OT: Adventures with the Wife in Space by Neil Perryman

Adventures with the Wife in Space by Neil Perryman, Faber & Faber, November 2013, ISBN: 9780571298105

Official blurb:
Neil loves Sue. He also loves Doctor Who. But can he bring his two great loves together? And does he have the right?
In January 2011, Neil Perryman set out on an insane quest to make his wife Sue watch every episode of the classic series of Doctor Who from the very beginning. Even the ones that didn't exist any more. And so, over the next two and half years, Sue gamely watched them all: William Hartnell (the Miserable Git); Patrick Troughton (the Scruffy Drunk); Jon Pertwee (the Pompous Tory); Tom Baker (the Mad One); Peter Davison (the Fit One); Colin Baker (the Court Jester); Sylvester McCoy (the Crafty Sod) and Paul McGann (the One-Night Stand). The result was a wildly successful and hilariously revealing blog called Adventures with the Wife in Space.
But the adventure continues. From awkward years at school, terrified of giant insects, Daleks and rugby players, to even more awkward years as an adult, terrified of unexpected parenthood and being called a Whovian, here Neil tells the all too true story of life as a Doctor Who fan. Funny, honest and surprisingly brave, he also captures perfectly the joys - and fears - of sharing the thing you love with the people you love.
Adventures With the Wife in Space is, at its heart, the story of Doctor Who, and its fans, seen through the eyes of two people - one who knows almost nothing about the programme and another who knows way too much.


Being a Doctor Who fan [Tom Baker is my Doctor] I was very pleased to receive a copy of Adventures with the Wife in Space via Netgalley. I admit I hadn't come across the associated blog but having enjoyed Wiffle Lever to Full! by Bob Fischer and I Love You Dalek by Nick Griffiths I settled down to read.

A few hours later, I can say that I enjoyed it very much and that my only (and minor) complaint is that I would have liked it to be longer and to cover the New Who years. Having, myself, only just slogged through The Unearthly Child (the first serial) with all its non-pc attitudes and lots of unnecessary screaming I'm impressed that non-fan Sue continued on, and though it says she likes New Who I'd have liked a bit more on her opinions of it.

Having finished with Doctor Who, the two will be turning their eyes towards Blake's 7 in 2014.

Review: Doctor Who: The Eye of the Jungle by Darren Jones (audio book)

Doctor Who: The Eye of the Jungle by Darren Jones, read by David Troughton (AudioGO, July 2011, 2 CDs (1hr 30mins), ISBN: 9781408468159)

In The Eye of the Jungle the Doctor takes Amy and Rory to the Amazonian jungle in 1827. Shortly after leaving the TARDIS they are surrounded by crocodiles. They are saved by Oliver Blazington, a mercenary/hunter who is there to capture animals for his boss Garrett who will subsequently exhibit them at London Zoo. However the locals are restless as domestic animals and people are disappearing and the priest's housekeeper refers to an "Eye" that seems to be involved.

Needless to say, the time-travellers soon discover the Eye for themselves and must save themselves from a fate worse than death...

This is an entertaining adventure, revealing the Doctor's empathy for not just humans but other animals too and he maintains his refusal to be used as a weapon by those who are taking the missing life-forms. I loved the fact that cd1 ended on a cliff-hanger worthy of classic Doctor Who tv episodes. Also that Amy and Rory don't require saving, rather the reverse.

David Troughton, son of 2nd Doctor, Patrick, and who appeared himself in the 10th Doctor episode Midnight takes over the narration duties this time round. His Doctor doesn't sound much like Matt Smith but does sound similar to Clive Mantle's Doctor in The Coming of the Terraphiles; his Amy is a bit wobbly but he does get Rory's inflection down to a T. Impersonations, intended or otherwise, aside he does a good job with the story-telling.

The sound-effects continue to improve. In the early days there was nothing, that was replaced by a smidge of music but now if someone drops something you hear a clang. They don't overpower the narrator this time round, which has been a complaint of mine before.

