By Christel Dee and Simon Guerrier

BBC Books, out September 27

Christel Dee and Simon Guerrier follow up their book of cutout and dress up dolls with a handsome, illustrated, hardback tome on some of the key female characters from the Whoniverse.

Now this is a lot of fun, and while I already hear the eyes rolling of a certain (luckily small) corner of fandom at the prospect of another women-led Doctor Who book, the proof is here to be seen that through the show’s 55-year history we’ve had a lot of strong, fascinating ladies. Yes, although this year marks the first season of a female Doctor, to paraphrase the Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin, the sisters have been doin’ it for themselves long before the incumbent sparkled ‘Oh, brilliant!’ last Christmas.

The entries are written ‘in universe’ although the actor’s name is also credited alongside the episode they first appeared in and year of broadcast. Entries are accompanied by full-page colour illustrations by female artists like Gwen Burns, Valentina Mozza and Sonia Leong, with some characters getting two pieces of artwork. Styles range from comic book to exquisitely-detailed photo-real portraits.

The book is laid out as an A to Z (that’s Ace to Zoe) with an extended entry on the Doctor, some shorter honourable mentions, and a very welcome tribute to the First Lady of Who, Verity Lambert. Chronologically we go from Susan and Barbara through to newcomer Mandip Gill’s Yaz, and you’ll no doubt be scrambling to see what extra titbits of info are revealed ahead of the new series launch.

In between the obvious strong ladies (Sarah Jane, Missy, Rose, River) I took greatest delight in reading the lovely tributes to Dodo, Anne Travers and Professor Emilia Rumford. In Doctor Who there are no supporting characters, we just get to spend more time with some than others, and these entries redress the balance by putting them under their own respective spotlight.

Verdict: Once Upon a Time there was a book about girls and women who refused to be defined by their gender but rather what they achieved. And what a thrilling read it was. 9/10

Nick Joy