Book 54: Adventures with the Wife in Time and Space by Neil Perryman
Book 54: Adventures with the Wife in Space: Living with Doctor Who.
Author: Neil Perryman, 2013.
Genre: Non-Fiction. Memoir. TV tie-in. Doctor Who.
Other Details: Paperback. 290 pages.
Neil loves Sue. He also loves Doctor Who. But can he bring his two great loves together? And does he have the right?
In January 2011, Neil Perryman set out on an insane quest to make his wife Sue watch every episode of the classic series of Doctor Who from the very beginning. Even the ones that didn't exist any more. And so, over the next two and a half years, Sue gamely watched them all: William Hartnell (the Miserable Git); Patrick Troughton (the Scruffy Drunk); Jon Pertwee (the Pompous Tory); Tom Baker (the Mad One); Peter Davison (the Fit One); Colin Baker (the Court Jester); Sylvester McCoy (the Crafty Sod) and Paul McGann (the One-Night Stand). The result was a wildly successful and hilariously revealing blog called Adventures With the Wife in Space.
But the adventure continues. From awkward years at school, terrified of giant insects, Daleks and rugby players, to even more awkward years as an adult, terrified of unexpected parenthood and being called a Whovian, here Neil tells the all too true story of life as a Doctor Who fan. Funny, honest and surprisingly brave, he also captures perfectly the joys - and fears - of sharing the thing you love with the people you love. 'Adventures With the Wife in Space' is, at its heart, the story of Doctor Who, and its fans, seen through the eyes of two people - one who knows almost nothing about the programme and another who knows way too much. - synopsis from UK publisher's website.
I found this a delightful account of the author's personal journey as a fan and the experiment detailed in the synopsis above. It was very funny as well as being well paced. I have over the years watched many of the classic Doctor Who episodes during their original transmissions and the occasional repeats; still I don't count myself as knowing all that much. I probably fall in between Neil and Sue in terms knowledge yet that didn't detract in any way from my enjoyment.
Overall, I loved this and gave it top marks. The copy I read was from the library but I immediately ordered my own copy on Kindle.
Adventures with the Wife in Space - Neil & Sue's blog with lots to explore.
Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge.