CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
FOREWORD by Philip Pullman
INTRODUCTION by Russell T Davies
INTRODUCTION by Benjamin Cook
KEY TO REFERENCES
WHO’S WHO
BOOK ONE
Chapter 1: DEFINITELY MAYBE (18.02.07–06.03.07)
In which Mika is inspiring, Skins is disappointing, and Russell performs a triple loop on ice
Chapter 2: CATHERINE, KYLIE, AND DENNIS (06.03.07–15.04.07)
In which Kylie Minogue sings the Muppets, Russell turns down a fifth series of Doctor Who, and Charlie Kaufman is told to sod off
Chapter 3: BASTARDS (17.04.07–09.05.07)
In which The People’s Quiz is shunted, the internet is slated, and one beautiful day with Wynnie la Freak makes everything worthwhile
Chapter 4: INT. SPACESHIP (11.05.07–08.06.07)
In which George Lucas is snubbed, Charlie Hunnam’s arse is discussed, and the Controller of BBC One puts his foot in it
Chapter 5: THE REWRITER’S TALE (15.06.07–10.07.07)
In which Buckingham Palace is saved, Kylie Minogue plays gooseberry, and Kasabian narrowly avoid sex in a tent
Chapter 6: FIRE AND BRIMSTONE (10.07.07–21.08.07)
In which JK Rowling is offered a part in Doctor Who, Russell begins the search for his successor, and Emergency Protocol One is activated
Chapter 7: STRUCTURE & COSMETICS (22.08.07–03.09.07)
In which Billie Piper’s honeymoon causes problems, Ken Barlow’s death is anticipated, and Russell contemplates a Doctor Who movie
Chapter 8: STILL FIGHTING IT (03.09.07–18.10.07)
In which tight white pants are all the rage in Rome, the producer of Doctor Who makes a scene in a restaurant, and Steven Moffat says yes
Chapter 9: STEVEN MOFFAT’S THIGHS (19.10.07–07.12.07)
In which the Doctor gains a wife, Donna’s fate is sealed, and The Guardian portrays Russell as giggling, primping and lipsticked
Chapter 10: HOLDING THE LINE (07.12.07–20.12.07)
In which working on Doctor Who is likened to al-Qaeda, Russell loses his trousers in Soho, and Catherine Tate sparks a major diplomatic incident
Chapter 11: DAY OLD BLUES (21.12.07–21.01.08)
In which Russell hits rock bottom, the Daleks learn German, and Young Davros has a scream on Skaro
Chapter 12: TIME FOR HEROES (22.01.08–04.03.08)
In which Skins is the best thing on TV, Russell gets chicken pox, and Rose Tyler is a terrible racist . . . possibly
BOOK TWO
Chapter 13: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT (04.03.08–07.04.08)
In which the CyberKing rises, Russell contemplates kissing Davros, and lanto’s fate is sealed
Chapter 14: THE GREAT WOBBLE (09.04.08–22.04.08)
In which the Doctor boards the Starship Enterprise, Russell spends £230 on a cake, and Michael Grade waves a gun about
Chapter 15: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE QUEEN (24.04.08–10.07.08)
In which Beauty and the Beast is praised to the skies, The Matrix causes controversy, and Russell receives a letter from Her Majesty
Chapter 16: EVERYTHING CHANGES (17.07.08–15.08.08)
In which Torchwood climaxes with an anti-puberty drug, Madonna moves in next door, and the Eleventh Doctor arrives
Interlude: IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
Chapter 17: BEST-LAID PLANS (23.08.08–16.10.08)
In which Torchwood: The Musical is considered, Chris Moyles turns out to be extraordinarily lovely, and Russell and Benjamin go on tour
Chapter 18: THREE E-MAILS (AND AN EPIPHANY) (17.10.08)
In which the Tenth Doctor’s final words are revealed, the Master slashes up a businessman in a toilet cubicle, and thick, putty-coloured gloop drips down soft, sticky faces
Chapter 19: THE COBRA’S TALE (17.10.08–31.10.08)
In which Richard and Judy are compromised, David Tennant’s face is carved into a pumpkin, and Operation Cobra is launched, then aborted, then launched again
Chapter 20: SMOKEY THE SPACE PELICAN (05.11.08–20.11.08)
In which Gallifrey is resurrected, Russell remembers his childhood, and the 456 has a gas at Upper Boat
Chapter 21: MR SMITH AND THE RUNAWAY TRAIN (23.11.08–28.12.08)
In which Prince Charles apologises, octopus tattoos are envisioned, and Matt Smith’s name isn’t mentioned once
Chapter 22: GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE, TIME LORDS DO (29.12.08–21.01.09)
In which a double-decker bus is crushed, a space captain shoots herself, and Matt Smith sings the Doctor Who theme down the phone from Starbucks
Chapter 23: FOR GALLIFREY (24.01.09–14.02.09)
In which Russell definitely doesn’t threaten Lee Evans, Benjamin spends the morning in a Portaloo, and the Doctor travels to Trinity and beyond
Chapter 24: THE ROAD TO HELL (18.02.09–04.03.09)
In which the Doctor’s mother is inspired by Chris Rea, Rassilon loses a diamond in the dark, and the Master eats, shoots, and leaves
Chapter 25: THE FINAL CHAPTER (05.03.09–06.09.09)
In which middle-aged men end up crying in Boots, blue breast-enhancers are the new pink, and Russell pirouettes for the Eleventh Doctor
WORKS REFERENCED
PICTURE SECTION
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
COPYRIGHT
I have never met Russell T Davies, but I like him, from the T on outwards. He steals from the best, which proves that he is both discriminating and unscrupulous; he is adventurous and humane, not a common combination; and most of all he’s full of a boundless energy, which fizzes out of these pages like champagne. He’s a genuine maker. Everybody knows Doctor Who, and Queer as Folk, and Torchwood. They made a difference: they have stamped his authority on the TV screen for a long time to come. My favourite among his stories is Mine All Mine, for the simple reason that it was charming, and it confirmed my long-held view that the Welsh are the sexiest people in the world.
But what’s this book about? Specifically, it’s about the writing – and the re-writing, and the talking about, and the thinking about, and the arguing about the scripts for a series of Doctor Who.
