close call

[caddyman]

There is a feature in today’s Times - in the T2 insert – where in Russell T Davies is pimping his forthcoming book about his time on Doctor Who. A book which, incidentally, appears to be made up entirely of emails to and from someone called Benjamin Cook, who it seems is a journalist and sometime writer for Doctor Who Magazine. The link is here.

Two things spring to mind.

Firstly, we get a view of Rusty’s writing process, which boils down to: a) think of rough plot, b) think of a few scenes, c) have no idea how to link them, d) write nothing until deadline, e) panic furiously after deadline and write like mad, f) trust the ideas to gel into a coherent story.

I begin to see why his episodes are the weakest and why f) so rarely happens. Dear, oh dear, oh dear.

The second point that occurs to me is that even those who don’t like David Tennant’s version of the Doctor should be grateful that he vetoed one of Rusty’s stupider ideas. Apparently he (Rusty) had wanted JK Rowling to script an episode, but she politely declined. It then occurred to him that having landed Kylie for the 2007 Christmas Special, they would be hard pressed to get another guest star of a similar or greater level of fame. Well, B follows A, so it occurred to him that if JK Rowling wasn’t up for writing an episode, maybe she’d appear in one. A story where she is done over by a psychic alien and all her thoughts become reality. The Doctor then materialises on Earth in this JK Rowling world of magicians and sorcerers and has to sort it out.

Tenant, it seems, put his foot down and said ‘no’ – it would come across as a spoof, so the idea was shelved (worryingly, not ditched; just shelved.).

I sympathise with the thought of finding writing difficult, but really. I don’t do it for a living.

Doctor Who meets Harry Potter. Good grief.

Comments

[ed-fortune.livejournal.com]

Four more bits of RTD flotsam to go and we get Moffat.

*does a dance*

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

This explains a lot

[failing-angel.livejournal.com]

So now we have more evidence that RTD-don't is influenced by the fanfic-sphere.

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

I was never that convinced that RTD was anything other than very very very VERY lucky to be surrounded by dedicated and committed Doctor Who fans,(writers actors and FX artists) who managed to keep the new series broadly on track and popular in the public consciousness.

Had he remained I think the public/media worm would have turned.


I still really miss the Eccleston's darker and vulnerable Doctor , and the second third and fourth series primary colour lighting hack me off greatly.

Moffit might take the show in new uncharted directions.

I would like to see a story or arc of stories about the TARDIS and the concept of it being alive.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

My biggest hope for the end of the last series was that 'Rose' was in fact an incarnation of the Heart of the Tardis, using the only human shape that it had experienced.

But no, we got ManicDonna and ManicDoctor1 and ManicDoctor2 instead.

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

The end of Season 4 was a great disapointment for many reasons.

Donna's mind wipe was one of the biggest.

I'll always aknowledge that RTD did a great thing by dragging the the show back into existance, against the odds and where so many industry greats had failed, but his, and I hate the term, fan***k tendencies cheapened the show's potential.

[littleonionz.livejournal.com]

I've just got to that part of the paper having been horrified by terrible tales of American banking fiascos. I think you have described something even more dreaful than imminent global financial collapse; Russ detailing his methodology! I thought it was a given he threw words at a page and handed it over to a script editor to try to salvage.Still nice tardis in the background, I wonder if he uses it as a drinks cabinet.
Speaking of which, well sort of, I did like the way the Tardis was set up at the beginning of the Paul McGann Dr Who film,it was sort of cosy I didn't even hate Slyvester mcCoy for a few minutes.

[littleonionz.livejournal.com]

by 'tardis in the background I mean of course Dalek *sigh*