Who Beyond 50: Celebrating Five Decades of Doctor Who

Few television series have remained in production for decades. Fewer have come back from cancellation. And even fewer have thrived following the loss of their lead actor. Amazingly, Doctor Who can proudly boast all three claims. The British science fiction program, produced by the BBC, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial Time Lord known as the Doctor, who explores the universe with a variety of companions in his TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), a time-travelling spaceship resembling a blue police call box.

Brian J Robb and Paul Simpson have assembled 50 thematic, chronological essays covering a wide variety of Who icons over the past five decades. The long-time collaborators posted preliminary versions at Sci-Fi Bulletin, but have delved into far greater detail for this collected edition, examining not only the show itself, but the background of each actor to play the role of the Doctor and each showrunner who helped keep the show alive, as well as the novels, the audios, the monsters, the companions, the music, the effects, fandom, and much more.

But Who Beyond 50 is more than just another TV retrospective. It’s a grand exploration of one of the most beloved series of all time. It’s a celebration of Who’s surprises and successes, and an honest account of its faults and failures. It’s all here. And it’s about time.

Brian J. Robb is a New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author. Among his works are Timeless Adventures: How Doctor Who Conquered TV (Kamera, 2009), A Brief History of Star Trek (Constable & Robinson, 2012) and A Brief History of Star Wars (Constable & Robinson, 2012). He has also written Silent Cinema (Kamera, 2007), Counterfeit Worlds: Philip K. Dick on Film (Titan, 2005), and Screams and Nightmares: The Films of Wes Craven (Titan, 1998). Brian is a biographer of River Phoenix (Plexus, 1994), Heath Ledger (Plexus, 2008), Brad Pitt (Plexus, 2001), Johnny Depp (Plexus, 2006), and Keanu Reeves (Plexus, 2003), among others. He has also written books about Laurel and Hardy (Pocket Essentials, 2008), Ridley Scott (Pocket Essentials, 2005), and James Cameron (Pocket Essentials, 2002). His recent work includes A Brief Guide to Superheroes for Running Press, as well as Middle-earth Envisioned: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: On Screen, On Stage, and Beyond (with Paul Simpson) for Race Point Publishing.

Paul Simpson has written official guides to the TV series Farscape and Smallville, in addition to the films The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. He has also authored unofficial books about subjects as diverse as James Bond, Nicole Kidman, and the TV series The O.C. Paul wrote an unofficial guide to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, as well as That’s What They Want You to Think, for Zenith Press. A regular visitor to film and TV sets, he has reported for numerous newspapers and magazines, including TV Guide. For five years, he was the editor of the official licensed Star Trek Magazine. Paul’s recent work includes The Mammoth Book of Air Disasters and Near Misses and A Brief Guide to Stephen King for Running Press, as well as Middle-earth Envisioned: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: On Screen, On Stage, and Beyond (with Brian J. Robb) for Race Point Publishing.