However, it’s not the theme that’s important. What matters are the insights and the vivid and illuminating comments that crop up on the way, as Davies examines the whole business of storytelling. Take the theme itself. Davies says – and he’s dead right – ‘Maybe that’s when bad scripts are written, when you choose the theme first. I consider that I’ve something to say when I’ve thought about a person, a moment, a single beat of the heart, that I think is true and interesting, and therefore should be seen.’
That’s true of novels, stage plays, films, short stories – any narrative that’s made up in order to illuminate a theme has a quality of duty rather than joy. It’s what Yeats called making the will do the work of the imagination.
He’s also right – by which I mean, of course, that his opinion coincides with mine – on the subject of writer’s block: ‘I don’t know why, but I sort of react with revulsion to that phrase. I imagine it to mean sitting there with No Ideas At All. For me, it feels more like the ideas just won’t take the right shape or form.’
He’s pugnacious, and rightly so, when faced with narrow-minded prejudice: the key is ‘not to defend the work, because I think defence always sounds like an apology, but to go on the attack.’ But he’s also sensitive to the difficulties less experienced writers face when trying to deal, for example, with the relentless and merciless idiocy of internet ‘criticism’. His attitude is, again, mine, and therefore resonantly true: ‘Creating something is not a democracy. The people have no say. The artist does. It doesn’t matter what the people witter on about: they and their response come after. They’re not there for the creation.’
In fact, not only is Russell T Davies a great TV writer, a vigorous and creative producer, a wise and perceptive commentator on the profound business of storytelling, and I dare say (I have never met him) a figure of godlike and unearthly personal beauty, he is probably omnicompetent. Reading this excellent book I was more than once put in mind of the old song ‘Abdul the Bulbul Amir’. ‘The Bulbul’s opponent in that epic conflict was Ivan Skivinsky Skivar, who ‘could imitate Irving, play poker or pool, and perform on the Spanish guitar.’
Such a man is Russell T Davies. This book is a treasury of wit, of truthfulness, and of good sound storytelling sense, and well worth stealing from.
PHILIP PULLMAN
May 2008
I can’t drive, so I get a lot of taxis. Which means that five or six times a week I have this conversation:
‘So what do you do then?’
‘I work on Doctor Who.’
‘As what? Are you one of the monsters?’
‘No, ha ha, that’s funny. No, I’m a writer.’
‘Oh, right, nice.’
Pause, and then, every time, here it comes . . .
‘So where d’you get your ideas from?’
At that point, I normally say that I buy them from The Ideas Shop in Abergavenny. But in fairness, it’s a good question. With no good answer.
Writers never talk about this. You’ll see us, in script meetings, talking about plot and character and motivation; you’ll see us in the bar, talking about contracts and rivals and fonts; you’ll see us in the gutter, complaining about money. (With all of us, all the time, wondering when the good luck will run out.) But the actual writing . . . oh no, no way, no one talks about that. Like it’s sacrosanct. Or just too scary to look at.
But Benjamin Cook wanted to know! And wouldn’t give up. So that’s what we’ve tried to pin down here. The ideas. Those mad, stupid, vague, shape-shifting, hot, nagging, drive-you-barmy ideas. And as the idea for this book grew – you’ll see it grow, on the page – then it gave me the chance to tackle another thing that was bugging me. Writing is such an industry now. In many ways, that’s a good thing, in that it removes all the muse-like mystique and makes it a plain old job, accessible to everyone. But with industry comes jargon. I was aware that jargon was starting to fill those growing shelves of Writer’s Self Help books, not to mention the blogosphere. Wherever I looked, the writing of a script was being reduced to A, B, C plots, Text and Subtext, Three Act Structure and blah, blah, blah. And I’d think, that’s not what writing is! Writing’s inside your head! It’s thinking! It’s every hour of the day, every day of your life, a constant storm of pictures and voices and sometimes, if you’re very, very lucky, insight.
That’s what I wanted to capture here, and that’s why so much of this book is written at 2am, in the dark hours, when the storm’s a-blowing and the rafters creak. It’s not writing in theory; it’s writing in action, in motion. In anguish! Ideas written down before anyone else could sit in judgement, or before I could reconsider them in the cold light of day.
I wonder. You might be surprised. It does get a bit wretched and angst-ridden at times. (Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s next showrunner, read the manuscript and said, ‘If you still want to be a writer after reading this, then you probably will be.’) But for me, that’s what writing is, coupled with the enormous joy of actually getting something made. Ben and I tried to capture the process live and unfiltered, in e-mails, and when it came to publishing this, we didn’t go back and tidy up. We’ve tried to leave it as instinctive, impulsive and contradictory as . . . well, as the inside of your head. Okay, all right, we did go through the finished text to remove the scandal (3,000 words, including My Night With The Slitheen), the lies (2,000 words, including my belief that Arthur Miller nicked my idea for The Crucible) and the swearing (28,000 words, including some brand new ones), but, apart from that, we left it intact, to make it as honest as possible. Oh yes, and we removed one or two secrets about the future, because Doctor Who is an ongoing show, and hopefully always will be, for ever.
To see writing in motion, means writing as work – a real, proper job, with deadlines and constraints and setbacks, like any other profession. The writer doesn’t sit in an ivory tower. Mine’s kind of beige, if not nicotine, and the real world is always intruding. No, it doesn’t intrude; that real world is part of the writing process too, so a lot of that is laid out for you here, during the most extraordinary time that we’ve ever had on Doctor Who, with the casting of Kylie Minogue and Catherine Tate and Davros and . . . oh god, I love this job! (Steven, I’ve changed my mind! Steven? What d’you mean, ‘Russell who?’)
The only problem with writing on-the-spot e-mails is that I don’t stop and pause to give praise where it’s due. The personal nature of this book means that I’m not being too objective, or kind. I take a lot of things for granted, so I don’t stop to thank David, or Catherine, or the Heads of Department, or Lindsay, as she sews 500 buttons on 75 extras, or Mark the gaffer, as he hauls his lamps around in the rain, or the runners, as they juggle tea and scripts and abuse. They’re the people who really get Doctor Who made, alongside the brilliant teams at Doctor Who Confidential and the Website, and Branding, and . . . oh, the thanks could fill a whole book. Albeit a rather dry book.
But right here and now, I just want to say thank you to Ebury, for having faith in us, and to Philip Pullman, for his wonderful words, with special thanks to Ben, for the idea, the support, the kindness and the friendship, and to Andrew Smith, the man who’s hardly mentioned in here, because he’s part of a different world, one which keeps me sane and makes the whole thing possible.
