[open post] Looking for academic Doctor Who material

[adamdobay]

   As my friends already know, I'm writing both of my MA theses from the new series of Doctor Who, focusing on its format; the genres it visits in different episodes; the social, cultural, psychological and mythological issues it touches upon; and what the new series as a whole is trying to achieve. While I have a general idea of what I want to

Comments

[cupati]

Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons. The Completely Useless Encyclopedia.

It's a pair of fanboys taking the mick. Not academic in the slightest. weevils_etc is the equivalent for Torchwood, if you don't believe something with the word encyclopaedia in it can be quite so useless. [Also: It came out nearly ten years ago, and you want stuff about the new stuff, yes?]

But I love that book.

[adamdobay]

Thank you! Actually, since most of the material available is on the old series, I've been thinking about using those for basis and then putting it next to my own observations of what happens there in the new series. With most things I'll have to do that because of the lack of material for the new series.

[trav28]

I quoted Licence Denied in my diss, and textual poachers by Tulloch and Jenkins. Check out Dr Matt Hills book, he was my diss tutor and has written quite a few texts on Cult Media.

[adamdobay]

Thanks, Licence Denied looks good and my spouse just called my attention to the author being the same Paul Cornell as the one currently working on the show.
Can you give me a title for the Dr Matt Hills (Hill's?) book? I can't seem to find it.

[daniel_saunders]

James Chapman. Inside the Tardis: The Worlds of Doctor Who
--> I know nothing about this book but it seems that this is the only one so far that elaborates on the new series.

From an academic point of view, this is probably one of the best books on the series, because it's largely based on research in the BBC archives, and has a full bibliography and footnotes, which fan-produced works tend not to have. Admittedly I haven't read that many of the books you've listed, but of those I have read, I definitely think this is the best for you.

Howe, David J & Walker, Stephen James (2003). The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to DOCTOR WHO
--> Also expensive, and also seems not to have any academic material in it.

You're right that it doesn't have any academic material. However, the episode guide section of the BBC's official website is made up of the full text of this, albeit combined awkwardly with that of The DisContinuity Guide (which isn't academic at all, although it is fun).

Tony Watkins, Peter S.

[adamdobay]

From an academic point of view, this is probably one of the best books on the series, because it's largely based on research in the BBC archives, and has a full bibliography and footnotes, which fan-produced works tend not to have.

That's great, that definitely is the thing for me.

You're right that it doesn't have any academic material. However, the episode guide section of the BBC's official website is made up of the full text of this, albeit combined awkwardly with that of The DisContinuity Guide (which isn't academic at all, although it is fun).

Huh? How did that work concerning copyrights?

I haven't read this, but my understanding is that it looks at the use of theological themes in the show.

That may be worth considering then if I want to look into the show's mythology. (Which is one of my main areas of study.)

Again, I haven't read this, but I believe it's an academic work analysing Nation's writing. As he only wrote for the original series, it probably won't be much use to you, but as you wanted information on British SF

[prezzey]

And I'm very under-read on British Science Fiction in general.

I have an academic book on the New Wave of British SF (Moorcock etc.), The Entropy Exhibition by Colin Greenland. if you find that sort of thing interesting. I admit I haven't read it yet, I picked it up for like cents and it's been lying around somewhere in Budapest since then. I can lend it to you when I return.

And of course I can always lend you actual British SF. And more academic books on SF, though on British SF in particular the above-mentioned volume is the only one I recall owning.

[adamdobay]

I think an academic book about basic SF, the genre, how it works, etc. would be good to start me off. I don't know the academic basis on SF so I'll need something like that I guess.

[ionlylurkhere]

The only one of these I've any experience of is Through Time, which I've spent a good hour flicking through in the bookshop.

It does "examine the social and cultural impact of the show", but it's through a very heavy filter of Andrew Cartmel's personal prejudices and beliefs about Who works. The overall impression it left me with was of a big but not at all rigorous justification of the thesis "Doctor Who was bestest when I was script-editing it". It might be useful as source material for what was going on behind the scenes of the last era of old Who, but I don't know how relevant that would be to your stuff.

[adamdobay]

Wow. Okay, that's a big no-no for me then. Though I haven't gotten past the Tom Baker era in reviewing the old series (well, to tell the truth, haven't watched much of the old series yet) so I'm not sure what went on in the last era, this definitely seems like something too specific for what I'm doing. Thanks for the feedback, you've just saved me a couple of bucks.

[aryas_zehral]

Both the Henry Jenkins book and the John R Cook book are academic books. Jenkins is constantly being referred to in relation to studying popular culture and I have the John R Cook book and I found it fascinating- however they're both about Old Who and not New Who but they might be good for context and for approaches to studying it.

And since I'm just really nosy: What are you doing for your thesis...es (?)? Do you have a specific question?

[adamdobay]

however they're both about Old Who and not New Who

The more responses I get the more clear it gets that material on New Who is quite scarce. So I guess I'll resort to making assumptions about the new series based on the academic material available on the old series. That way I can elaborate all my wicked theories, muhahaha!

And since I'm just really nosy: What are you doing for your thesis...es (?)? Do you have a specific question?My specific question right now is "Could I please have more time before having to submit?" :) But seriously, my thesis title is something along the lines of 'Motifs in Contemporary British Science Fiction Television Series' (I keep forgetting! :). I have to hand in two separate theses for my English and my Film Studies majors, in English and Hungarian respectively. So what I'm doing for the English thesis is to examine my proposal that the current series of the full Doctor Who television franchise (including Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures) can be viewed as an attempt to encompass the whole of