Book review
Written by Paul Magrs
Simon & Schuster paperback
Release date 4 March 2010

As Peter Davison's Doctor begins his reign on BBC1, young David begins to expand his horizons...

A gentle, beautifully observed novel from unashamed Doctor Who fan Paul Magrs, this story will a strike chord with anyone who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s – particularly those who came under pressure to conform to peer pressure and "put away childish things" like being a fan of a kids' TV show.

The world that Magrs portrays is long gone but wonderfully recreated: miss an episode of today's Doctor Who and you just wait for the inevitable repeat on BBC3 or Watch, or go and buy the DVD four weeks later. In those days, it became like a religion – the preparation for the episode, watching it on one TV while another was used to record the sound, analysing it...

For David, when his best friend starts to find other things to focus on (girls, music etc), it's as if his very foundations are being challenged. But he himself is changing, and his gradual acceptance that being different doesn't mean being wrong is at the heart of this short tale. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10
Written with a great eye for detail, even to the extent of David getting basic facts wrong about a show he's not interested in because it's not The Show, this is a great nostalgia trip for older fans as well as its target teen audience.