THERE have been many TV programmes and books along the lines of ‘a history of the world in 100 objects’ where a particular object of importance has been investigated and it’s influence on the world chronicled.

Well, this book, by established Who stalwarts Goss and Tribe, does the same thing for the world(s) of Doctor Who – or should that be the Whoniverse?

The authors have selected 100 objects from the series (taking in also the ‘classic’ period from 1963 to 1989) and explain exactly what they are and what their effect and importance is in the worlds of TV’s longest-running Sci Fi show.

I expect the main problem was how to select just 100 items, and as explained in the introduction to the book, the original list ran into thousands.

There is no index, so you do have to go through the book in order to find out that the authors have picked. (A pity really – there should be an index).

For instance, the first object is (are) the Urns of Krop Tor from The Satan Pit, and the last is (are) the Toclafane.

Items including Mondas, the original home planet of the Cybermen (#50) to Tegan Jovanka’s Lipstick (#2) are minutely dissected.

Of course, there are some items that we would expect to see: the Sonic Screwdriver (#67), the Doctor’s Scarf (#21), the TARDIS (#52) and Psychic Paper (#90) amongst them.

But there are some surprise choices like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the novel by Agatha Christie (#27) and the Fez (#65).

You’ll have to look for yourself to see what their influence has been.

The research that has gone into this book is mind-boggling but it is entertaining to read.

Plus the author’s selections will cause debate amongst the fans when they start arguing that such and such should have been included.

It is lavishly illustrated throughout, using a mix of photographs from the series and excellent artists’ impressions.

I’m not going to say whether I agree with the items chosen, but it is fun finding out about them all.

I suggest you make up your own mind.

BBC Books
ISBN 978 – 1 – 84990 – 481 – 0