Travels in Time and Space

Review: Three classic audiobooks on CD.

Everything about the Travels in Time & Space tin is impressive. Containing unabridged readings of the first three Doctor Who books, the packaging is glorious, and the contents run to a staggering 17 hours.

Don't be daunted by the fact that Daleks, murderous crusaders and giant ants are all conjured up by just one octogenerian in a sound booth.

Veteran actor William Russell does a stunning job, his silky voice washing over you as Simon E Power's minimalist electronica noise does the rest - creating the menace of the Daleks, a hauntingly empty planet Vortis, or the exotic feel of the 12th Century Jaffa.

These are magnificent books, unhurried in pace and unstinting in imagination. The Crusaders opens with a lengthy discussion of fate, and The Zarbi goes into fascinating detail about the lepidoptera of Vortis.

Whereas a whole new generation of fans are now able to go "oh good lord!" at The Web Planet on DVD, the novelisation is simply magical, creating a wildly alien, entrancing world impossible on the small screen. All the imperfections of television are swept away in these stately readings.

Fans of the earlier MP3 release of The Daleks (detailed review below) will be delighted by this re-release - either allowing them to update their MP3 players with two more stories, or listen to the first one away from their PC.

It's a wonderful way of remembering how amazing the very earliest days of Doctor Who were. It's also an ideal present for a new fan, curious about Doctor Who, and with 17 hours on their hands. Perhaps combine it with a big jigsaw containing a lot of sky.

Send us your comment now. We'll publish the best on this page.

Stevie P
Please listen,these audio books give a new dimension to these stories.If,like me you had to watch "The Web Planet" in small doses to get past the limited special effects of the early 1960's then this is for you.The depth of character given in "The Crusaders" makes the story so much bigger than the audio version of the t v story.Highly recommended,more please.

Alister Pearson
As I'm currently working on ( yet another! ) portrait of William Hartnell - for the cover of a book to be published next year -listening to these three stories has provided an excellent "soundtrack" while I've been slapping the paint around. Thanks "Russ"! Superb job.

Mark Hevingham
Update: Intended to listen to these stories over a few weeks and in the end heard them all over the weekend - simply superb!

TardisTegan
Love the books. Should love the CDs

James Hyles
This looks like being another fantastic boxset, mine's on order right now. Who would have thought these books would retain their magic for 40 years? They're timeless, just like the good Doctor himself!

Cyberpunk
good stories & good acting/sound presentation - but why all this messing around with silly formats ie the MP3 version of Daleks a few months ago? Actually that might have been OK if the BBC had made it clear there would be this regular CD release to follow - Which they DIDN'T; which is pretty inexcusable. All releases should of course have a regular CD release ( which in the end they have had ) & this should be made clear that this will happen at the outset ! Also there was no clear info on the BBC site until very close to release that this tinset would be on regular CD ( Doctor Who Magazine also didn't specify, ). Still not as insulting as the recent "The Power Of The Daleks - Reconstructed" which was a CD-ROM & didn't even include the surviving clips ! & I say insulting because the fans are obviously being milked ( or bled dry would be more accurate ) - as know doubt it will appear eventually, with clips et al, on - suprise suprise! - DVD format : The ONLY visual format it should be released on ( the earlier sound only version was quite acceptable ) I may sound a little vitriolic but the extra CD-ROM ( & to some extent MP3-CD ) just seem greedy to me. So BBC ! : CDs & DVDs - the rest aren't acceptable ! Dr Who isn't just an excuse to print money ...

Robin Clark
What a lovely idea! I remember how magical "Dr Who & the Zarbi" was, so much so that the televison version (which I recently enjoyed again on DVD)didn't quite live up to it. If you don't own a copy of the paperback then pick this up and enjoy this different version of the story. Similarly "Dr Who & the Crusaders" has a lovely opening scene that is not in the TV version where the Doctor talks about destiny and the folly of attempting to change history.

ANTHONY GARNON
This boxset is a sure-fire christmas hit!After the christmas invasion,I'll be tucking into a vintage piece of Who-pie.What a fantastic way to round off a year that has honestly belonged to Doctor Who!

Mark Hevingham
William Russell (Enoch) has a fantastic reading voice and as I have a CD player on the wall above my bed, I can't wait for those cold dark stormy nights of November to be filled with his reading of these classic stories. Let's hope its a success and we can hear him reading some other First Doctor adventures soon. And then maybe Carole Anne Ford reading An Unearthly Child? Or Lis Sladen reading Invasion of the Dinoasaurs? ! Bring em on!

Pigbin
I've just listened to these CDs at 10 times normal speed. Great stuff! You know what you've got here? Positive feedback!!!

Thomas Tyrrell
Having got the Doctor Who and the Daleks MP3-CD and a portable CD MP3 player, I can't pretend I'm not a little disappointed. I'd love those two other books, but I don't want to pay for a story twice. Couldn't we have had individual releases on CD MP3?

Jordan
Can't wait for this one to get to Australia! I've been reading and re-reading these three books for ages, and The Daleks is my favourite novelisation. Thank you, Mr. Russell.

Grant M
I am sooo looking forward to recieving these on Monday. Russell's reading of 'The Lair of Zarbi Supremo' on the 'Web Planet' is superb. He really carries it off with no little skill, gusto and commitment. Bravo!

lukee
This tin sounds great! I'll get round to getting it. Eventually........

Dalek 2005
Brilliant! A new way to watch the classic series of dr who without having to wait for them to show on UKTV Gold.

Jacob R. Mason
Looks great! I have never read the books, so this is a great opportunity to hear them. Nice to see William Russell out-and-about.

Dalek5
Can't wait for the First Doctor: The Beginning DVD Box Set!

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