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The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: The Discerning Fan's Guide to Doctor Who
The long-running BBC science fiction program Doctor Who has garnered an intense and extremely loyal fan base since its 1963 debut. This work examines the influences of psychology, literature, pop culture, and the social sciences on Doctor Who storylines and characters. Topics explored include how such issues as class, gender, and sexual attraction factor into the relationships between the Doctor and his companions; whether the Doctor suffers from multiple personality disorder or other psychological afflictions; and the role of the Doctor's native culture in shaping his sense of identity.
- GenresDoctor WhoNonfiction
215 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 13, 2015
I so wanted to like this book. I started reading it awhile ago, then put it down. I finally picked it up again, started from the beginning again, and re-read it. It was a real struggle - and any book that's a struggle to read is unsuccessful. By struggle, I don't mean that the language or concepts were difficult - nor do I mean it was boring. It was, well, I guess, the best word is - annoying. Like being stuck talking to a know-it-all arrogant buffoon at a party is annoying.
This book was more of an attempt by the authors to show off their knowledge of different academic disciplines, than an analysis of Doctor Who. The authors really didn't seem to understand Doctor Who at all, they insulted the show's fans, and they didn't cover various academic disciplines well either. The insistence on describing Doctor Who as a kitchy, camp, silly show - doesn't really sound like a fan pov. And it describes only one season really of the program, that of Gareth Williams (exec producer of Tom Baker's second-to-last season), a showrunner who was so bad he was replaced after only one season, when, in general, most Doctor Who producers lasted three years or longer. Williams was the producer responsible for stories such as: "Underworld", "Creature from the Pit", "Nightmare of Eden". When I tell you that the authors of this book found "Underworld" to be the peak of the show - if you're a fan, you'll understand why I have issues with this book.
One of the main problems with the text is that the author's never once, in their arrogance, jingoism, and cultural imperialism, ever consider that Doctor Who is a British show. Yes, they mention that - but they never consider it. When analyzing "Carnival of Monsters" and "Kinda" the word "Colonialism" pretty much never comes up. Yet both stories are obviously criticizing British Colonialism. Doctor Who has never hesitated to present stories that get one to think about one's own cultural bias', the character of the Brigadier, initially was presented as a negative character - not evil, but someone who'd follow orders without thinking - no matter the consequences, and the embodiment of British colonial attitudes towards others. That the Brigadier also became one of the most popular characters was due to the actor's brilliant performance, and that the character learned from the Doctor and eventually stopped shooting first and asking questions later. Compare the Doctor's relationship with the Brigadier in "Doctor Who and the Silurians" verses "Remembrance of the Daleks" for example.
"Kinda" is a story where the Galactic Empire has landed on the planet Deva Loka - and the colonials immediately assume the natives are "primitive" - only to discover, to their shock and surprise, that the natives of the planet are much more sophisticated than the colonials from Earth. But then, that story is densely packed with a lot to analyze - and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy does get into some of it - but ignoring the obvious references to the destructive nature of colonialism, does the story a huge disservice.
Throughout this book, the fans of Doctor Who are portrayed as geeky, unattractive, obsessive fanboys - who will never be successful (or get laid, to be blunt). That a book that sounds like a celebration of the show addresses the fans with "get a life" so to speak, is, well, insulting. In fact, many of the fans of Doctor Who ending up writing for the Doctor Who lines of original novels or comics, and then working in the television or comic book industries professionally. Among the fans of the show who are now professionals: Russell T. Davies (who brought the show back in 2005), Paul Cornell (who has published original modern fantasy novels, written for the new series, and wrote several original Doctor Who novels), Tony Lee (professional comic book author), Peter Anghelides (professional author), Mark Gatiss (television writer and producer), etc. That's just off the top of my head - there are many more.
It is also of note that the academic analysis also isn't that great - the psychology chapter, for example, focuses almost solely on Freud, the largely debunked Victorian - with no mention of Adler, Jung, or Maslow. And Doctor Who, is filled with Jungian archetypes, some episodes more than others.
The chapter on linguistics fails to mention the debate of linguistic relativity (the idea that without having a word for something one cannot have an idea for something; though it does become a chicken-an-egg argument: Which comes first? The word, or the idea?); neither are Dell Hymes, Frank Boas, Edward Sapir, or even Noam Chomsky.
Overall, I was extremely disappointed with this book, and I do not recommend it.
This book was more of an attempt by the authors to show off their knowledge of different academic disciplines, than an analysis of Doctor Who. The authors really didn't seem to understand Doctor Who at all, they insulted the show's fans, and they didn't cover various academic disciplines well either. The insistence on describing Doctor Who as a kitchy, camp, silly show - doesn't really sound like a fan pov. And it describes only one season really of the program, that of Gareth Williams (exec producer of Tom Baker's second-to-last season), a showrunner who was so bad he was replaced after only one season, when, in general, most Doctor Who producers lasted three years or longer. Williams was the producer responsible for stories such as: "Underworld", "Creature from the Pit", "Nightmare of Eden". When I tell you that the authors of this book found "Underworld" to be the peak of the show - if you're a fan, you'll understand why I have issues with this book.
