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About Time 1 was the first volume in the About Time series of Doctor Who reference books. It covered the first three seasons of the series, from An Unearthly Child to The War Machines.
Publisher's summary[]
Constituting the largest reference work on Doctor Who ever written, the six-volume "About Time" strives to become the ultimate reference guide to the world's longest-running science fiction program. Written by Lawrence Miles ("Faction Paradox") and long-time sci-fi commentator Tat Wood, "About Time" focuses on the continuity of "Doctor Who" (its characters, alien races and the like), but also examines the show as a work of social commentary. In particular, Miles and Wood dissect the politics and social issues that shaped the show during its unprecedented 26-year run (from 1963 to 1989), detailing how the issues of the day influenced this series.
As part of this grand opus, About Time 1 examines Doctor Who Seasons 1 to 3 (1963 to 1966) — the show's every beginnings, with William Hartnell in the lead role. Among other things, About Time 1 answers such vitally important "Who" questions as "Can You Change History, Even One Line?", "What's the Timeline of the Daleks?" and "Is His Name Really Who?"
Subject matter[]
A critical and cultural analysis of every televised Doctor Who story from season 1 to season 3. Areas of examination include production notes; logical flaws in the story; detailed catalogues of facts; and an attempt to examine where each story came from, and why each was made in the contemporary cultural climate of Great Britain and Earth.
Contents[]
- Each story is broken down into many segments, including: Which One Is This? (very brief introduction, as the writers eschewed dense plot summaries), Firsts and Lasts, Continuity - encompassing The Doctor, The TARDIS, The Time Lords, The Supporting Cast, The Supporting Cast (Evil), Planet Notes, Non-Humans and History -, Where Did This Come From?, Things That Don't Make Sense, Critique (often divided into Prosection and Defence), Facts (writer, director, ratings, guest cast and list of cliffhangers) and The Lore (behind-the-scenes notes). The first volume also includes a section on Plot for any serials which are incomplete.
Most serials are accompanied by an essay, and the essays cover a very broad range of topics.
The essays in this volume are:
- Where did all of this come from?
- Who really created the Daleks?
- What makes the TARDIS work?
- Whom did they meet at the Roof of the World?
- Can you rewrite history, even one line?
- How telepathic is he?
- '60s Doctor Who: how was it made?
- Cultural Primer #1: Why Z Cars?
- Is this really about the Blitz?
- What kind of future did we expect?
- How many significant galaxies are there?
- How important were the books?
- What are the most "mod" stories?
- What's the Dalek timeline?
- What was the BBC thinking?
- What are these stories really called?
- Marrying Troilus: what is she doing?
- Which sodding delegate is which? (The Daleks' Master Plan)
- What's wrong with Dalek history?
- Are Steven and Dodo related?
- What's the timeline of the far future?
- What was children's TV like back then?
- Did the BBC actually like Doctor Who?
- Is his name really "Who"?
Notes[]
- This was the fourth volume of the series to be published, coming after the authors finished with the eras of Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison, which were considered more well-known to the general public.
- The cover of this volume is artist Jim Calafiore's rendition of the Monk.
External links[]
- Official About Time 1 page at Mad Norwegian Press
