It is fitting I should read this book of all books about Doctor Who in this 50th year of Doctor Who. A wonderful book, I laughed, I cried and then I finished the foreword by David Tennant.

This book is written in a very laid back style, Sladen is always so amazed at the publicity and the excitement the good Doctor and his companions engenders, right to the end of the book she couldn’t quite believe how excited people were to be seeing her. Finished a few months before she died Sladen never found the time to review it ready for publishing so it fell to her husband and daughter and I don’t think they changed anything, not even the very few typos which I’m sure wouldn’t have been there had she managed to bring herself to review it herself. It is meticulous with detail and with giving credit where she feels it is due.

I love her sense of humour, her self-deprecation and it’s wonderful just reading about the fabulous Lis Sladen creating Sarah Jane Smith. The worst thing about reading this book is I now want to read it again taking breaks to watch all the episodes of Doctor Who she mentions and all the movies she refers to, I have found one movie “Broken Blossoms” released in 1919 she mentions very briefly and will be watching it for the boat scene.

I now have a better understanding of the theatre and the filming business and how all the little details come together, the dedication of the people in the field and how they endeavour to get every little detail just right. Kudos to you all.

If you’re a Doctor Who fan you need to read this book, if you’re a fan of autobiographies you need to read this book and if you’re a fan of figuring out how they do it then you need to read this book. I bought it at Notions Unlimited in Chelsea and haven’t seen it anywhere else.