In the second series of Steven Moffat’s tenure, the programme appeared in rude health, playing with its format to introduce a series long plotline involving the apparent death of the Doctor and the genesis of sometime companion, River Song. In fact, the book’s title is taken from one of the working titles of the story which introduced her.
Written by Stephen James Walker, a long time chronicler of the show, this volume provides an in-depth mix of factual information and critical review.
With a chronology running to an impressive sixty-five pages, the year is relived though press announcements, articles and quotes. 2011 saw the passing of two major Doctor Who figures, Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen, as well as the introduction of a mid-year gap. A left-field announcement came from Harry Potter director David Yates regarding a potential movie project, and the subsequent rebuttals from Steven Moffat as well as the continued backdrop of BBC tattle in the pages of Private Eye are covered.
A biography section looks at the principal players and there are full credits for the series, but the main bulk of the book is an Episode Guide. Over 226 pages, each of the thirteen regular episodes, the Christmas special and all of the year’s mini-episodes and prequels receive thorough assessment. For each of the Doctor’s outings, the author provides a synopsis, quotes, continuity points, production notes, bloopers, critical reaction (including quotes from sources such as CultBox‘s own episode reviews) and a lengthy analysis.
While Walker is highly knowledgeable about the show and very honest about what he feels does and does not work, it is clear that his criticisms stem from a genuine love for the show. Daniel Mays’ performance in ‘Night Terrors’ takes a pasting, and the implications of a change in production order, which shunted the episode to the latter half of the series and inserted ‘The Curse of the Black Spot’, are well discussed. We discover working titles for the stories, some familiar like ‘What are Little Boys Made Of?’ and some not, such as the hilarious ‘Three Cybermen and a Baby’ or the poignant ‘The Waiting Room’.
The rest of the book is taken up with a weighty set of appendices regarding officially licensed external media. This covers all of the Doctor’s officially published adventures in prose, as well as an interactive game on the BBC website and both US comics and the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip.
Also both the Doctor Who Experience in its original London home and the Punchdrunk interactive show The Crash of the Elysium are reviewed in this section are, with the latter garnering considerable praise from the author.
With some impressive number crunching on the subject of ratings, audience reach and fan preference, River’s Run is a highly comprehensive volume. While not for the feint hearted, it is a superb reference work for more serious fans that enjoy immersing themselves in both the fact and the fiction of the show.
Out now from Telos Publishing.
> Order the 50th anniversary special on DVD on Amazon.
What did you think of the book? Let us know below…