PUBLISHER: SONICBOND / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Most Doctor Who fans would surely agree that the David Tennant era of the show (2005-2010) represents the imperial phase of its modern incarnation. The lightning-in-a-bottle casting of the immensely-likeable and charismatic Tennant allied to the electrifying populist show-running of Russell T Davies turned the series into the biggest thing on British TV for a few years. Doctor Who’s extraordinary crossover success during this period has been well-documented over the years and Jamie Hailstone’s handy, pocket-sized episode guide, the latest from SonicBond Publishing’s On Screen series, whilst not exactly an essential addition to the Doctor Who library, is a handy reminder of that glorious period when it seemed that everyone in the UK was a Doctor Who fan to some degree.
It’s a simple and engaging format. A brief introduction leads us into quick snapshot reviews and story details of each Tennant-starring episode with a section devoted to background trivia and ephemera. The author admits that most of his information has been gleaned from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine and the Complete History part-work, so there’s nothing new here for the hardcore and opinions are, of course, subjective, so you might find yourself gritting your teeth of tearing out your hair at some of his episode reviews (and the worshipping of episodes contributed during the period by future showrunner Steven Moffat is wearing). But despite an abundance of sloppy typoes (the back cover refers to Russell T Davis, for example) and a bit of shonky writing, this is a decent off-the-shelf reference guide enlivened by some nice colour photographs from the show and many of its striking Welsh locations.
