish Productions, have announced they have secured the rights to Torchwood, and that they will produce six new stories starring Captain Jack and the team, this Autumn. 
Torchwood is coming back, at least in audio form, 
Bonhams' latest entertainment memorabilia sale will once again include items from Doctor Who, with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures also featuring.
Author and Script Writer 
The body of former Torchwood actor Richard Gent has been discovered in woods near his home in north London.
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