Oh, and then, by the way, the taxi driver always says, ‘So do you think up the story and the actors make up the words?’ I’ve gotta learn to drive.
RUSSELL T DAVIES
July 2008
‘I love that image of this correspondence surviving a nuclear war,’ Russell T Davies told me back in April 2007, two months into what would become a two-and-a-half-year-long exchange of e-mails and text messages. ‘The last remnant of civilisation. “It’s . . . glowing!”’
In the beginning, the Great Correspondence was supposed to be a magazine article. But we exceeded our word count by forty-fold, so it became a book instead. Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale was published in September 2008. The book’s mission statement, if it had one (which would imply meticulous planning and a sense of direction, so it didn’t), was to take a progressive look at not just the scriptwriting and storytelling processes, but also Russell’s role as showrunner of the BBC’s most imaginative, most exhilarating, most prized drama series – to find out what it’s like to live, and write, under such a weight of expectation. In that first year, we tackled everything from the courting of JK Rowling to the snubbing of George Lucas, taking in chicken pox, press leaks, the companion that never was, Steven Moffat’s thighs, and the loss of Russell’s third-best pair of trousers in Soho.
Oh, and the writing. Obviously. It’s all about the writing.
‘I think Russell T Davies is the Shakespeare of today,’ said David Tennant recently. But did Shakespeare write 31 episodes of Doctor Who? No. (Subs, please check.) Even the Bard would have baulked at the prospect of reviving a TV show in 2005 that was last popular in the ’80s – decreasingly so at that – and transforming it into The Best Thing On Telly Bar None. And I bet Shakespeare wouldn’t have agreed to e-mail me his scripts as he wrote them, page by page, night by night, and then answer a barrage of questions about how he did it, how he’s feeling about it, and what he’s going to write next. (Shakespeare probably couldn’t even work a computer. What an idiot.)
Anyway, people seemed to quite like The Writer’s Tale. I mean, other people. People who weren’t Russell or me. (We’d been calling it the ‘Great’ Correspondence since February 2007 – ooh, the reckless optimism of youth!) The critics said nice things. Richard and Judy chose it for their Christmas Book Club. Revered newspaper columnist Charlie Brooker was inspired to devote an entire edition of his BBC show Screenwipe to interviews with TV writers. And the man who produces and writes for CBBC’s talking cactus Oucho (see here) wrote us a letter to say that The Writer’s Tale is one of his all-time favourite books. And if you ever want to interview the cactus,’ he said, ‘give me a call.’ Okay. Thanks.
At which point, we began to wonder whether some sort of follow-up volume might not be an altogether terrible idea. We were, after all, still e-mailing, Russell and I. Like cockroaches that had survived the fallout. (‘It’s . . . glowing!’) Or should we quit while we’re ahead? A second time around, we’d be all too aware that our e-mails would actually be published, and read, by real people. Would we play up to our prospective readership? Look at me, would-be reader! Look at me! Or get woefully shy, and self-conscious, and tongue-tied? Would Book Two turn out to be an appalling piece of fluff?
Well, no. The Writer’s Tale: The Final Chapter extends the Great Correspondence to September 2009, and the new material – 135,000 words’ worth, across 350 pages, kicking off in March 2008 – is as candid, as honest, as impulsive and as revealing as Book One . . . which, by the way, is thrown in for good measure. Topics in Book Two include the killing of lanto Jones, the preposterously secret Operation Cobra, an ABBA/Torchwood crossover, slagging off Prince Charles, the resurrection of Gallifrey, the arrival of Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, and Russell’s departure for foreign shores. The original Writer’s Tale even feeds back into the TV series. Keep an eye on the abandoned ‘Alien Watch’ idea from Chapter 1.
The original book reproduced Russell’s scripts for Voyage of the Damned, Partners in Crime, The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End, in pre-first-draft form. But we wanted to give over as much of this paperback edition as possible to new material, so the scripts have largely been removed. Instead, the polished, shooting scripts for these episodes – along with Midnight, Turn Left, The Next Doctor, and the 2009 Specials – can be downloaded from our website (www.thewriterstale.com) for free!
Right. A few thank yous. Big thanks to Chris Costello, Max Letek, George Archer (he of the octopus tattoo – see Chapter 21), Nicky Lane and Adam Conway. More people are thanked in the Acknowledgements section opposite, but you’ll only read that if there’s a possibility you’re one of them (you narcissist), so I’d like to single out Clayton Hickman, for his top-notch design work; Steve Tribe, for his extraordinary diligence; and Julie Gardner, without whom this book – and, frankly, the last five years’ worth of Doctor Who – wouldn’t have happened.
In my Introduction to the original Writer’s Tale, I reserved my biggest thank you for Russell himself – ‘for engaging with this project so passionately, so thoughtfully and so honestly, for not telling me to sod off at the start, and for capturing the madness, the fun and the struggle of writing. For telling it How It Is. Even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff.’ Well, that all pretty much stands. Except I’d like to add that it takes a special kind of genius to make something – something like Doctor Who – that means so much to so many people. And you have, Russell. Never forget it. I mean that.
So then, here it is – The Writer’s Tale 2. The final chapter. The end of an era. (Not, as Russell once suggested, ‘the end of an error’ – the misanthropist!) The last remnant of civilisation. Better than Shakespeare. Beloved by cactuses. (‘God bless the cactuses!’) It’s absolutely, definitely, defiantly, the GREAT Correspondence.
