I was only a lad, and it was a long time ago, but I can vividly remember the excitement I felt as I made my way to the first floor of my local bookshop. There was a pair of swing doors at the top of the stairs, but I recall they were already open... clearly revealing the object of my desire. In the middle of the shop floor was a table piled high with books, but dominating them all was a large hardback leaning against a stand. As I plucked a book from the top of the pile I could scarcely believe its weight. Could it be true? Had someone actually written a proper, ‘grown-up’ book all about the making of Doctor Who?
The year was 1983, and I had finally got my hands on a copy of Peter Haining’s Doctor Who: A Celebration. I devoured every page and I’m sure I could still recite some of the passages relating to William Hartnell and the other legendary figures featured inside. Haining was a talented anthologist who summoned a virtual reunion of Doctor Who luminaries – both alive and dead – for a lavish and sometimes poignant lap of honour. A Celebration was unique in 1983, but that didn’t stop me regarding this as the show’s ultimate reference work.
I still have the copy I bought that day, although some of the pages are a little frayed around the edges and the colours on the sun-bleached spine aren’t as vivid as they once were. Why have I kept it for so long? It must be sentimentality, because the book I once regarded as unsurpassable was in fact just the first in a very long line. As the 1980s progressed it seemed the standard for Doctor Who reference works improved every year. By the 1990s there was an overwhelming choice of high-quality books, magazines and fanzines dissecting Doctor Who’s history.
The Doctor Who reference industry will continue for as long as there is a demand for obscure facts, new interpretations and rare photographs. Those of us lucky enough to maintain this turnover should know better than to describe any of our endeavours as ‘the last word’ on the subject. While Doctor Who continues to expand and evolve, any examination of its mysteries can only ever be a work in progress.