Meeting James Moran and Toby Whithouse

[alumfelga]

James Moran and Toby Whithouse were in Poland! They came for Serialcon, and there were several panels with them. I went to two: a panel called "Inside Doctor Who" with both of them and Tom de Ville (who's a writer and a Doctor Who fan), and a panel with Toby Whithouse about writing supernatural creatures and writing in general

Comments

[dbskyler]

Thanks for sharing this! Toby Whithouse and James Moran are two of my favorite DW writers, so I really appreciate hearing what they said at the panel. I'm surprised there's such a difference between Davies and Moffat in how they handle scripts from other writers, but it's fascinating. And yes, you should check out "Being Human"!

[alumfelga]

You're welcome! It was a pleasure to be in the same room with them.

I find it fascinating, too. The moment I read Davies' book and learnt how much work Davies put into the episodes he wasn't credited for, I wanted to know how it is with Moffat. Now I have some answers.

Definitely going to watch Being Human!

[patazilla]

Thank you for posting this! I also really liked the insight into the differences between Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat running the show/dealing with scripts. Habing read The Writer's Tale and knowing how much Russell struggled with the work-load of re-writing a lot, I don't wonder Moffat can't find the time to do it, especially with Sherlock going on at the same time. Still wonder, whether recent series would feel more unified if he did.

Also, thanks for asking about the differences in writing for different doctors. I'd never have thought that they wouldn't think uch about it, so that was a bit of a surprise, but I guess it makes sense.

Have lots of fun watching Being Human, it's a great show!

[alumfelga]

Still wonder, whether recent series would feel more unified if he did.
Maybe he should have. It was fine with Eleven, though, so I don't realy know why it went wrong with Twelve.

I'd never have thought that they wouldn't think uch about it, so that was a bit of a surprise, but I guess it makes sense.

I sort of expected him to answer with the stardard "no differences, he's the same person", but hoped for something more. I think he added that Twelve is darker than Ten and Eleven were, for him at least. Surprising, since "A Town Called Mercy" is pretty dark (and, completely unrelated, my favourite Eleven's episode).

I'm happy you enjoyed reading my entry!

[aletheiafelinea]

I raised my hand and asked a question
and
*stares at the autograph*
...wow O.O
(What the paper is? The con's program? :)

(it's a standard in the USA, isn't it? In Poland, a convention often means the fans gather and talk to each other, and some of them make presentations about some topics).
I think it depends on the size of a con. At least one person on my friedlist participates in private friends-with-friends-for-friends writing & fantasy cons in UK, and I recall such small-time fans-only ones existing in the worldwide SPN fandom too. I'd say it just means Serialcon has come to being deemed a serious enough event to have things big grown-up cons have. :)

czasokuleczka
...what? XD (I'm getting visions now. They are insistent. They might involve chocolate. Or fluffy fur. There's a possibility of ears.)

(I must watch "Being Human" now!)
I wanted once, too, (and haven't really ceased), though it was a very vague 'want', somewhere in fifth row behind more insistent wants.

(if only people who wrote Class checked the name Mateusz!)*

[alumfelga]

What the paper is? The con's program?
No, the programme was folded and unfolded for too many times to be in a use :) I didn't really expect it (neither my courage and the guests' availability) so I just searched my bag and found a notebook.

At least one person on my friedlist participates in private friends-with-friends-for-friends writing & fantasy cons in UK, and I recall such small-time fans-only ones existing in the worldwide SPN fandom too.
Good to know! On Serialcon, someone was telling she was talking to a friend from the USA and the friend was interesred in how cons in Poland look like, and she thought stars' presence is default. Perhaps she should look up cons in her country, too :)

I'd say it just means Serialcon has come to being deemed a serious enough event to have things big grown-up cons have.
I just hope it doesn't get bad things grown-up cons have...