BENJAMIN COOK
December 2009
Episodes of Doctor Who aren’t always given titles until close to transmission, so numerical production codes are used instead. Listed here in order of transmission (with each episode’s writer in parentheses), the production codes to date are as follows:
1.1 Rose (Russell T Davies)
1.2 The End of the World (Russell T Davies)
1.3 The Unquiet Dead (Mark Gatiss)
1.4 Aliens of London (Russell T Davies)
1.5 World War Three (Russell T Davies)
1.6 Dalek (Robert Shearman)
1.7 The Long Game (Russell T Davies)
1.8 Father’s Day (Paul Cornell)
1.9 The Empty Child (Steven Moffat)
1.10 The Doctor Dances (Steven Moffat)
1.11 Boom Town (Russell T Davies)
1.12 Bad Wolf (Russell T Davies)
1.13 The Parting of the Ways (Russell T Davies)
2.X The Christmas Invasion (Russell T Davies)
2.1 New Earth (Russell T Davies)
2.2 Tooth and Claw (Russell T Davies)
2.3 School Reunion (Toby Whithouse)
2.4 The Girl in the Fireplace (Steven Moffat)
2.5 Rise of the Cybermen (Tom MacRae)
2.6 The Age of Steel (Tom MacRae)
2.7 The Idiot’s Lantern (Mark Gatiss)
2.8 The Impossible Planet (Matt Jones)
2.9 The Satan Pit (Matt Jones)
2.10 Love & Monsters (Russell T Davies)
2.11 Fear Her (Matthew Graham)
2.12 Army of Ghosts (Russell T Davies)
2.13 Doomsday (Russell T Davies)
3.X The Runaway Bride (Russell T Davies)
3.1 Smith and Jones (Russell T Davies)
3.2 The Shakespeare Code (Gareth Roberts)
3.3 Gridlock (Russell T Davies)
3.4 Daleks in Manhattan (Helen Raynor)
3.5 Evolution of the Daleks (Helen Raynor)
3.6 The Lazarus Experiment (Stephen Greenhorn)
3.7 42 (Chris Chibnall)
3.8 Human Nature (Paul Cornell)
3.9 The Family of Blood (Paul Cornell)
3.10 Blink (Steven Moffat)
3.11 Utopia (Russell T Davies)
3.12 The Sound of Drums (Russell T Davies)
3.13 Last of the Time Lords (Russell T Davies)
4.X Voyage of the Damned (Russell T Davies)
4.1 Partners in Crime (Russell T Davies)
4.3 The Fires of Pompeii (James Moran)
4.2 Planet of the Ood (Keith Temple)
4.4 The Sontaran Stratagem (Helen Raynor)
4.5 The Poison Sky (Helen Raynor)
4.6 The Doctor’s Daughter (Stephen Greenhorn)
4.7 The Unicorn and the Wasp (Gareth Roberts)
4.9 Silence in the Library (Steven Moffat)
4.10 Forest of the Dead (Steven Moffat)
4.8 Midnight (Russell T Davies)
4.11 Turn Left (Russell T Davies)
4.12 The Stolen Earth (Russell T Davies)
4.13 Journey’s End (Russell T Davies)
4.14 The Next Doctor (Russell T Davies)
4.15 Planet of the Dead (Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts)
4.16 The Waters of Mars (Russell T Davies & Phil Ford)
4.17 The End of Time: Part One (Russell T Davies)
4.18 The End of Time: Part Two (Russell T Davies)
N.B. The transmission order of Series Four was revised after the initial scripting stage, but the production codes remained unchanged to avoid confusion.
On Torchwood, the production codes pertaining to specific episodes are as follows:
1.1 Everything Changes (Russell T Davies)
1.2 Day One (Chris Chibnall)
1.3 Ghost Machine (Helen Raynor)
1.4 Cyberwoman (Chris Chibnall)
1.5 Small Worlds (Peter J Hammond)
1.6 Countryside (Chris Chibnall)
1.7 Greeks Bearing Gifts (Toby Whithouse)
1.8 They Keep Killing Suzie (Paul Tomalin & Dan McCulloch)
1.9 Random Shoes (Jacquetta May)
1.10 Out of Time (Catherine Tregenna)
1.11 Combat (Noel Clarke)
1.12 Captain Jack Harkness (Catherine Tregenna)
1.13 End of Days (Chris Chibnall)
2.1 Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Chris Chibnall)
2.2 Sleeper (James Moran)
2.3 To the Last Man (Helen Raynor)
2.4 Meat (Catherine Tregenna)
2.5 Adam (Catherine Tregenna)
2.6 Reset (JC Wilsher)
2.7 Dead Man Walking (Matt Jones)
2.8 A Day in the Death (Joseph Lidster)
2.9 Something Borrowed (Phil Ford)
2.10 From Out of the Rain (Peter J Hammond)
2.11 Adrift (Chris Chibnall)
2.12 Fragments (Chris Chibnall)
2.13 Exit Wounds (Chris Chibnall)
3.1 Children of Earth: Day One (Russell T Davies)
3.2 Children of Earth: Day Two (John Fay)
3.3 Children of Earth: Day Three (Russell T Davies & James Moran)
3.4 Children of Earth: Day Four (John Fay)
3.5 Children of Earth: Day Five (Russell T Davies)
On The Sarah Jane Adventures, the production codes pertaining to specific episodes are as follows:
1.X Invasion of the Bane (Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts)
1.1 Revenge of the Slitheen: Part One (Gareth Roberts)
1.2 Revenge of the Slitheen: Part Two (Gareth Roberts)
1.3 Eye of the Gorgon: Part One (Phil Ford)
1.4 Eye of the Gorgon: Part Two (Phil Ford)
1.5 Warriors of Kudlak: Part One (Phil Gladwin)
1.6 Warriors of Kudlak: Part Two (Phil Gladwin)
1.7 Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? Part One (Gareth Roberts)
1.8 Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? Part Two (Gareth Roberts)
1.9 The Lost Boy: Part One (Phil Ford)
1.10 The Lost Boy: Part Two (Phil Ford)
2.1 The Last Sontaran: Part One (Phil Ford)
2.2 The Last Sontaran: Part Two (Phil Ford)
2.3 The Day of the Clown: Part One (Phil Ford)
2.4 The Day of the Clown: Part Two (Phil Ford)
2.5 Secrets of the Stars: Part One (Gareth Roberts)
2.6 Secrets of the Stars: Part Two (Gareth Roberts)
2.7 The Mark of the Beserker: Part One (Joseph Lidster)
2.8 The Mark of the Beserker: Part Two (Joseph Lidster)
2.9 The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part One (Gareth Roberts)
2.10 The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part Two (Gareth Roberts)
2.11 Enemy of the Bane: Part One (Phil Ford)
2.12 Enemy of the Bane: Part Two (Phil Ford)
3.1 Prisoner of the Judoon: Part One (Phil Ford)
3.2 Prisoner of the Judoon: Part Two (Phil Ford)
3.3 The Mad Woman in the Attic: Part One (Joseph Lidster)
3.4 The Mad Woman in the Attic: Part Two (Joseph Lidster)
3.5 The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith: Part One (Gareth Roberts)
3.6 The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith: Part Two (Gareth Roberts)
3.7 The Eternity Trap: Part One (Phil Ford)
3.8 The Eternity Trap: Part Two (Phil Ford)
3.9 Mona Lisa’s Revenge: Part One (Phil Ford)