One of the main problems with the text is that the author's never once, in their arrogance, jingoism, and cultural imperialism, ever consider that Doctor Who is a British show. Yes, they mention that - but they never consider it. When analyzing "Carnival of Monsters" and "Kinda" the word "Colonialism" pretty much never comes up. Yet both stories are obviously criticizing British Colonialism. Doctor Who has never hesitated to present stories that get one to think about one's own cultural bias', the character of the Brigadier, initially was presented as a negative character - not evil, but someone who'd follow orders without thinking - no matter the consequences, and the embodiment of British colonial attitudes towards others. That the Brigadier also became one of the most popular characters was due to the actor's brilliant performance, and that the character learned from the Doctor and eventually stopped shooting first and asking questions later. Compare the Doctor's relationship with the Brigadier in "Doctor Who and the Silurians" verses "Remembrance of the Daleks" for example.
"Kinda" is a story where the Galactic Empire has landed on the planet Deva Loka - and the colonials immediately assume the natives are "primitive" - only to discover, to their shock and surprise, that the natives of the planet are much more sophisticated than the colonials from Earth. But then, that story is densely packed with a lot to analyze - and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy does get into some of it - but ignoring the obvious references to the destructive nature of colonialism, does the story a huge disservice.
Throughout this book, the fans of Doctor Who are portrayed as geeky, unattractive, obsessive fanboys - who will never be successful (or get laid, to be blunt). That a book that sounds like a celebration of the show addresses the fans with "get a life" so to speak, is, well, insulting. In fact, many of the fans of Doctor Who ending up writing for the Doctor Who lines of original novels or comics, and then working in the television or comic book industries professionally. Among the fans of the show who are now professionals: Russell T. Davies (who brought the show back in 2005), Paul Cornell (who has published original modern fantasy novels, written for the new series, and wrote several original Doctor Who novels), Tony Lee (professional comic book author), Peter Anghelides (professional author), Mark Gatiss (television writer and producer), etc. That's just off the top of my head - there are many more.
It is also of note that the academic analysis also isn't that great - the psychology chapter, for example, focuses almost solely on Freud, the largely debunked Victorian - with no mention of Adler, Jung, or Maslow. And Doctor Who, is filled with Jungian archetypes, some episodes more than others.
The chapter on linguistics fails to mention the debate of linguistic relativity (the idea that without having a word for something one cannot have an idea for something; though it does become a chicken-an-egg argument: Which comes first? The word, or the idea?); neither are Dell Hymes, Frank Boas, Edward Sapir, or even Noam Chomsky.
Overall, I was extremely disappointed with this book, and I do not recommend it.
September 12, 2012
A lot of this book is rather silly. Written by fans for fans, with tongue firmly in cheek, it explores such things as the psychological quirks, sexual proclivities, and raisons d'etre of everyone's favorite Time Lord.
They had me at road rage = Dalek.
Seriously, the chapter on cyborgs made the whole book. A thoughtful exploration of how the baddies of DW reflect the worst that is already in ourselves and our society. Add to that a chapter on the good Doctor's battle against corporations, and you have a treatise on the state of the modern world. The last is maybe a bit much; nothing in the chapter on corporations is new or terribly surprising, but the authors do make their point. And they wrap up neatly with a bittersweet chapter on the topic of life and death that almost made me cry a little. (okay, maybe I just watched Doomsday...)
Anyway. I really liked it, I found it delightful, but my tastes are a little odd so I don't know how much the average reader would actually enjoy this book. But if you enjoy the Doctor and don't take things too seriously, give it a try.
They had me at road rage = Dalek.
Seriously, the chapter on cyborgs made the whole book. A thoughtful exploration of how the baddies of DW reflect the worst that is already in ourselves and our society. Add to that a chapter on the good Doctor's battle against corporations, and you have a treatise on the state of the modern world. The last is maybe a bit much; nothing in the chapter on corporations is new or terribly surprising, but the authors do make their point. And they wrap up neatly with a bittersweet chapter on the topic of life and death that almost made me cry a little. (okay, maybe I just watched Doomsday...)
Anyway. I really liked it, I found it delightful, but my tastes are a little odd so I don't know how much the average reader would actually enjoy this book. But if you enjoy the Doctor and don't take things too seriously, give it a try.
July 7, 2023
Perfectly readable for what it is, but it pales in comparison to so many of the longer, deeper, more provocative, and funnier analyses of "Doctor Who" that have come out over last 15 years. These days, it acts more like a gateway read to more thorough options, such as "About Time" and "TARDIS Euditorum".
May 28, 2008
Granted, I'm one of the co-authors of this book, so I may be a little bit biased. I do, however, want to say that Tom Powers and I take great pride in the work that we've done, and we believe that this is a fun and informative book on Doctor Who. If you like books like The Discontinuity Guide, The Television Companion or the About Time series, there's a good chance that you'll enjoy the insight and analysis that we provide in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. The basic premise of the book is that Doctor Who, like all good science fiction, teaches us what it means to be human by whisking us away to exotic points in time and space. The book examines the show in relation to modern-day phenomena like cosmetic surgery, political pundits, Mafia movies, road rage and reality television in order to shed light on the Doctor's relationships with his companions, his true feelings toward the Master and the reason why the Daleks seem so cranky all the time (among other issues). So, apologies for reviewing my own book, but if you end up ordering a copy, thanks, and I hope you enjoy it.
(Check out Who North America for the best price I've seen on it... about ten dollars off the cover price.)
(Check out Who North America for the best price I've seen on it... about ten dollars off the cover price.)
January 19, 2008
This is such a great book. I own several copies.
January 14, 2008
More like the greatest book in the galaxy!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews