Running Through Corridors 2: Rob and Toby's Marathon Watch of Doctor Who (Volume 2: The 70s)

The second installment in the series and it is just as entertaining as the first. Having grown up in the 70s this volume is more relevant to me than the first one as they were my formative DW years. Rob and Toby have brought new insight into these stories and have made me re-visit the stories and see many aspects that I have failed to notice before. I can't wait for the 80s volume now.

Worth the wait! Rob and Toby guide you through the golden era of the 1970s when Doctor Who was a Saturday teatime favourite. Being born in July 1974 I have my first memories of the show from this era and I very much enjoyed the reflections of the writers who manage to find positives even in the most unloved episodes. I hope we don't have to travel too far in time until volume three is available!

Bought as a gift and the recipient loved it.

If you've read the first book, and if you're interested in this one you probably have, then you know what to expect. This time Rob and Toby cover from Episode 1 of Spearhead from Space to Episode 4 of The Horns Of Nimon. Yes, technically just into the 80s but the sensible way of doing things.When I stop to consider what they're doing I am impressed. Yes, I've watched lots of episodes in one day. I watched The War Games in one evening once but this is something else. Two or three episodes every day with notes as well.In said notes Toby and Rob show that they genuinely like the programme but don't feel obliged to praise every episode to the sky. Yes, they try to be positive and sometimes fall short but can any of us honestly say we like every episode over 26 years? Reading this volume has prompted me to go back to some stories I've neglected for a while and rewatch them. Not something other Who non-fiction books have done. A large part of that is the way the book (and Vol. 1) is written. It's less of a non-fiction guide to Doctor Who and more like watching episodes with a couple of mates who are knowledgeable and interesting.If you're a fan of the original series then I recommend this well-written and interesting book. Keep going after Nimon as there is a nice touch of class from Mr Shearman in the acknowledgements, where he acknowledges that this volume took a while to be released and thanks everyone for waiting. It was worth the wait fellas.

And by “now” I mean this year, and not in 2022?Fans of “Running Through Corridors” Volume 1 have been waiting six years for this title. There is no explanation in the book from either the publisher or the authors as to the reason for the delay. One author says only “Sincere apologies it took so long.” The other author admits “The marriage chronicled in this volume hasn’t, sadly, lasted the gestation period of this book.” From the publisher, there is only silence, presumably the silence of guilt. After all, this video diary was apparently written in its entirety in 2009, so it’s not like the authors were pulling a Jean Auel on us, claiming they needed to do more research before compiling the next volume.Throughout the book there are updates dated July 2012, June 2016, and September 2016, so it would seem that either 1) the authors held on to this book and were continually revising it until they felt it was ready for publication, or 2) they submitted it to the publisher over six years ago, and on at least three separate occasions the publisher gave them a chance to update the text when they thought it was just about to go to print, only for it to be delayed again and again.The delay is even stranger given that the remit of the assignment (to review every episode of Doctor Who in a positive light in a single calendar year) means this particular volume is the absolute easiest in which to reach that lofty goal. After all, you would be hard pressed to find a fan of the original show who considers the Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker years as anything less than the best years of the original show’s run. It’s the volumes before and after this one that are the real challenges. The previous volume (the 60s) had the obstacle of almost 40% of those episodes being missing from the archives. As for the next volume (the 80s), it means the authors are going to have to try to keep a positive spin on, well, everything after “Caves of Androzani.” The “cliffhanger” ending to this volume pretty much admits that their most daunting task lies ahead. Please, then, don’t make us wait any longer!