3.10 Mona Lisa’s Revenge: Part Two (Phil Ford)
3.11 The Gift: Part One (Rupert Laight)
3.12 The Gift: Part Two (Rupert Laight)
Paul Abbott – creator of TV shows Clocking Off, Linda Green, State of Play and Shameless
Douglas Adams – 14 episodes of Doctor Who between 1978 and 1980, and script-edited the show at the end of the 1970s; best known as the creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series (initially for radio, later novels and a TV series); died 2001
Lindsey Alford – script editor on Doctor Who Series Three and Four, and The Sarah Jane Adventures
Sir Kingsley Amis – novelist, poet and critic; died 1995
Peter Bowker – TV includes Blackpool, The Canterbury Tales and Casualty
Charlie Brooker – comedian, presenter, Guardian columnist, and TV scriptwriter with credits including Dead Set
Chris Chibnall – Doctor Who 3.7, and head writer on Torchwood Series One and Two (1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.13, 2.1, 2.11, 2.12 and 2.13)
Paul Cornell – Doctor Who 1.8 and 3.8/3.9
Richard Dawkins – evolutionary biologist and popular science writer; cameoed as himself in Doctor Who 4.12
Bryan Elsley – co-creator of and showrunner on Skins
Jane Espenson – TV includes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Battlestar Galactica
John Fay – Torchwood 3.2 and 3.4
Phil Ford – Doctor Who 4.16 (with Russell T Davies), Torchwood 2.9, and head writer of The Sarah Jane Adventures (1.3/1.4, 1.9/1.10, 2.1/2.2, 2.3/2.4, 2.11/2.12, 3.1/3.2, 3.7/3.8 and 3.9/3.10)
Mark Gatiss – Doctor Who 1.3 and 2.7; also played Professor Lazarus in Doctor Who 3.6
Matthew Graham – Doctor Who 2.11
Stephen Greenhorn – Doctor Who 3.6 and 4.6
Bob Harris – TV includes CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; books include Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!
Robert Holmes – 64 episodes of Doctor Who between 1968 and 1986, and script-edited the show in the mid 1970s; died 1986
Matt Jones – Doctor Who 2.8/2.9 and Torchwood 2.7; script editor on Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2
Stephen King – contemporary horror fiction, science fiction and fantasy, and screenplays
Joseph Lidster – Torchwood 2.8 and The Sarah Jane Adventures 2.7/2.8 and 3.3/3.4
Tom MacRae – Doctor Who 2.5/2.6
Jimmy McGovern – creator of TV shows Cracker, The Lakes and The Street
Robert McKee – screenwriting guru
Brian Minchin – script editor on Doctor Who Series Four and Torchwood
Steven Moffat – Doctor Who 1.9/1.10, 2.4, 3.10, 4.9/4.10 and Children in Need mini-episode Time Crash, and Russell T Davies’ replacement as showrunner on the 2010 series
Alan Moore – comic books include Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell
James Moran – Doctor Who 4.3 and Torchwood 2.2 and (with Russell T Davies) 3.3
Peter Morgan – TV includes The Deal and Longford; movies include The Queen, The Last King of Scotland and the adaptation of his stage play Frost/Nixon
Terry Nation – 56 episodes of Doctor Who between 1963 and 1979; created the Daleks; died 1997
Philip Pullman – novels include the Sally Lockhart series and His Dark Materials trilogy
Helen Raynor – Doctor Who 3.4/3.5 and 4.4/4.5, Torchwood 1.3 and 2.3, and has script-edited both shows
Gareth Roberts – Doctor Who 3.2, 4.7, 4.15 (with Russell T Davies) and 2005’s interactive mini-episode Attack of the Graske, The Sarah Jane Adventures 1.X (with Davies), 1.1/1.2, 1.7/1.8, 2.5/2.6, 2.9/2.10, 3.5/3.6 and (with Clayton Hickman) Comic Relief mini-episode From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love
Gary Russell – script editor on Doctor Who Series Four, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures; author of behind-the-scenes books on Doctor Who
Robert Shearman – Doctor Who 1.6
Keith Temple – Doctor Who 4.2
Freema Agyeman – Martha Jones in Doctor Who Series Three and Four, and 4.18, and Torchwood 2.6, 2.7 and 2.8
Annabelle Apsion – TV includes Soldier, Soldier, The Bill and Shameless
Howard Attfield – Geoff Noble in Doctor Who 3.X; died 2007
Rakie Ayola – the Hostess in Doctor Who 4.8
Annette Badland – Blon Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen (Margaret Blaine) in Doctor Who 1.4/1.5 and 1.11
Tom Baker – the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who from 1974 to 1981
John Barrowman – Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who Series One, Three and Four, and 4.18, and Torchwood
Mark Benton – Clive in Doctor Who 1.1
Brenda Blethyn – movies include Secrets & Lies, Little Voice and Atonement
Claire Bloom – the Woman (the Doctor’s mother) in Doctor Who 4.17/4.18
Samantha Bond – Mrs Wormwood in The Sarah Jane Adventures 1 .X and 2.11/2.12.
Nicholas Briggs – the voice of several monsters in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, most notably the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Judoon; also played Rick Yates MP in Torchwood Series Three
Kathy Burke – TV includes Harry Enfield’s Television Programme and Gimme Gimme Gimme; movies include Elizabeth and Kevin & Perry Go Large
Simon Callow – Charles Dickens in Doctor Who 1.3
Peter Capaldi – Lobus Caecilius in Doctor Who 4.3 and John Frobisher in Torchwood Series Three
Debbie Chazen – Big Claire in Mine All Mine and Foon Van Hoff in Doctor Who 4.X
Chipo Chung – Chantho in Doctor Who 3.11 and the Fortune Teller in 4.11
Noel Clarke – Mickey Smith in Doctor Who Series One, Two and Four, and 4.18; also scripted Torchwood 1.11
Camille Coduri – Jackie Tyler in Doctor Who Series One, Two and Four, and 4.18
George Costigan – Max Capricorn in 4.X
Lindsey Coulson – Val Cane in Doctor Who 4.8
Nicholas Courtney – Brigadier (formerly Colonel) Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who from 1968 to 1989, reprising the role (as Brigadier Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart) in The Sarah Jane Adventures 2.11/2.12
Bernard Cribbins – Wilfred Mott in Doctor Who 4.X, Series Four and 4.17/4.18, and Tom Campbell in 1966 movie Daleks’Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.
