(2016) Justin Richards, BBC Books, £12.99, hrdbk, 499pp, ISBN 978-1-785-94026-2
Ever since the success of the rebooted Doctor Who, the BBC have been eager to expand the franchise into other media. One of the main ways they have been able to do this is through books. However, rather than just using the books to expand on the current stories and enable further adventures, BBC Books also publish Doctor Who encyclopaedia books. The latest one of these is 365 Days of Memorable Moments and Impossible Things by Justin Richards.
The book goes through 366 days (as it includes February 29th) of Doctor Who history, both within the fictional world as well as key events during its production. It is difficult to determine how this book should be tackled. There is no correct order as the events take place in all different types of years. It is therefore more useful as a reference guide for the die-hard Doctor Who fans. The major downfall of the book is when it talks about topics that aren’t even related to the date, such as May 16, which looks at the topic ‘When Science Goes Wrong’, which just lists off many situations that aren’t specifically related to that date.
This seems a bit of a rushed cash grab for the BBC, as they know there are plenty of fans that will enjoy yet another Doctor Who encyclopaedia. Unfortunately, this one in particular has quite a poor structure and no specific topic to work around, which results in a slight mess. There are plenty of better Doctor Who fact based books on sale. This is reserved for the more diehard fan who has an interest in all things Doctor Who. Overall it’s quite a disappointing collection of Doctor Who events. Although the book does touch upon Doctor Who events, it does not cover all of them that occurred specifically on that day, which leads to quite a boring read. It’s quick on the facts it knows, but leaves much room for improvement.
Andrew Musk
See also Jonathan's take on Doctor Who: 365 days of memorable moments and impossible things.
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