Books: Doctor Who: a Celebration (Two Decades Through Time and Space) by Peter Haining.

[my_daroga]

I wish Peter Haining would stop writing books about all the stuff I like. I've got Phantom of the Opera and Sherlock Holmes stuff by him, and then there's this. He always sounds like he's fawning. Over everyone. Granted, this book is clearly "official" in nature, so he's not going to start complaining about anyone, but apart from having a nice list of Companions (up to Turlough, anyway) he never says anything. At all. It's a "nice" retrospective of the Doctor after 20 years, so it's not only rigidly uncritical but out of date. Male companions are referred to as "redoubtable" or (in Turlough's case) "unpredictable" while captions under female companions' photos use words like "delightful," "elfin-featured," and "delectable but scatterbrained"; though Sarah Jane gets to be "resourceful."

Honestly, Haining sounds like he wants to do every single one.

But here's my favorite bit, a quote from Anneke Wills (POlly) which is the stupidist thing I've ever heard about women in the media: "I wanted to play her like myself... scatter-brained, or 'kooky' as the newspaper persisted in calling me. I thought it would be a very good idea to play a total coward. Television was full of brave ladies in those days. I wanted to be a sort of feminine anti-hero, a weedy, frightened lady who screamed and kicked and shouted 'Doctor!' at the least sign of danger." Wow, Wills. You sure pushed the envelope there!

Anyone interested has probably picked this up already. But if you haven't done expect any commentary or even a decent amount of color photos; it's a "celebration" in the cheapest sense of the word.

Comments

[realcdaae.livejournal.com]

But when this book was brand new there were hardly any Dr Who books and it was very exciting!!

I feel so old.

[my_daroga]

You're not *that* much older than me; but whatever, I didn't have this then, and now that I'm looking for DW books they're all from 1983. Funny that all the "definitive" books cover half the chronological age of the show.

[realcdaae.livejournal.com]

Heh, true, I suppose I loved the show from whenever I first saw it, which must have been about 1980. I could kick myself now, I had a couple of Dr Who annuals from back then, and once I got a Tardis "piggy bank" tin for Christmas. Probably worth a pile on eBay if I still had them!

[my_daroga]

I have a paper RP game I bought a few months ago. It's pretty!

I was probably 9 or so when I first really got into it, so that'd be... 1988?

[tinyholidays.livejournal.com]

Hey you. [poke pokitypoke]

(There may or may not be a Veronica Mars season premiere floating (rtsp://a1986.v87251.c8725.g.vc.akamaistream.net/7/1986/8725/v0001/msnent.download.akamai.com/8725/DBA90618/published/Video/Misc/High/VeronicaMars_WelcomeWagon.wmv) around...)

[my_daroga]

Don't you poke me, you poke-avoider! Er... what?

Ooh, I did hear a rumor... Grr, I am at work!

Never got your letter. LOSER.