Mackenzie Crook – TV includes The Office, Demons and Skins; movies include the Pirates of the Caribbean series
Timothy Dalton – the Time Lord President (Rassilon) in Doctor Who 4.17/4.18
Gareth David-Lloyd – lanto Jones in Torchwood and Doctor Who 4.12/4.13
Alan Davies – Bob Gossage in Bob & Rose
Peter Davison – the Fifth Doctor in Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984 and 2007 mini-episode Time Crash
Dame Judi Dench – movies include Mrs Brown, Shakespeare in Love and the James Bond series
Ian Dury – lead singer of Ian Dury and the Blockheads; played Mr Scott in a 1998 episode of The Grand; died 2000
Christopher Eccleston – Steve Baxter in The Second Coming and the Ninth Doctor in Doctor Who Series One
Lee Evans – Malcolm in Doctor Who 4.15
Janet Fielding – Tegan Jovanka in Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984
Sir Michael Gambon – TV includes The Singing Detective’, movies include the Harry Potter series
Sean Gilder – the Sycorax Leader in Doctor Who 2.X
Karen Gillan – A soothsayer in Doctor Who 4.3 and Amy Pond in the 2010 series of Doctor Who
Aidan Gillen – Stuart Jones in Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2
Burn Gorman – Owen Harper in Torchwood Series One and Two
Robson Green – TV includes Soldier Soldier, Reckless and Touching Evil
Susan Hampshire – Esme Harkness in The Grand
Mitch Hewer – Maxxie Oliver in Skins
Sir Anthony Hopkins – movies include The Elephant Man and The Silence of the Lambs
Dennis Hopper – movies include Blue Velvet, Speed, Apocalypse Now and Easy Rider
Nicholas Hoult – Tony Stonem in Skins
Glyn Houston – Professor Owen Watson in 1976 Doctor Who serial The Hand of Fear and Colonel Ben Wolsey in 1984 serial The Awakening
Charlie Hunnam – Nathan Maloney in Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2
Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson) – Holly Vance in Bob & Rose, Joan Redfern in Doctor Who 3.8/3.9 and Verity Newman in Doctor Who 4.18
David Jason – TV includes Open All Hours, Only Fools and Horses and A Touch of Frost
Peter Kay – the Abzorbaloff in Doctor Who 2.10
Sinead Keenan – Addams in Doctor Who 4.17/4.18
Craig Kelly – Vince Tyler in Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2
Sam Kelly – TV includes ’Allo ’Allo! and Porridge
Jacqueline King – Sylvia Noble in Doctor Who 3.X, Series Four and 4.17/4.18
Alex Kingston – River Song in Doctor Who 4.9/4.10
Tommy Knight – Luke Smith in Doctor Who 4.12/4.13 and 4.18, and The Sarah Jane Adventures
Sarah Lancashire – Miss Foster in Doctor Who 4.1
Angela Lansbury – TV includes Murder, She Wrote; movies include Beauty and the Beast
Katy Manning – Jo Grant in Doctor Who from 1971 to 1973
James Marsters – Captain John Hart in Torchwood 2.1, 2.12 and 2.13
Sir Ian McKellen – movies include the Lord of the Rings and X-Men trilogies
Kylie Minogue – pop star and actress; Astrid Peth in Doctor Who 4.X
Dame Helen Mirren – movies include Elizabeth I and The Queen
Georgia Moffett – Jenny in Doctor Who 4.6
Colin Morgan – Jethro in Doctor Who 4.8
Sir Roger Moore – movies include seven outings as James Bond; TV includes The Saint
Naoko Mori – Toshiko Sato in Doctor Who 1.4 and Torchwood Series One and Two
David Morrissey – Jackson Lake (‘the next Doctor’) in Doctor Who 4.14
Eve Myles – Gwyneth in Doctor Who 1.3, and Gwen Cooper in Torchwood and Doctor Who 4.12/4.13
Gray O’Brien – Rickston Slade in Doctor Who 4.X
Peter O’Toole – Old Casanova in Casanova
Geoffrey Palmer – Edward Masters in 1970 Doctor Who serial Doctor Who and the Silurians, Earth Administrator in 1972 serial The Mutants and Captain Hardaker in Doctor Who 4.X
Francois Pandolfo – Quintus Caecilius in Doctor Who 4.3
Lynne Perrie – Ivy Tilsley (later Brennan) in Coronation Street; died 2006
Billie Piper – Rose Tyler in Doctor Who Series One, Two and Four, and 4.18
Amanda Redman – TV includes At Home with the Braithwaites and New Tricks
Clive Rowe – Morvin Van Hoff in Doctor Who 4.X
Christopher Ryan – Lord Kiv in 1986 Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord and Sontaran leader General Staal in Doctor Who 4.4/4.5
Daniel Ryan – Andy Lewis in Bob & Rose and Biff Cane in Doctor Who 4.8
Michelle Ryan – Lady Christina de Souza in Doctor Who 4.15
Colin Salmon – Dr Moon in Doctor Who 4.9/4.10
Lesley Sharp – Rose Cooper in Bob & Rose, Judith Roach in The Second Coming and Sky Silvestry in Doctor Who 4.8
John Simm – the Master in Doctor Who 3.11, 3.12/3.13 and 4.17/4.18
Elisabeth Sladen – Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who from 1973 to 1976, reprising the role in 1981 spin-off K9 & Company, 1983 anniversary Special The Five Doctors and in Doctor Who 2.3, 4.12/4.13 and 4.18, and The Sarah Jane Adventures
Matt Smith – the Eleventh Doctor in the 2010 series of Doctor Who
Brenda Strong – Mary Alice Young in Desperate Housewives
Kiefer Sutherland – TV includes 24
Clive Swift – Jobel in 1985 Doctor Who serial Revelation of the Daleks and Mr Copper in Doctor Who 4.X
Catherine Tate – Donna Noble in Doctor Who 3.X, Series Four and 4.17/4.18
Gwen Taylor – TV includes Duty Free, Barbara and Heartbeat
David Tennant – Giacomo Casanova in Russell T Davies’ Casanova and the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who Series Two, Three and Four, and the 2009 Specials
Russell Tovey – Midshipman Frame in Doctor Who 4.X and 4.18
David Troughton – Private Moor in 1969 Doctor Who serial The War Games, King Peladon in 1972 serial The Curse of Peladon and Professor Hobbes in Doctor Who 4.8
Indira Varma – Suzie Costello in Torchwood 1.1 and 1.8
Jimmy Vee – Doctor Who credits include the Moxx of Balhoon (1.2), the Space Pig (1.4) and Bannakaffalatta (4.X); The Sarah Jane Adventures credits include Carl Slitheen (1.1/1.2), the Graske (1.7/1.8 and 2.9/2.10) and Nathan Slitheen (1.9/1.10)
Julie Walters – movies include Educating Rita, Billy Elliot, Mamma Mia! and the Harry Potter series
June Whitfield – Minnie Hooper in Doctor Who 4.17/4.18
Lee Williams – TV includes Teachers and The Forsyte Saga: To Let
