Lawrence Miles - About Time

Miles is the co-author of the first five volumes of About Time, a Doctor Who episode guide which examines the series in its cultural and historical context. Co-written with Tat Wood, the guide contains detailed accounts of the various concerns that fed into the making of the series and a number of essays answering specific questions (e.g. "How might the sonic screwdriver work?" and "Why didn't they just spend more money?"). In contrast to other Doctor Who guides, About Time is divided by "era" rather than by the lead actor, broadly reflecting different production philosophies and cultural climates. The several volumes are published in order of popularity rather than chronologically; volumes three and four were published first, covering the early and late 1970s. There are six volumes in total, the last covering the late eighties, the 1996 television movie and everything up to, but not including, the new 2005 series. Miles chose to leave the project after the completion of volume two, and the sixth and final volume was written by Wood. The sixth volume also featured additional material by publisher Lars Pearson.