Lalla Ward

This is a slight little book of remembrances by Lalla Ward, the second and best Romana, of her time on Doctor Who. I'd wish I'd known how slight; I might not have sprung for it with that knowledge. There are some nice photographs from Ward's time on the programme-- the ones from her introductory photocall are particularly cute-- and these are probably the highlight of the book. The text is very light, just a couple sentences for every story she appeared in, and in the case of some (e.g., Meglos, Full Circle), all she writes is that she doesn't remember producing the story! Well, isn't that a great use of a two-page spread. When you do gain insight, it's sometimes a little frustrating; she didn't like Warriors' Gate, which I would say is one of the best stories she did. If you've read other behind-the-scenes Doctor Who books (e.g., In Their Own Words), you'll learn much more than you're likely to learn here.

The book is padded out by covers of Target novelisations, which is annoying, but also by costume design sketches by June Hudson, who was one of Doctor Who's foremost costume designers during seasons 17 and 18. These are amazing, and Hudson is one of Doctor Who's greatest unsung contributors. I'd take a book of these instead.

The profits from this book are for charity, so I guess that's nice. I love Lalla Ward enough for this all to be worthwhile (my copy is, delightfully, signed), but I doubt that will be the case for most folks.… (meer)