Fifty Years in Time and Space: A Short History of Doctor Who is a new critical study by Frank Danes, available from St Mark’s Press.

Those of you with long memories may remember that Frank used to edit the fanzine Fendahl way back in the late 70s and early 80s.

These days, Frank says of himself:

"I’ve always been a Doctor Who fan even as I have become (in Terrance Dicks’ words) older, fatter, greyer, but not noticeably wiser."

Professionally, Frank is Head of English at King’s Ely in Cambridgeshire; he’s also written Victorian Literature for CUP.

Frank comments:

"Fifty Years in Time and Space is inevitably a personal reading of the series and is coloured by my own critical preferences:  any book about the programme which doesn’t demonstrate the author’s own views would, I think, be very dull.  I haven’t religiously covered every single story and I haven’t provided a plot précis or production details of every one.  Interested readers can find these in many of the programme guides that are available online or in book form.  I hope readers will forgive me for jumping around and pursuing the bits I’m most interested in.  Since these bits include all of Doctor Who, I hope most issues are touched on, in more or less detail."

The book offers a new approach to the history of the series; by turns analytical, by turns funny – and with a stunning cover by Roger Langridge.

+  Fifty Years In Time And Space is Out Now, priced £11.95 from www.stmarkspress.com.

[Source: St Mark's Press]