November Books 19) Who Goes There
19) Who Goes There (Travels through Strangest Britain, in Search of the Doctor), by Nick Griffiths
This is a brilliant book, and I think could be enjoyed even by non-Who fans provided they have at least a mild interest in southern England (and Wales). Griffiths sets off on a quest to find Doctor Who locations - not to do a comprehensive listing, because that has alreay been done, but to check out the places that linger most vividly in the memory, from the years between Spearhead from Space and Destiny of the Daleks, and from the four years of the new series (this book, written between November last year and September this year, is already in the shops).
Some of the locations of the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker years have disappeared (buildings get demolished; quarries get filled in); some cannot be found despite the best efforts of Griffiths and his long-suffering family; but about half of the places he looks for can indeed be located and retain a certain ineffable Who-ness. Examples: the villages of The Android Invasion and The Dæmons; the original Bad Wolf Bay from Doomsday and Journey's End; the tunnel of Day of the Daleks which Griffiths locates despite a huge argument with his wife. There is apparently a website here which I haven't had a chance to look at yet, with lots of photos.
I haven't read Griffiths' earlier book, Dalek I Loved You, but I imagine it is at least as good. Part of the charm of his writing is that he factors in further anecdotes about the journeys he makes, and also fits in the story of his own family: his mother's death, his wife's pregnancy, his teenage son's reactions to his own obsessions. It is a touching an memorable little memoir. Strongly recommended.
This is a brilliant book, and I think could be enjoyed even by non-Who fans provided they have at least a mild interest in southern England (and Wales). Griffiths sets off on a quest to find Doctor Who locations - not to do a comprehensive listing, because that has alreay been done, but to check out the places that linger most vividly in the memory, from the years between Spearhead from Space and Destiny of the Daleks, and from the four years of the new series (this book, written between November last year and September this year, is already in the shops).
Some of the locations of the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker years have disappeared (buildings get demolished; quarries get filled in); some cannot be found despite the best efforts of Griffiths and his long-suffering family; but about half of the places he looks for can indeed be located and retain a certain ineffable Who-ness. Examples: the villages of The Android Invasion and The Dæmons; the original Bad Wolf Bay from Doomsday and Journey's End; the tunnel of Day of the Daleks which Griffiths locates despite a huge argument with his wife. There is apparently a website here which I haven't had a chance to look at yet, with lots of photos.
I haven't read Griffiths' earlier book, Dalek I Loved You, but I imagine it is at least as good. Part of the charm of his writing is that he factors in further anecdotes about the journeys he makes, and also fits in the story of his own family: his mother's death, his wife's pregnancy, his teenage son's reactions to his own obsessions. It is a touching an memorable little memoir. Strongly recommended.