A unique look into the BBC's most popular family drama, Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale is a year in the life of the hit television series, as told by the show's Head Writer and Executive Producer. A candid and in-depth correspondence between Russell T Davies and journalist Benjamin Cook, the book explores in detail Russell's work on Series Four, revealing how he plans the series and works with the show s writers; where he gets his ideas for plot, character and scenes; how actors are cast and other creative decisions are made; and how he juggles the demands of Doctor Who with the increasingly successful Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures spin-offs.
Russell's scripts are discussed as they develop, and Russell and Benjamin's wide-ranging discussions bring in experiences from previous series of Doctor Who as well as other shows Russell has written and created, including Queer as Folk, Bob & Rose, and The Second Coming. The reader is given total access to the show as it s created, and the writing is everything you would expect from Russell T Davies: warm, witty, insightful, and honest.
Fully illustrated with never-before-seen photos and artwork including original drawings by Russell himself The Writer's Tale is a not only the ultimate Doctor Who book, but a celebration of great writing and great television.
Review from www.dwscifi.com:
The making of series four of Doctor Who as told via emails, text messages and scripts…
Essentially a year-long interview with the head writer and showrunner of Doctor Who, The Writer’s Tale is a brutally honest examination of the script to screen process, including moments of triumph (ratings successes are relished), moments of despair (there are painfully truthful passages where Davies is alone and doing all he can to avoid writing) and comedy (did anyone find Davies’s missing trousers?). All of these elements go toward painting a very human story, far from being an extended PR puff piece.
At times you actively want to shake Davies. The lusting over Voyage of the Damned guest star Russell Tovey is all very well (though try to imagine Barry Letts salivating quite so publically over Nina Thomas), but, as he admits, there’s a Torchwood script waiting to be written, not to mention episodes of Doctor Who itself…
Davies’s hatred of a press launch he attends seems a little ill-advised. The press support of Doctor Who has been amazing, with good reviews and strong interest four years on. It seems sad that he considers a press launch such a chore, especially given the ‘Hooray! Everything is great!’ mantra that has made Davies such a high profile and likeable figure over the last few years.
It’s interesting to see Benjamin Cook’s influence on the show as well. So, it seems he was behind the somewhat bleak ending to series four, advising that the original lead-in to the Christmas special spoiled the emotionally-charged climax of Journey’s End.
The Writer’s Tale is a fascinating book that will serve as a useful companion to the Complete Series Four DVD, and is essential reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in the show. Jonathan Wilkins
VERDICT: 9/10
Insightful, witty, infuriating and impossible to put down.
Author Bio
Russell T Davies is one of the UK's foremost writers of television drama, creating groundbreaking shows such as Queer as Folk, Bob & Rose and The Second Coming. He has been the executive producer of Doctor Who since it returned to the BBC in 2005 and has written many of the new series' most memorable episodes. He divides his time between Cardiff and Manchester. Benjamin Cook is a writer and regular contributor to Doctor Who Magazine. He lives in London.