The Daily Doctor by Simon Guerrier and Peter Anghelides (book review).
Combine two writers with a vast knowledge of ‘Doctor Who’ and put them in a room with a spinning wheel. Lock the door and soon they will have spun gold.
I don’t know how long they took to come up with ‘365¼ whoniversal meditations’ but I’m imagining a long email chain that grew and grew as they batted ideas back and forward. They were unlikely to be in a locked room but hopefully enjoyed some expansive lunches as they developed this idea.
A thought for every day is not a new idea but spreading across all of time and space and 60 years of the Doctor is no mean feat. Of course, the chosen examples will be controversial. Some of them are from spin-offs and some from not-so fan favourite episodes. Even the bad ones have something to say about the human condition. This is a book to pop into. It might inspire you to watch an episode or write your own story as anything is possible. It is like a little safe haven in a world of troubles. Start the day with a page. Go random or pick your birthday. There is something there for everyone who needs a daily dose of goodness.
Finally, another great thing about ‘The Daily Doctor’ is it has author credits and they are stalwart writers and fans of the Doctor, this is something to celebrate. This type of book often gets away without acknowledging the writers at all so good for BBC Books on this one. Enjoy this or send to a friend who might need some comforting thoughts. We owe it to the Doctor to share the medicine.
Sue Davies
September 2023
(pub: BBC Books/Penguin, 2023. 416 page hardback. Price: £16.99 (UK) ISBN: 978-1-78594-798-8)
check out website: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/452431/doctor-who-the-daily-doctor-by-anghelides-simon-guerrier-and-peter/9781785947988
