Ten stories - Seven Doctors - One enigma

Los Angeles. The war's over, the GIs are home, Truman's in the White House and the mobsters are making a killing - as usual. Into the office of a private investigator walks a mysterious little man with a story that's out of this world. He says he's lost his memory. He wants the PI to help him. When he turns out his pockets, he produces a pile of bizarre objects, each of which restores a memory and solves a part of the puzzle.

And the memories seem to belong to seven different people.

Decalog is a new concept in Doctor Who fiction: A cycle of ten linked stories. The stories are written by authors who are well known to readers of the New Adventures or Doctor Who magazines - Paul Cornell, Marc Platt, Vanessa Bishop, Jim Mortimore, Andy Lane - and have been brought together by Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker, who are part of the team that researches and writes in-depth factual books about Doctor Who such as The Sixties and the Handbook series.

DOCTOR WHO
THE HANDBOOK
DOCTOR WHO - Doctor by Doctor

DOCTOR WHO is the worlds longest-running science fiction television series.  Each handbook will provide both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of one phase of the programme's history.

When Peter Davison took over the part of the Doctor in 1982, he was already a familiar face on British television as the much-loved star of All Creatures Great and Small.  Within a few months Davison had won acceptance for his sensitive portrayal and starred in some of the most adult and arguably best-written stories in the programme's history.

This book is an in-depth study of Peter Davison's tenure as the Doctor, including a profile of the actor, a critical summary of each story in which he starred, an extensive feature on the 20th-anniversary special THE FIVE DOCTORS and much more.  The authors have established their reputation with best-selling books such as THE SIXTIES and THE SEVENTIES, and their acclaimed work on the three previous books in the Handbook range.

Cover design: Slatter-Anderson
Cover painting: Alister Pearson

DOCTOR WHO
THE HANDBOOK
DOCTOR WHO - Doctor by Doctor

DOCTOR WHO is the worlds longest-running science fiction television series.  Each handbook will provide both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of one phase of the programme's history.

William Hartnell was already a well-known and experienced film and television actor when, in 1963, he took on a new role: a mysterious and crotchety time traveller in a new BBC drama series for children.  Nothing else about the programme was as tried and tested; the fictional premise was offbeat, the producer was a young woman at the start of her television career, and the future direction of the series was unknown.

DOCTOR WHO went on to thrill millions of children and adults around the world for three decades.  But the foundations of success were laid in the first three years, when the TARDIS and the Daleks became as known and loved as the Beatles.

This is the third in the handbook series by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker, the team that also produced THE SIXTIES and THE SEVENTIES.  Drawing on the latest research they have included in this book the definitive account of the genesis of DOCTOR WHO, as well as a profile of William Hartnell, critical reviews of all the TV stories, a detailed analysis of the making of a typical First Doctor story and a complete review of the programme's development.

DOCTOR WHO
THE HANDBOOK
DOCTOR WHO - Doctor by Doctor

DOCTOR WHO is the worlds longest-running science fiction television series.  Each handbook will provide both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of one phase of the programme's history.

With the ground-breaking changeover from William Hartnell to Patrick Troughton, DOCTOR WHO demonstrated that it could survive even the departure of the leading actor.  Troughton's introduction energised the show, giving it a new lease of life.  The writers also introduced or developed some of the shows most enduring characters: the resourceful Jamie McCrimmon and the orphaned Victoria Waterfield, companions who shared our screens with the Doctor's greatest enemies - the emotionless Cybermen, the militaristic Ice Warriors, the robotic Yeti and, of course, the Daleks.

This book is an in-depth study of Patrick Troughton's tenure as the Doctor, including a profile of the actor, a critical summary of each story in which he starred, an extensive feature on the making of THE MIND ROBBER - a classic adventure set in the deadly Land of Fiction - and much more.  The authors have established their reputation with best-selling books such as THE SIXTIES and THE SEVENTIES, and their acclaimed work on other books in the Handbook range.

Cover design: Slatter-Anderson
Cover painting: Alister Pearson

DOCTOR WHO
THE HANDBOOK
DOCTOR WHO - Doctor by Doctor

DOCTOR WHO is the worlds longest-running science fiction television series.  Each handbook will provide both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of one phase of the programme's history.

Sylvester McCoy brought the mystery back to DOCTOR WHO.  With his companions Mel, and later the irrepressible Ace, he battled the Rani, Daleks, Cybermen, Haemovores and all manner of other alien horrors to bring justice to the universe, and perhaps to enjoy a nice cup of tea once the fighting was over.  Ace, on the other hand, just wanted to blow things up, and it took the Doctor's influence to shape and focus her energies so that she emerged as arguably the most popular of all the Doctor's companions.

This book is an in-depth study of Sylvester McCoy's tenure as the Doctor, including a profile of the actor, a critical summary of each story in which he starred, and much, much more.

