Behind the sofa: celebrity memories of Doctor Who

As part of the celebrations of 50 years since the airing on British television of the first episode of Doctor Who in November 1963, the early memories of viewing this series of programs by authors, actors, directors, comedians and people who worked on the shows have been recorded in this book. One hundred and sixty-nine contributions were made to this project which also serves as a fund-raising exercise for Alzheimer's Research UK. Each short contribution provides another aspect of the experience of watching Doctor Who, either the early series or the new version of the program, which has became an institution in many countries of the world, not just the UK. A number of the contributors make special mention of the following of the show in Australia. A book to pick up and dip into for Doctor Who fans everywhere.

Adventures with the wife in space

The subtitle to this book by Neil Perryman is Living with Dr Who.  In the book Perryman details his lifetime fascination with the BBC television show, Dr Who. 50 years of Dr Who was celebrated in 2013 and the show has a growing legion of fans throughout the world. Started initially as a children's show the new series of Dr Who is watched by people of all ages. There was a gap in the show from 1990 to 2005 when the new series began. There was a Dr Who film in 1996. The program has steadily gained popularity in its new incarnation. Although it is not always easy to follow the plot it is almost always entertaining. The Christmas specials have become part of Boxing Day entertainment. There have also been a number of anniversary specials.

Part of the book details a project that Peryman undertook with his wife, Sue - not a Dr Who fan , to watch all the available episodes of the first (classic) series of Dr Who. He then recorded her reactions to each episode in a blog, Adventures with the wife in space. The initial episodes were in black and white and were produced on a minute budget. The rickety sets were often  the standout. Sue rated each episode and the public often commented on her reactions.

This amusing book is not only about the project but is also an account of a young man growing up. It is also about how people can become obsessed with, in this case, a television program and its characters and how attitudes may change over time. One of Perryman's fears was how he would also react to episodes that had entertained or scared him as a child.

I purchased a copy of this book for the Dr Who fan in my family. I hope that he enjoys it.