Review: Doctor Who: Books: Annual 2015

BBC Children’s Books, out now

The latest treasure trove of puzzles, stories and facts about your favourite Time Lord…

Long gone are the days of Doctor Who annuals filled with articles on real world science etc. accompanied by comic strips illustrated with dodgy recreations of publicity shots, written, it seemed, by people whose knowledge of the show was sketchy. (Yes, I know that’s a bit unfair, and those annuals have their vocal supporters but…) There’s a definite feeling with the current version of a hardcover edition of Doctor Who Adventures, which will be exactly what the target audience is likely to want, I suspect.

Unusually for something that would normally be “timeless”, this annual is set at quite a specific point in Series 8 – shortly after Into the Dalek – with Clara’s diary indicating an interest in new teacher Mr Pink, and quite a lot of talk about the 11th Doctor. As well as the normal facts and figures about the Doctor’s friends and foes, there’s a guide to the earlier incarnations, and a set of pictures of the regenerations (although confusingly, not the one that was used up). It all means that oddly something with 2015 on the cover spends a lot of its time talking about 2013!

However, come Christmas I’m sure that that won’t worry the hordes of young fans who will eagerly devour every page!

Verdict: Spot on for the younger Who fan who perhaps still needs reassurance that Mr Attack Eyebrows is very definitely the same man as his predecessor(s). 8/10

Paul Simpson