Here is another exhaustive and informative guide to the television phenomenon of Dr Who, this time to the fourth season.  You can expect another thorough Telos guide to not only every episode, but an in-depth look at the development and background to this series, as well as how well it is faring and why. Each episode (plus the three specials) is described in considerable detail, including transmission details, production notes, quotes, what went wrong and, probably most importantly, how the public and the press received it.

As I read this book, I thought what a fascinating look at the social history of this decade it will make in a few years’ time.  In the appendices there are guides to original novels and comic strips based on the show, as well as ratings and a season overview. If I thought hard about it, I expect I could find some things absent from this book (some stills and a good website list perhaps), but offhand nothing truly significant occurs to me.  You don’t even have to be a dedicated aficionado to enjoy a book like this; for me the best parts were a look at the times the series was conceived in and the anatomy of the stories.  A truly intelligent guide.