October 13th, 2013 6 comments

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Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who

Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who

DOCTOR WHO 50TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR!
BEHIND THE SOFA

Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who
Edited by Steve Berry

Published by Gollancz on October 31st, 2013

£9.99 hardback

A unique view of the world’s longest running SF show, in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK

We all remember the first time we saw Doctor Who and were scared witless by the Daleks, the Cybermen or any of the other grotesque (but often slightly wobbly) creatures and foes the Doctor faced in his travels around the galaxy. Now a whole new generation of fans are discovering the adventures of the Time Lord in his 50th year and while the special effects have improved, the show’s magic and ability to scare young and old alike is as powerful as ever.

The book was originally self-published by Steve Berry after he witnessed the devastating effects of Alzheimers on his mother Janet in the final years of her life. She passed away in 2009 and Steve decided to raise money to help fight this terrible disease. A life-long Doctor Who fan, Steve approached former Doctor Who stars, writers and crew as well as celebrities to ask them to share their personal memories of the show.

For Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary Year, Gollancz is republishing Behind the Sofa in a new edition with new contributions including Bernard Cribbins, Sophia Myles and Lindsay Duncan as well as former Who scriptwriter turned bestselling Gollancz novelist Ben Aaronovitch. The book also features illustrations from Doctor Who magazine artist Ben Morris who also designed the original edition.

Steve will be donating 100% of his royalties from the book to Alzheimer’s Research UK, which is also one of Orion, Gollancz’s parent company, company charities for 2013.

“When I conceived the book, I wanted it to fulfil two purposes; firstly, to raise a TARDIS-load of cash for scientific research into the dementia that affected my mum; and secondly, to show just how vibrantly Doctor Who can live on in the memories of those who experience it,” said Steve. “Just as the Doctor’s various incarnations have proved increasingly popular with viewers over the years, I hope that the newly regenerated edition of this book will go from strength to strength.”

Steve Berry is an author and writer for magazines, newspapers and the internet. He has appeared on countless radio and TV shows talking about his specialist retro subjects: old telly, toys, sweets and snacks, including Channel Five’s Greatest Moments series, UK Gold’s PORRIDGE and DOCTOR WHO weekends, BBC Four’s THE HARD SELL and C4’s TOP TEN TV and 100 GREATEST TOYS.

Available to order from www.amazon.co.uk

Categorised under: Books, Reference books