Doctor Who: An Encyclopaedia of Companion Actors (Hardback)

This book is for all the Doctor Who nerds out there, and it is damn good reading! I was very entertained.

NetGalley, Kat Lorenzen

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Doctor Who; An Encyclopedia of Companion Actors is a great book with a lot more on top of the list of companion actors and a brief history of each of them.

I got this book as I have been a life long who fan. We watched all of the classic who still available during the lockdown in 2020. So it was great to dip into this book and learn more about the Actors who traveled with the Doctor. I learned a good few things. I really enjoyed the fact that the book also had interviews with some of the Actors as well as others who are involved in Doctor Who. A great book for the Who fan in your life. Dana Fox is obviously a huge Doctor Who Fan and that shines though inthe book.

NetGalley, Hazel Thomson

I grew up watching Doctor Who in the vacuum of my local PBS station, my obsessed cousin and occasionally finding a Target paperback at the used bookstore. Dana Fox’s Doctor Who: An Encyclopedia of Companion Actors is exactly the type of book I would have loved to come across back in the days when I stayed home on Friday nights as a dedicated Whovian and I adored reading it now too. Writing verbosely is easy, but it’s much harder to be succinct and I applaud the author for delivering an interesting and informative volume that didn’t make me like I was reading an encyclopedia.

NetGalley, Ben A

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful encyclopedia of Doctor Who through the ages. It features many memorable characters and includes an in-depth profile complete with photographs of all the characters. A perfect companion for all Doctor Who fans.

NetGalley, Kerry Richardson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I've been a fan of Doctor Who since I was a child. Dad introduced me to it from a young age. I can remember sitting on the lounge room floor, leaning against his legs, hiding behind them when the scary daleks or cybermen appeared!
My brother didn't seem to be as interested in the show as I was.
The first Doctor I can recall seeing was Patrick Troughton's Doctor.
My favourite Doctor from what is now called the Classic series is Peter Davison (who I was lucky enough to meet back in 2014 at the ABC Shop in the Myer Centre Brisbane, Australia), followed a close second by Tom Baker.
I was so excited when the show was brought back in 2005 but sad that Christopher Eccleston only stayed for the one series.
David Tennant is my favourite Doctor from New Who, followed by Matt Smith. I loved that they bought David back as the 14th Doctor and really hope they do a spin off show with him and Catherine Tate as Donna.

Being in Australia, I wasn't aware of the extra Doctor Who content that was available in the UK during the Wilderness years. I've learned so much from this book about audio series and other recordings that I need to research.

I've loved reading about companions old and new, some I've never met because I stopped watching the show when Colin Baker became the Doctor. I just didn't like him at all, but I do plan to rectify that and catch up on the Doctors I have missed.

This is a must read for any Doctor Who fan, old and new, as it contains so many wonderful titbits and the interviews are fantastic.

Well done Dana, you can tell how much this show means to you.

NetGalley, Maree Gray

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a very detail description of every character on Dr. Who, going into describing their role, when they first appeared and their last appearance. Great for any Dr. Who fan.

NetGalley, Daphne Reavis

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I came to this book as a relatively new fan of Doctor Who. Although new, I have become quickly enamored with the show and I have been eager to learn about it and its history as much as I can. This book truly is an encyclopedia of companions and the author, Dana Fox, has given quite a bit of thought about who belongs in this illustrious list. I got to learn more about Classic Who from biographies of each companion and discussion about what was happening with Doctor Who as it evolved and became an integral part of British culture. As the book explored the Modern Era (NuWho), I smiled with recognition as I got to learn more about the people behind the companions I am already familiar with and got something to look forward to for the Doctors I have yet to see.

I am someone who does not mind spoilers (sweetie) and, in fact, I appreciate having more rather than less information about what happens. That said, if you are someone who carefully avoids spoilers, be careful what you read in this book if you have some pockets of the Who-niverse left to explore as, naturally, discussion of the companions will reveal plot points.

The interviews throughout the book change it from a purely reference encyclopedia to a book that one can read from start to finish.

It is clear through out the book that Fox is an avid fan and this book reads like a fan letter to the show as well as the fandom as a whole. And one small detail that I really appreciated was the discussion of how to define science fiction as a genre.

This is a book I would want to buy in hard copy and have next to me as I watch and rewatch so I can reference the various actors as they appear on my screen.

Overall, a must-have for any serious fan of Doctor Who.

NetGalley, Amanda di Bartolomeo