The Eye of the Jungle is a solid adventure in this series of "exclusive" audio adventures. My personal favourite so far has been The Runaway Train narrated by Matt Smith and the least engaging has been, The Ring of Steel which though narrated well by Arthur Darvill, has a run-of-the-mill story. (NB. I still have a couple more to listen to.)

Doctor Who and Varg Veum

I've recently read the Doctor Who graphic novel, The Only Good Dalek which was my first graphic novel and it looks beautiful but doesn't take long to read! You can sample the first few pages at the publisher's website. The story is written by Justin Richards and the illustrator is Mike Collins.

The connection with Euro Crime is that Mike Collins has drawn five graphic novels based on Gunnar Staalesen's PI hero, Varg Veum (I'm not sure if they are the books or other stories). Here are the covers of some of them:

Review: Doctor Who: The Jade Pyramid (audio book)

Doctor Who: The Jade Pyramid by Martin Day, read by Matt Smith (AudioGO, January 2011, 1 CD, ISBN: 9781408427491)

This is the second of Matt Smith's audio book readings, the first being The Runaway Train which was set in America. In The Jade Pyramid we're off to medieval Japan.

The TARDIS is drawn to a distress beacon emitting from a small village in Japan. It appears to be coming from an ancient shrine. The Doctor and Amy meet the elder of the village, the kind and wise Shijô Sada who takes them inside the shrine past the "guard" of animal-skin covered mannequins called Otoroshi. Shijô Sada won't allow them to see the chamber containing the pyramid as it is sacred. However they are interrupted by the news that the Shogun has sent Samurai soldiers to retrieve the Jade Pyramid for himself. The Doctor must prevent the pyramid, which he believes to be alien technology, from falling into anyone's hands. A discussion amongst the villagers reveals both friend and foe of Shijô Sada and Amy escapes the meeting to take a look at the pyramid and it is then things begin to go badly wrong. The Otoroshi come to life and Samurai are almost upon the village. How can the Doctor save the village, Amy and protect the pyramid?

The Jade Pyramid is an exciting story along a slightly familiar theme of humans killing first, asking questions later. For a single cd length story it packs a lot in; there's fighting from Samurai and a ninja assassin as well as betrayal and a loss of a significant character, and the Japanese setting is refreshingly different.

Matt Smith reads at the breathless pace we've become used to in the tv series and differentiates the characters well and his Doctor is as mesmerising as ever.

I have a slight quibble in that the occasional background music at times slightly overwhelmed the narrator, and maybe needs to be toned down a little.

The Jade Pyramid offers a pleasant fix whilst we await the arrival of the new series and is one that I will listen to again.

Review: Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles by Michael Moorcock (audio book)

Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles by Michael Moorcock, read by Clive Mantle (AudioGO, October 2010, 9 CDs, ISBN: 140846814X)

My experience of Doctor Who audio books has been limited mostly to the abridged 3 CD versions of the range of 'new' Who books, which are fairly easy reads aimed at teenagers/adults. This offering from well known science fiction author, Michael Moorcock is quite a different kettle of fish.

The Coming of the Terraphiles features the eleventh Doctor and Amy (but no Rory). The Doctor receives a garbled message from a familiar voice which leads to him joining a group of Terraphiles (Earth lovers) who are playing in a tournament of 'classic' old, old Earth games. It's important to the continued life of the universe that the team he joins wins the ultimate prize of the Silver Arrow of Artemis.

The Doctor and Amy meet the Terraphiles on the planet Peers and then have to make their way to the final on Flynn, in the Miggea system in the centre of the galaxy. Along their journey they stay in a stately home and meet characters out of a P G Wodehouse novel, go on a ship captained by a centaur, make a trip to the Second Aether, encounter General Frank/Freddie Force and his Anti-Matter Men who want to destroy the universe and meet allies such as Captain Abberley and the Bubbly Boys and also, an unknown quantity in the shape of the pirate Captain Cornelius.

Though the underlying plot is fairly straightforward: the Doctor must get from A to B, fight off enemies, win the Arrow and put the balance of the universe back to rights, this was quite a difficult listen at times. There was a lot of detail about the characters and places and most confoundingly for me - the science of space-time, which went mostly over my head. It does take a while for the Doctor and Amy to become the focus of the story but there are enjoyable chapters on Peers to compensate.

This is a novel with a scope hugely outside the normal tv episodes or Doctor Who books; there is a large cast, about fifty-percent non-human which would be impossible to portray outside of a feature film, as well as multiple universes, gigantic (Babylon-5 style) space-ships and numerous planets. The tale is not without humour though: the descriptions of the games are very funny; the Doctor's speciality is Cracking the Nut (with a sledgehammer) as are the customs that have survived, though modified over 50,000 years and the Wodehouse characters: Bingo Loxesley and Mr and Mrs Banning-Cannon (so well portrayed by Clive Mantle) are a hoot. Indeed Clive Mantle does a sterling job with the narration. He has to provide many voices, both human and alien and even has to sing from time to time. His Doctor and Amy are immediately recognisable even though he's not imitating the tv actors.

In conclusion, thought it's always great to read about the unseen adventures of the Doctor, its more complex ideas and language may mean that The Coming of the Terraphiles is not for everyone, and though I enjoyed the audio version, for once I think I'd probably have got on better with the print version.

Review: Doctor Who: Demon Quest: The Relics of Time (audio book)

Doctor Who: Demon Quest Part One: The Relics of Time by Paul Magrs and narrated by Tom Baker (September 2010, BBC Audiobooks Ltd/AudioGO, ISBN: 1408466678)


Following the success of 2009's five-part Hornets' Nest series, Tom Baker, Susan Jameson and Richard Franklin have been lured back to the studio for the Demon Quest series, again broken into five, one hour, episodes.

At the beginning of The Relics of Time, we find the fourth Doctor resting up in his Sussex retreat, Nest Cottage, with his housekeeper Mrs Wibbsey. He has decided to overhaul the TARDIS and has bits strewn all over the place. Unfortunately Mrs Wibbsey mistakes the spatial geometer for some old porch lights and takes it to the jumble sale where it is bought by a stranger to the village. A stranger, who rather than leave cash, leaves a collection of unusual items including a picture of an ancient mosaic with a very familiar face on it (see above!).

Fortunately the TARDIS can still move in time, so the Doctor and Wibbsey are able to travel back to Ancient Britain to solve the mystery of how the Doctor's head has been so immortalised when he hasn't been there before (or "at least not recently").

And so begins the first time travelling of the series, one that leads to the creation in mythology of the priestess Wibbsentia, and the role of would-be assassin for the Doctor. The pair have to stop a war, find out who a wizard and his monster are, and not least of all begin to track down the missing pieces of the TARDIS.

Tom Baker is "my Doctor" so it's a great pleasure to have him back at the helm in these exclusive audio adventures. The story is told with part narration, part sparky scenes of dialogue, mostly between the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey. Tom Baker's voice may not be quite as it was in the tv shows, but he seems more mischievous and theatrical than ever.

By necessity, The Relics of Time is setting up the series mystery so the actual individual adventure is wrapped up quite quickly, though with much left to be explained in the following episodes. The schedule for which is:

Part Two: Demon of Paris (out now)
Part Three: Shard of Ice (4 Nov)
Part Four: Starfall (2 Dec)
Part Five: Sepulchre (2 Dec)

I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

OT: Another Doctor Who audio book to be read by David Tennant

I've got the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine and it reveals that "the next 'audio original' title, The Day of the Troll by Simon Messingham" is to be read by David Tennant. This is his first since Pest Control.

The audio book will be released on 8 October 2009.

Synopsis: When the Doctor arrives on Earth in the far future, he is horrified to find the planet beset by famine and starvation. England is a barren wasteland, and scientists are desperately seeding the ground to make the crops grow again. But now it seems that something even worse is happening. Karl Baring, the owner of research facility The Grange, has been snatched away in the middle of the night. His sister Katy was with him when he vanished, but is now in catatonic shock - so it is up to the Doctor, with the help of the scientists at The Grange, to investigate. What is lurking under the old bridge, and why is it preying on people? The Doctor must find out, before it strikes again...

OT: Tom Baker's back as Doctor Who

Great news from the BBC this morning. Tom Baker is reprising his role as Doctor Who for five linked audio dramas:

For the first time in 28 years, Tom Baker is returning to his role as the Fourth Doctor in a series of five thrilling audio adventures from BBC Audiobooks. Doctor Who: Hornets’ Nest is written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs and stars Tom alongside a cast including Richard Franklin as Mike Yates, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey and Rula Lenska as the Hornet Queen.

The brand new series sees the Doctor on fighting form as he comes up against an enemy of unimaginable power and horrific intent.

The first story, The Stuff of Nightmares, will be available to buy from 3rd September 2009 priced at £9.78, with the remaining four stories due for release on:

2. The Dead Shoes – 8th October

3. The Circus of Doom – 5th November

4. A Sting in the Tale – 3rd December

5. Hive of Horror – 3rd December

Synopsis of The Stuff of Nightmares: ‘Wanted: retired army Captain for light household duties and fireside companionship. Must tolerate mild eccentricity and strong scientific advice. Knowledge of Giant Maggots, Super Intelligent Spiders and Prehistoric Monsters a positive boon.’

Responding to an advert apparently worded for him alone, Captain Mike Yates (retired) is reunited with a ghost from the past. But why has the Doctor, that mysterious traveller in Time and Space, sent for his former UNIT acquaintance? Trapped by a horde of vicious creatures in an apparently innocuous English country cottage, the two old friends are on the brink of an enormous adventure. As the Doctor relates his recent escapades, it becomes clear to Mike that they – and the Earth at large – are facing an enemy of unimaginable power and horrific intent.

The nightmare is only just beginning… With Tom Baker as the Doctor, Richard Franklin as Mike Yates, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey and Daniel Hill as Percy Noggins, The Stuff of Nightmares is the first of five linked stories written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs.

Listen to a sample of The Stuff of Nightmares at the BBC Shop website.

Synopses of all the episodes can be found on the Hornets' Nest website.

OT: Doctor Who Specials - new trailers

A new trailer for The Waters of Mars is now on the BBC website.

A very wobbly recording of the teaser trailer for The End of Time (Christmas Special 2009) shown at Comic Con is now on YouTube.

OT: Doctor Who's new outfit

Doesn't he look smart:



According to the BBC: "The Time Lord's new look consists of tweed jacket, bow tie, rolled up trousers and black boots." Read the rest of the article here.

OT: Doctor Who Exhibition at Coventry

I've been itching to visit the Doctor Who exhibition down in Cardiff and check out the Roald Dahl Plass where the "entrance" to Torchwood can be found. But daunted by the 3-4 hours travelling each way I decided a visit to the temporary exhibition at Coventry would be easier.


It contains many props from the revamped series including the telescope from Tooth and Claw, staples: TARDIS, K9, Cybermen and Daleks, plus many costumes, including Donna's wedding dress and outfits from Planet of the Dead. It took me about 30 - 40 minutes to go round and was £8. The best bits for me were the Cybermen and Daleks which actually moved and spoke and were quite scary!

Here are a few snaps...

TARDIS and David Tennant's suit:


Me on New Earth:


Model of Big Ben (ep: Aliens of London):


Old friend K9:


Being told how inferior you are by the Cybermen:


Before being "deleted":


And then "exterminated" by the Daleks:

OT: Doctor Who - news

Today brings news of extra appearances by David Tennant as Doctor Who.

Firstly, he'll be in episodes 5 and 6 of this autumn's series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Secondly, there's to be another animated series:

The BBC has commissioned seven animated episodes, which will be around six minutes long and which will be accessible via the red button. They are also due to be aired on Children's BBC.

OT: Doctor Who Scarf

I managed to make my scarf a decent length for today's Doctor Who event (modelled by Nimes the elder states-cat):

OT: Freema Agyeman interview at Digital Spy

Digital Spy interviews Freema Agyeman mainly about Law & Order but also slips in a question about Doctor Who:

Are you looking forward to returning to Doctor Who?
"You leapt in there with that one! Well, actually, I'm on my way to do a voiceover for a Doctor Who audio book! You never quite leave when you're in that – the connection maintains all the way through. But in terms of when I'm going back to Cardiff - it might be thirty years time! I don't know when that's going to be."