Penelope Wilton – Monica Gossage in Bob & Rose and Harriet Jones in Doctor Who 1.4/1.5, 2X and 4.12
Barbara Windsor – TV includes EastEnders; movies include the Carry On series
Kate Winslet – Reet in Dark Season; movies include Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland
Jana Bennett – the BBC’s Director of Vision since 2006
Peter Bennett – first assistant director on Doctor Who 1.12/1.13, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7, 2.11, 3.X and 4.17/4.18, and Torchwood 1.1 and 1.2; production manager on Doctor Who 4.6, 4.8 and 4.12/4.13; producer of Torchwood Series Three and (along with Trade Simpson) the 2010 series of Doctor Who
Matthew Bouch – producer of The Sarah Jane Adventures Series One
Will Cohen – visual FX producer on Doctor Who
Phil Collinson – producer of Doctor Who Series One to Four
Mark Cossey – executive producer on Doctor Who Confidential
Nick Elliott – Controller of Drama at ITV from 1995 to 2007
Jennie Fava – second assistant director on Doctor Who 3.3, 3.6, Series Four and 4.14, assistant script editor on the 2009 Specials, and production manager on Children in Need miniepisode Time Crash
Peter Fincham – Controller of BBC One from 2005 to 2007
Jane Fletcher – BBC One’s Head of Press from 2005 to 2007
Julie Gardner – BBC Wales’ Head of Fiction and Drama, and executive producer of Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures
Murray Gold – composer of Doctor Who’s musical scores
Neill Gorton – special make-up and prosthetics designer on Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures
Michael Grade – Executive Chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009; formerly Controller of BBC One (1984–1986), in which capacity he ordered an 18-month hiatus for Doctor Who
Sarah Harding – director of four episodes of Queer as Folk
Graeme Harper – director of six episodes of Doctor Who during the 1980s, as well as Doctor Who 2.5/2.6, 2.12/2.13, 3.7, 3.11, 4.2, 4.7, 4.11, 4.12/4.13, 4.15 and Children in Need mini-episode Time Crash
Ann Harrison-Baxter – producer of Bob & Rose, The Second Coming and Mine All Mine
Anna Home – the BBC’s Head of Children’s Television from 1986 to 1997
Julian Howarth – sound recordist on Doctor Who Series Three and Four, The Sarah Jane Adventures Series Two, and Torchwood Series Three
Jay Hunt – Controller of BBC One since 2008
Mike Jones – editor on Doctor Who since Series One
Verity Lambert – Doctor Who’s first producer, from 1963 to 1965; other TV producing credits include Adam Adamant Lives!, The Naked Civil Servant, Minder, Jonathan Creek and Love Soup; died 2007
Susie Liggat – producer of Doctor Who 3.8/3.9, 4.2, 4.4/4.5, 4.7, 4.11 and 4.14, and The Sarah Jane Adventures 1.X
Euros Lyn – director of Doctor Who 1.2, 1.3, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7, 2.11, 3.X, 4.9/4.10, 4.17/4.18 and 2005’s Children in Need mini-episode Born Again, and Torchwood Series Three
Paul Marquess – TV producing credits include The Bill and Family Affairs; creator of Footballers’ Wives
Charles Martin – director of The Sarah Jane Adventures 1.5/1.6 and 1.9/1.10, and two episodes of Skins Series Two
Charles McDougall – director of the first four episodes of Queer as Folk
Peter McKinstry – concept artist on Doctor Who since Series Two
Louise Page – costume designer on Doctor Who Series Two to Four, and the 2009 Specials
Andy Pryor – casting director on Doctor Who and Torchwood
Tessa Ross – Channel 4’s Film and Drama Controller
Nicola Shindler – producer of Queer as Folk, Bob & Rose and The Second Coming, and founder of independent TV drama production company Red
Trade Simpson – production manager on Doctor Who Series One to Four; producer (along with Peter Bennett) of 4.15, 4.17/4.18 and the 2010 series
Barbara Southcott – make-up designer on Doctor Who since Series Three
Richard Stokes – producer of Torchwood Series One and Two
James Strong – director of Doctor Who 2.8/2.9, 3.4/3.5, 4.X, 4.1 and 4.15
Colin Teague – director of Doctor Who 3.12/3.13 and 4.3, Torchwood 1.3, 1.7, 2.2 and 2.4, and The Sarah Jane Adventures 1.X
Edward Thomas – production designer on Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures
Mark Thompson – the BBC’s Director-General
Jane Tranter – the BBC’s Controller of Fiction from 2006 to 2008, who – as Head of Drama – oversaw the resurrection of Doctor Who in 2005
Jess Van Niekerk – production co-ordinator on Doctor Who
Piers Wenger – Julie Gardner’s replacement as BBC Wales’ Head of Drama and executive producer of Doctor Who from the 2010 series onwards
Nikki Wilson (née Smith) – producer of The Sarah Jane Adventures since Series Two, and Doctor Who 4.15; script editor on Doctor Who 4.4/4.5
Tony Wood – producer of The House of Windsor and The Grand
Benny Andersson – Swedish musician, composer and former member of 1970s/80s pop group ABBA
William Baker – Kylie Minogue’s creative director
Russell Brand – comedian, TV and radio presenter and movie star
Simon Cowell – A&R executive and TV producer; talent judge on American Idol, The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent
Matt Dawson – former England rugby player and captain
Judy Finnigan – TV presenter and (with husband Richard Madeley) former host of regular TV chat shows
Jason Gardiner – choreographer and judge on Dancing on Ice
Ed Griffiths – Publicity Manager at Ebury Publishing
Rufus Hound – stand-up comedian and TV presenter
Gethin Jones – TV presenter best known for a stint on Blue Peter; cameoed as himself in The Sarah Jane Adventures 1.X, and played a Cyberman in 2.6 and a Dalek in 4.13
Anne Jowett – a Commissioning Editor at Radio Times magazine
Jimmy Krankie – one half of Scottish husband-and-wife comedy due the Krankies
Freddie Ljungberg – Swedish footballer and underwear model for Calvin Klein
Richard Madeley – TV presenter and (with wife Judy Finnigan) former host of regular TV chat shows
McFly – pop-rock band; cameoed as themselves in Doctor Who 3.12
Lee McQueen – winner of The Apprentice Series Four
