Wot, no Daleks?!?
If you had a time machine and could return to 1963 you would be surprised at the haphazard genesis of Dr Who. We think of it today as the eternal jewel in the BBC crown, but the show was curiously unloved by the Corporation in its first long run. It only made it to air by the skin of its teeth, and the Head of Drama, having definitively ruled out any ‘bug-eyed monsters’, was livid when The Daleks hove into view. Later, Michael Grade, who hated the show, tried to cancel it and was overruled by the fanbase.
John Higgs is a fan – oh, me too! – and he brilliantly tells the story of Dr Who, the in-universe developments, the production background, that relationship with the BBC, the community of Whovians, and crucially the actors who played The Doctor. John identifies at least three golden ages of Dr Who, and as he says, most shows are lucky to get one. William Hartnell (first doctor) once said, “If I live to be ninety, I think a little of the magic of Dr Who will cling to me.” Subsequent actors, some of them highly distinguished, discovered that Dr Who was that kind of part. The magic clings to them.
John Higgs – Weidenfeld & Nicolson: £25.00
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