In addition, this volume looks at what happened to DOCTOR WHO following its cancellation as a regular BBC production in 1989, with extensive coverage of the 1996 telemovie which featured Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and which introduced Paul McGann as the mercurial and bohemian eighth Doctor.

Close to 100,000 copies of the DOCTOR WHO Handbooks have been sold to date and together they comprise the most in-depth and authoritative exploration of the DOCTOR WHO phenomenon yet published.

Cover design: Slatter-Anderson
Cover painting: Alister Pearson

DOCTOR WHO
THE HANDBOOK
DOCTOR WHO - Doctor by Doctor

DOCTOR WHO is the worlds longest-running science fiction television series.  Each handbook will provide both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of one phase of the programme's history.

Colin Baker's tenure as the Doctor was brief, but coincided with one of DOCTOR WHO's most turbulent times.  The programme's audience rating were falling, it's future was in doubt - particularly  during an eighteen month absence from the screen - and, in the end, Colin Baker's departure was abrupt and marked by recriminations.  The Sixth Doctor's personality seemed to reflect this uncertainty: he was moody and unpredictable.

This is the second in the Handbook series by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker, the team that produced THE SIXTIES, the definitive book about DOCTOR WHO's early years.  They are now working on a third Handbook, and on THE SEVENTIES.

THE HANDBOOK: THE SIXTH DOCTOR contains a profile of Colin Baker, an analysis of the development of the Sixth Doctor, background information about the threats to the programme, and a critical review of all the TV stories, including what is known of the 1985 series that was never made.

DOCTOR WHO
THE HANDBOOK
DOCTOR WHO - Doctor by Doctor

DOCTOR WHO is the worlds longest-running science fiction television series.  Each handbook will provide both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of one phase of the programme's history.

Jon Pertwee burst on the scene as the new man-of-action Doctor in January 1970.  Immediately, the series, now in full colour, took a whole new direction.  The Earth-bound Time Lord, backed by the hugely popular UNIT team, soon became a household favourite as the show's traditional strengths were blended with elements of James Bond and the star's own dynamism and charisma.

This book is an in-depth study of Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Doctor, including a profile of the actor, a critical summary of each story in which he starred, an extensive feature on DAY OF THE DALEKS which saw the return of the Daleks to the series after almost five years away, and much more.  The authors have established their reputation with best-selling books such as THE SIXTIES and THE SEVENTIES, and their acclaimed work on the four previous books in the Handbook range.

Cover design: Slatter-Anderson
Cover painting: Alister Pearson

The 1970s saw Doctor Who grow up, with adults outnumbering children in the continuously climbing viewing figures.  Terror and humour were blended to compliment an actor who had made the era his own.

But a new decade saw Tom Baker leave the show.  A new production team was in place, and the programme was about to undergo its most radical change since the switch from black-and-white to colour.

Doctor Who's third decade saw unprecidented diversity and experimentation - with the lead role and nature of the show itself.  Peter Davison soon won acceptance for his sensitive portrayal of the Doctor and the new maturity of the series' storylines.  Colin Baker's moody and unpredictable interpretation replected uncertanties about the show's future, and ended in recriminations.  And Sylvester McCoy brought the mystery back to a character still struggling in the face of falling ratings.

The Eighties is a meticulous account of Doctor Who's most contentious decade.  It is illustrated throughout with an unrivalled collection of colur photographs, most of which have never been printed before.

David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker have spent many years researching and writing about Doctor Who.  Together they have written The Sixties, described by Stage & TV Today as 'one of the best books about television ever', The Seventies, and the Handbook series of paperbacks about the individual Doctors.

By the end of the 1960s the BBC television programme Doctor Who had enthralled a generation of children.  The police telephone box and the staccato-voiced Daleks had become household icons; watching the flickering black-and-white images of alien monsters and marvels had become a Saturdat teatime ritual for millions.

In Juanuary 1970 Doctor Who returned for a new season - and burst into living rooms in full colour and with a new, dynamic actor in the leading role.

Jon Pertwee was succeeded as the Doctor by Tom Baker, whose flamboyance during his seven-year tenure ensured that the Doctor would be confirmed as one of TV's most memorable characters.

Meanwhile, advances in technology produced more believable monsters and more spectacular special effects.  More and more scenes were filmed on location.  Doctor Who became more popular than ever, with adults now outnumbering children in the continuously rising audience.

The Sevenities is a definitive record of Doctor Who's second decade.  It is illustrated in full colour throughout the book with an unrivalled collection of historic photographs.

David J Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker have spent many years researching and writing about Doctor Who.  Together they have written The Sixties, described by Stage & TV Today as 'one of the best books about television ever,' and the Handbook series of paperbacks about the individual Doctors.  David J Howe created Timeframe, the glorious colour scrapbook celebrating 30 years of Doctor Who, while Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker have edited the first two Decalog collections of short fiction.