I'm assuming the audio book in question is The Story of Martha which is to be released on 4 June. She has previously recorded The Pirate Loop, Wetworld and The Last Dodo.

I have an amazon list of audio books released since 2008 for (new) Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Crime on BBC3 & BBC4 this week

Tonight on BBC3 at 7pm, is the frightfully spiffing episode of Doctor Who, The Unicorn and the Wasp, where the Doctor and Donna meet Agatha Christie.

Also tonight but on BBC4:

8.30pm The Book Quiz with one of the panellists (contestants?) being Mark Billingham author of the DI Tom Thorne series.

10.00pm Spiral. A repeat of the the first two episodes from Season 1 of the classy French crime drama.

The Book Quiz is repeated tomorrow and Thursday. Also on Thursday at 9pm on BBC4 is a repeat of New Town (aka Purves and Pekkala).

OT: Doctor Who - podcast

The Doctor Who panel at the Celtic Media Festival as described in this BBC article will be broadcast on Radio 7 at midnight Saturday and will then be available as a podcast:

The Story Of Doctor Who
A distinguished panel of television talent, including Executive Producer Julie Gardner and Director Euros Lyn, reveal how the popular sci-fi show is transferred from script to screen.
Saturday at 12 Midnight
Also available as a podcast

Sign up for the podcast, here.

OT: Comic Relief - Doctor Who bits

The first hour of Comic Relief last night not only was co-presented by David Tennant and Davina McCall but also included a 5 minute episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures (with Ronnie Corbett and contained some gags for viewers familiar with The Two Ronnies) which was then followed by a Mastermind challenge for David and Davina. Davina's specialised subject was Big Brother (all of them) and David's was Doctor Who (1963-2009). The programme can be rewatched on iplayer. The SJA bit is about 25 minutes in and Mastermind follows shortly on.

OT: I Made a Dalek

As part of the upcoming Doctor Who afternoon at the library where I work, there will be a craft session: make a Dalek. So with a trifle pot, pipe cleaners, a straw, some beads, stiff card, coloured paper, glue and sellotape... a prototype:


(Based on a 'classic' series Dalek :))

There'll also be a quiz and a fancy dress competition. I am slowing knitting a Tom Baker scarf for my costume!

OT: Calling Martha Jones

One of the latest set of Doctor Who books is The Story of Martha by Dan Abnett which reveals what Martha got up to in the year after the Master captured the Doctor.

Martha travels the globe, on the run from the scar-faced Griffin and his team from the UCF (Unified Containment Forces), aided only by her TARDIS 'perception filter' and the Underground resistance movement.

Interspersed amongst Martha's tale are a handful of short stories (written by other writers) telling of some never before revealed adventures that she and the Doctor have had. Martha tells these to the people she meets.

In the tv series there are 'Doctor lite' episodes (where the Doctor doesn't appear except at the beginning and end) but this book has shied away from that by having the Martha/Doctor adventures at regular intervals. Personally I'd have preferred it if they'd dispensed with those and had the whole book about Martha; there are several months and continents not covered in The Story of Martha.

In conclusion I enjoyed the story about Martha which was tense and exciting and also learning how the Earth fared under the rule of the Master, but I didn't feel the extra Doctor stories added much. This is probably the last time Martha will appear in print, and for saving the world, I feel she deserved a whole book to herself.

OT: Narrators for the next set of Doctor Who Audio Books

The next three Doctor Who (tenth Doctor) audio books are released on 12th March. The narrators are as follows...

Debbie Chazen will narrate Shining Darkness by Mark Michalowski
Russell Tovey will narrate The Doctor Trap by Simon Messingham
David Troughton will narrate Ghosts of India by Mark Morris




My amazon list of Doctor Who related audio books, published since 2008, can be found here.