Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - Chapter 1
I've started reading Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, which is written by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook.
It's written as a series of emails and messages between Russell and Ben and came about when Ben suggested to Russell the idea of writing an article for Doctor Who Magazine about the process of writing Doctor Who.
And it ended up becoming a book.
I bought it last weekend and though it may be tedious, I'm going to try to review each chapter as I go through.
And so here is the first installment...
Chapter 1 - Definitely Maybe
In which Mika is inspiring, Skins is disappointing, and Russell performs a triple loop on ice
I think the concept of this book is very interesting - I’m enjoying seeing how the Doctor Who stories from the 2007 Christmas Special onwards through Series 4 started. Of course, having seen the finished products before reading this book, I know what is going to happen. But the starting ideas are in some ways very different from what we’ve gotten and I looking forward to reading this journey of creativity.
And then there are the stories which never were. Such as the original concept for 4.8:
4.8 - Century House
A double-bank episode. All Doctor. Companion-lite (she sits at home and watches the whole thing on TV with her mum; hopefully, one day’s filming with her). The doctor goes live on reality TV show Most Haunted to track down the ghost of the Red Widow. A big, old, abandoned, spooky house, like on a cliff top. OB vans and trucks with cables ringed around the house. Certain rooms will flashback to the 1950s or ’60s. A big fire sequence towards the end - a couple of rooms burning.
This sounds like a great idea for a Doctor Who episode - some good frights and suspense with a dash of showbiz! It makes me wonder whether I’ll ever be confident enough to write a fanfic based on this. I’m seeing creeping around in the dark with only torches to light the way - real burning fire torches, since it’s a reality TV show and the fire has to start somewhere. A pretty blonde who’s trying to turn this show into her big break, and a guy who thinks the show is a laugh and is just there to have some fun. The girl will somehow forget that she’s on show, and the guy will have to sober up and get seriously scared. I’d like a sequence where the Doctor gets to tell a back story although I haven't decided what the “ghost of the Red Widow” is yet.
Random comment from the description of 4.11: “I’ll try to keep this low-cost. Honestly”. This made me smile! A sign of some of the fun to come I think. And the concept of 4.11 is also born in this chapter, and it seems not to have changed too much. Although it’s currently written with Penny as the companion, instead of Donna.
Penny the would-be companion for Series 4. Even from the start she seemed a lot like Donna: “that ability to really banter with the Doctor, to match him.” And she was to be a love interest for the Doctor. I’m not sure if I would have liked that, but I certainly would have enjoyed seeing it play out.
There’s also a lot said about writing in general and the space where ideas come from and flow. The email correspondence used in the book is easy to read, and it feels a bit like observing a conversation. It’s essentially unedited in that it is exactly what the writers are thinking and not a carefully constructed piece which only gives you what the writer wants you to see. This is almost raw. It’s honest, and I’m looking forward to reading further.
Chapter 1 - Definitely Maybe
In which Mika is inspiring, Skins is disappointing, and Russell performs a triple loop on ice
I think the concept of this book is very interesting - I’m enjoying seeing how the Doctor Who stories from the 2007 Christmas Special onwards through Series 4 started. Of course, having seen the finished products before reading this book, I know what is going to happen. But the starting ideas are in some ways very different from what we’ve gotten and I looking forward to reading this journey of creativity.
And then there are the stories which never were. Such as the original concept for 4.8:
4.8 - Century House
A double-bank episode. All Doctor. Companion-lite (she sits at home and watches the whole thing on TV with her mum; hopefully, one day’s filming with her). The doctor goes live on reality TV show Most Haunted to track down the ghost of the Red Widow. A big, old, abandoned, spooky house, like on a cliff top. OB vans and trucks with cables ringed around the house. Certain rooms will flashback to the 1950s or ’60s. A big fire sequence towards the end - a couple of rooms burning.
This sounds like a great idea for a Doctor Who episode - some good frights and suspense with a dash of showbiz! It makes me wonder whether I’ll ever be confident enough to write a fanfic based on this. I’m seeing creeping around in the dark with only torches to light the way - real burning fire torches, since it’s a reality TV show and the fire has to start somewhere. A pretty blonde who’s trying to turn this show into her big break, and a guy who thinks the show is a laugh and is just there to have some fun. The girl will somehow forget that she’s on show, and the guy will have to sober up and get seriously scared. I’d like a sequence where the Doctor gets to tell a back story although I haven't decided what the “ghost of the Red Widow” is yet.
Random comment from the description of 4.11: “I’ll try to keep this low-cost. Honestly”. This made me smile! A sign of some of the fun to come I think. And the concept of 4.11 is also born in this chapter, and it seems not to have changed too much. Although it’s currently written with Penny as the companion, instead of Donna.
Penny the would-be companion for Series 4. Even from the start she seemed a lot like Donna: “that ability to really banter with the Doctor, to match him.” And she was to be a love interest for the Doctor. I’m not sure if I would have liked that, but I certainly would have enjoyed seeing it play out.
There’s also a lot said about writing in general and the space where ideas come from and flow. The email correspondence used in the book is easy to read, and it feels a bit like observing a conversation. It’s essentially unedited in that it is exactly what the writers are thinking and not a carefully constructed piece which only gives you what the writer wants you to see. This is almost raw. It’s honest, and I’m looking forward to reading further.