...what? XDRight, I'll write down the whole sentence

[aletheiafelinea]

she thought stars' presence is default. Perhaps she should look up cons in her country, too :)
She should. :)

"duża splątana czasokuleczka"
Great, now my vision's got also tails...

*One Polish version is czaso-maso and everyone hates it.
Eww...

a Doctor Who spin off with no one from Doctor Who in it
Does it still count as spin-off??? :D

His name is... Matteusz.
But... Polish-Polish? o___o Not some "of Polish descent"?

I also heard the Polish language he speaks doesn't resemble Polish language at all
First rate reason to watch it then! XD MCU has a lot of Russian...ish, and one native on my friendlist has the actors rated from the least to most cringe-inducing. :) Also, apparently in Teen Wolf someone recently has been revealed to be Mieczyslaw, and the fandom seems... excited, to put it very mildly. XD

[alumfelga]

Does it still count as spin-off??? :D

It's set in the school where one recent and two Classic Who companions taught, that's the link. From what I heard, the spin off wasn't a huge success and no one knows if there's going to be a second season. Not straight away, that's certain.

But... Polish-Polish?
Polish-Polish.

First rate reason to watch it then!
I don't do ironic consumption and the series is too weakly linked to Doctor Who to do hate-watching :) I have no feelings towards it, no interest. Which is sad, when you think about it.

Also, apparently in Teen Wolf someone recently has been revealed to be Mieczyslaw, and the fandom seems... excited, to put it very mildly. XD
Teen Wolf is still going?! I thought it ended some time ago ;) But, coming back, I sense a very particular part of the fandom is excited, amirite?

[dieastra]

Huh. All those years I thought his name was Whitehouse

[alumfelga]

All those years I thought his name was Whitehouse.
To be honest, I only found out recently :) And I'm glad I did and said his name correctly at the panel! It would be so embarrasing if I called him Mr. White House ;D

I usually don't tend to pay notice on the writer. I'm not that kind of fan ;) Who already dreads the next episode just because it is written by the guy who wrote the worst episode ever.
Maybe it's better this way? I mean, when you know the schedule for season 10, you know when there will be some answers for the season's story - just wait for Moffat's episode. And so on. I check the writers because when I started watching Doctor Who, I already knew there were fierce discussions about Moffat and Davies and I wanted to get my own opinion on them. And I think I can recognise their writing styles now. I'm not as good with the last seasons' writers who didn't write many episodes, wikipedia helps me with them :)

Must have been nice for you to get a glimpse of "real" conventions!I must say, it's nothing like cons for 10,000

[dieastra]

I must say, it's nothing like cons for 10,000 people who sold their organs to get there. It was still a relatively small and free event, and I loved it this way. I know you can't do it like this if, say, David Tennant was about to come.

Free event? You didn't pay an entry fee? But someone must pay the location and technical stuff like video screens and also hotel and flights for the writers?

Medieval times! I can't even imagine :DPeople always find a way! There were fanclubs. There were ads in sci-fi magazines to join your local club to find people. My friend once saw someone with a Trek shirt on the bus and started to talk to her. You had to look for small signs

[alumfelga]

Free event? You didn't pay an entry fee?
That's right. At least for now, it could change in next few years.

But someone must pay the location and technical stuff like video screens and also hotel and flights for the writers?
Serialcon is now a part of a festival of independent movies, the same one that invited Benedict Cumberbatch few years ago. This festival lasts about a week, there are screenings, panels with movie directors and actors and other things. You pay if you want to come. Serialcon started as a separate event, but since last year it's under the festival's wings, so I imagine there was some money transfered. The rest is sponsors.

My friend once saw someone with a Trek shirt on the bus and started to talk to her.
Sometimes I see on the Internet: "hey, I was on bus X yesterday and I saw someone with Sherlock t-shirt. Want to talk?" I'm like: if you wanted to talk, why didn't you come over to that person?

I don't mean people, I mean news pages like Radio times. They make it their headline so when someone shares the article