Dannii Minogue – pop star and occasional actress; talent judge on The X Factor
Chris Moyles – radio DJ and TV broadcaster
Kirsten O’Brien – TV presenter and stand-up comic
Paul O’Grady – comedian and TV presenter; cameoed as himself in Doctor Who 4.12
Arlene Phillips – choreographer, former dancer and judge on Strictly Come Dancing from 2004 to 2008
Chris Rea – singer/songwriter
Craig Revel Horwood – choreographer, former dancer and judge on Strictly Come Dancing
Jonathan Ross – comedian, film critic, and TV and radio presenter
Britney Spears – pop star
Anthea Turner – TV presenter particularly known for Blue Peter, Top of the Pops and GMTV
Björn Ulvaeus – Swedish musician, composer and former member of 1970s/80s pop group ABBA
Richard Whiteley – TV presenter and journalist, famous for hosting Channel Four quiz show Countdown; died 2005
Wynnie la Freak – Manchester-based drag queen; appeared in Bob & Rose
In which Mika is inspiring,
Skins is disappointing, and Russell
performs a triple loop on ice
FROM: BENJAMIN COOK TO: RUSSELL T DAVIES, SUNDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2007 07:19:48 GMT
AN IDEA
I’VE BEEN THINKING. I know, I know, but I was feeling dangerous. How about a magazine article on the writing of one or more of your Doctor Who scripts? The nuts and bolts of the process, from start to finish. Developing the story, the characters, the dialogue. An exploration of the painstaking creation process. What worked, what didn’t, and why. I think it’d be fascinating. Or would it be too intrusive? And is there enough time? I’d want to chat to you about your ideas before you start writing (it could be this year’s Christmas Special, or Episode 1 of Series Four, or another episode altogether), and exchange regular e-mails over the weeks and months that you spend scripting, honing, and developing the episode(s). I’d need to read, discuss, and compare various drafts. It’d be a unique and valuable look at the art of the television scriptwriter.
Thoughts?
P.S. Please say yes.
FROM: RUSSELL T DAVIES TO: BENJAMIN COOK, SUNDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2007 12:41:59 GMT
RE: AN IDEA
Well, that’s a yes, then. You had me at hello.
Morning, Benjamino! Look at you, typing at first light on a Sunday. You’re meant to be waking up hung over in the bed of two strangers called Hans and Milly. London isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Anyway, yes to the writing thing. But I’d better warn you – I’ve never done anything like it before. If it feels too odd, I’d have to stop. My worry is, I never show my stuff to anyone. I just lock myself away and work. But the real problem is, I don’t do my working out on paper. I don’t often do treatments or breakdowns. It all exists in this great big stew in my head, because any story can go in any direction. It’s not what you write, it’s what you choose – and I’m good at choices. Paul Abbott always says that about me, bless him. He says that I make good choices – as opposed to someone who writes a first draft, and then focuses on what the story is about, what works and what doesn’t. But I doubt that makes me a better writer. Paul tends to work it out on paper, and he’s the Best Writer In The Land.
There’s little physical evidence of the script process to show you. No notes. Nothing. I think, and think, and think . . . and by the time I come to write, a lot has been decided. Also, a lot hasn’t been decided, but I trust myself, and scare myself, that it’ll happen in the actual writing. It all exists in my head, but in this soup. It’s like the ideas are fluctuating in this great big quantum state of Maybe. The choices look easy when recounted later, but that’s hindsight. When nothing is real and nothing is fixed, it can go anywhere. The Maybe is a hell of a place to live. As well as being the best place in the world.
I filter through all those thoughts, but that’s rarely sitting at my desk, if ever. It’s all done walking about, going to town, having tea and watching telly. The rest of your life becomes just the surface, chattering away on top of the Maybe. It never turns off. (And bear in mind, the Maybe isn’t just thinking about one episode. Right now, today, I’ve skipped ahead to Series Four, Episode 12’s problem: what do the Lost People of Earth actually do? And that’ll go on for, oh, the next year or so, until I start writing it in November.) I can’t begin to tell you the thousand problems and their possible solutions, bubbling away at the same time. And the doubts. That’s where this job is knackering and debilitating. Everything – and I mean every story ever written anywhere – is underscored by the constant murmur of: this is rubbish, I am rubbish, and this is due in on Tuesday! The hardest part of writing is the writing.
So, Ben, what I’m saying is: yes, let’s do it (judging by how long I’ve gone on in this e-mail, we might even get a book out of it!), but so much of the process is invisible. When I start typing, those solutions lock in, and create the world of the story very fast – which is terrifying, because you’re always waiting for the inevitable day when . . . they don’t! Blimey, that’ll happen. One day.
The thing is, you’ll have to fight me feeling superstitious about the writing process. My trust in the Maybe feels almost superstitious. (Though I don’t actually call it the Maybe; I just made that up now. And I’m not even superstitious. I was born atheist, me.) In considering a script, I might feel that saying those early options out loud to you automatically makes them more fixed, and might unbalance things. It’s new territory, and that feels terrifying. Equally, so would the prospect of a night in with Freddie Ljungberg, but I wouldn’t say no to that either. (Actually, I don’t even fancy him that much, but it’s a good name to type, don’t you think?)
FROM: BENJAMIN COOK TO: RUSSELL T DAVIES, MONDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2007 00:35:32 GMT
RE: AN IDEA
‘There will be no Doctor Who this year. Russell was too busy e-mailing Ben.’
happening.