by Tat Wood

Mad Norwegian Press

A detailed guide to Seasons 15-17 of classic Doctor Who…

The second half of this fully updated volume covers Graham Williams’ time in charge of Doctor Who, featuring the latter part of Louise Jameson’s time as Leela, the Key to Time and the foreshortened first tranche of Romana II’s tenure. There are some who say that the Williams era doesn’t lend itself to this sort of analysis as well as some other portions of Doctor Who’s history, but Wood finds plenty to take deep dives into – and, particularly in the latter part, there are sections where editor Lars Pearson takes on a prosecutorial role in the critiques of the stories.

The sidebars run the gamut from discussions of cliffhangers’ merits and defects to the role that Blake’s 7 played in the zeitgeist of the time, and there’s a running theme throughout this volume with regard to the influence, or lack thereof, that Star Wars had – places where it’s given credit it doesn’t deserve, but where earlier releases have perhaps not been given their due.

Having given up watching the show after the end of Creature from the Pit episode 1 (and only returning with Full Circle a year later), I always find discussion of the latter part of season 17 quite fascinating, particularly when the facts presented double down on my reasons for giving up. Wood’s presentation here certainly adds to the argument that Shada is best remembered because it didn’t get completed – or at least didn’t until a few years ago – and Graham Williams’ early death means that there aren’t anywhere near the number of interviews to mine that there are with his predecessor.

Verdict: A fascinating expansion, particularly given the change in authorship, but isn’t it about time for the series to move forward into the Matt Smith era? 8/10

Paul Simpson

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