Publication Date: June 20, 2013
Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition by Nick Griffiths is Griffiths’ memoir of his life, loves and his continuing love affair with Doctor Who.
I was originally attracted to this memoir by the title. Of all of the bad guys in the Doctor Who pantheons, Daleks are my favorite. I have watched every episode of Doctor Who I can get my hands on and have been a fan since getting my first Doctor Who game for Commodore 64 as a teenager and meeting Tom Baker’s version of the character. After reading Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition by Nick Griffiths, I cannot call myself a Whovian. While Griffiths doesn’t consider himself a hard-core Whovian, his long experience with the show (from the age of four) surely qualifies him for expert status. While the book is as much about Griffiths’ life as the show, it does give readers an idea of the sort of person who adores, follows and obsesses over the iconic show. People all over the world, whether they watch the show or not know when they see Tom Baker’s scarf the show from which it originated.
There is a Dave Barryesque reticent charm to Griffiths’s writing. At the start of the memoir, he tells us he has a child so at least one woman was willing to sleep with him and then cites another girlfriend so that was two. He also openly states that some facts will be slightly blurred due to either memory or convenience. The tone is light and fun and there’s no shortage of laugh-out-loud quotable moments. “Surprise is everything. Without it you have stuff; with it, you have stuff plus wonderment” (Location 875). This author certainly surprises the reader in a delightful way as no matter how far the author gets away from his Doctor Who, he always comes back to the show and actors begging the question of how pop culture shapes us. How do we, like Griffiths, go from hiding behind a cushion and half watching the show to a person who owns collectibles. Dalek collectibles! Certainly, the show had a large influence on a man who now makes his living writing reviews of television shows.
That isn’t to say he has rave reviews for the entire franchise. Jon Pertwee (third) and Tom Baker (fourth) are his favorite doctors and the series seems to have lost him until well after the popular reboot. While Tom Baker and David Tennant remain my top doctors, I adored Christopher Eccleston in the role.
Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition by Nick Griffiths doesn’t simply chronicle a love affair with Doctor Who. We’re given insight into the author’s love of music and how he rolled that interest into a career. I didn’t know what Tottenham was before reading the memoir. It’s an area in England, but another of Griffiths’s great loves is a football team bearing the name of the region. In respect to a cultural barrier, the football team was the only point where I stumbled. Despite having an average rural geek childhood, the author and I are of an era and while I grew up in a small town in Michigan, I could identify with much of what was on the page and delighted in the facetious tone of the piece. Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition was fun, warm-hearted, and even David Tennant liked it. Who am I to disagree with one of the two greatest Doctors ever?
Who wants to read the memoir of some average Joe? You will if you love Doctor Who, are a child of the 1970s or really just love good memoirs written with outstanding humor.
After you watch Peter Capaldi’s premiere was the thirteenth Doctor tonight, head on over and pick up this light-hearted read [Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition. You won’t be disappointed.
Nick Griffiths also wrote a sequel to Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition. It’s a travel book with Doctor Who at its core. In Who Goes There, Griffiths travels England and Wales, seeking locations used in the show.
Read an excerpt and buy Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition by Nick Griffiths on
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Christopher Eccleston rocked in that leather jacket! In the late eighties, I worked for the BBC’s publication dept on the lowest rung of the ladder as a gopher. Every single building the BBC ever inhabits ends up becoming a labyrinth & I often had to walk through a basement hallway where costumes and other sundry props were stored. Hibernating in the darkest corner were three of Doctor Who’s deadliest enemies – The Daleks!
Thank you for this review, I’m certainly going to check out Nick Griffith’s book & see how his memories of The Daleks compare:)
Ohmygosh, that sounds SO COOL! The recent movie of the origin and making of Doctor Who did make the BBC building seem massive. I was thrilled to come face to face with an unmoving Dalek no matter the generation. Cybermen too though I know early on they were costumes. “Dalek I Loved You” was a great read. I hope you enjoy it.