Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Random House UK (2008), Edition: First Edition, 512 pages
Description
"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 scene; 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 Ben 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… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bruce_krafft
Russell T Davies (known to many sci-fi geeks as the man responsible for bringing back Doctor Who so fabulously) and journalist Benjamin Cook, have created a delightful book based on their e-mail correspondence during production of Doctor Who, from February 2007 to March 2008.
The large textbook
The large textbook
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sized tome of 500+ pages filled with pictures, drawings, and yes, script pages. It all sprung from the idea of writing a magazine article on writing a Doctor Who script. What came out is a peak into the crazy world of making Doctor Who. You can almost hear the ‘great big stew’ in Russell’s head as you read his e-mails to Ben. How does the man sleep with all those thoughts running around inside of his head? You will get a glimpse of what Russell’s life is like as he worries his way through the season, not in retrospect but AS he goes through it. It is Russell as Russell, not Russell the public persona. It is not a light fluff piece; it is nuts and bolts on how a real writer writes. It is a must read for any fan of Doctor Who. Show Less
LibraryThing member michelle_bcf
The first thing that makes this book interesting is the format.. a series of emails (and the occasional text) between Russell T Davies, and Benjamin Cook, a journalist who writes many of the Doctor Who articles. This communication continues over a year, whilst the scripts for series 4 are being
The emails are pretty much unedited, and they give quite an interesting insight into Russell himself, and fans of his writing will enjoy references to his other shows, such as Queer As Folk, and Bob and Rose.
It’s also a book about writing and story telling - if you ever thought that script writing in particular is easy, prepare to think again!
Above all though, this is of course a book about Doctor Who - it’s just fascinating, as a fan, to see the series change and develop; to see Russell change his ideas; and to see how changing circumstances affect the scripts.
Throughout the book are photos, many of which are stills from the show, and cartoon sketched by Russell. As well, of course, as snippets of the scripts.
This isn’t really a book for the younger fans, but is, at last, one for the adults. Whether you want to learn more about the man, the writing, or the show, there is plenty to keep you reading.
For fans, it’s an absolute must-read!
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written, and many aspects were hitting the news, such as David Tennant leaving to play Hamlet, and Steven Moffat taking over from Russell.The emails are pretty much unedited, and they give quite an interesting insight into Russell himself, and fans of his writing will enjoy references to his other shows, such as Queer As Folk, and Bob and Rose.
It’s also a book about writing and story telling - if you ever thought that script writing in particular is easy, prepare to think again!
Above all though, this is of course a book about Doctor Who - it’s just fascinating, as a fan, to see the series change and develop; to see Russell change his ideas; and to see how changing circumstances affect the scripts.
Throughout the book are photos, many of which are stills from the show, and cartoon sketched by Russell. As well, of course, as snippets of the scripts.
This isn’t really a book for the younger fans, but is, at last, one for the adults. Whether you want to learn more about the man, the writing, or the show, there is plenty to keep you reading.
For fans, it’s an absolute must-read!
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
This book comprises a series of emails exchanged between television writer Russell T Davies and magazine writer Benjamin Cook during the year that the former was working on series four of Doctor Who. That makes it sound a bit dull. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love Davies's writing--
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not just in Doctor Who, but in other shows such as Casanova, The Second Coming, and Bob & Rose. He's got such a first grasp of character-- everyone in his stories always feels like real people caught up in these extraordinary events. This book, oddly, is just the same way. You feel Davies as a person, in all his ups and downs, in all his sad moments and funny moments, in all his triumphs and disasters. It's an extraordinary insight into the way the mind of one writer works. I don't write like this man does. I don't think I could. He's mad. But then, that's presumably the reason he's winning BAFTAs and I'm not. Like everything Davies rights, this book is funny and heartrending at the same time. And it's also supremely candid; this is certainly the best "making of" book we've gotten about the new Doctor Who so far. Filled with fun facts you can pester your friends with while watching "Partners in Crime"! Oh, and did I mention that it's also filled with Davies's own cartoons, which are extraordinarily cute? Show Less
LibraryThing member akhelene
The concept of this amazing book is simple: the book records a series of emails between Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies and journalist Benjamin Cook written for about a year during series four. It's a very candid look into television production and the writing process, with Davies discussing
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broad writing issues, such as the evolution of ideas and the creation/development of characters. But it's also a fantastic look into the making of Doctor Who -- we get to read series breakdowns, first rough drafts, details about casting and script meetings, and see cartoon sketches by Davies himself. One of the highlights for me was reading the development of the Bad Wolf bay scene from episode 4.13, "Journey's End." By including several drafts of the script, along with Davies' thoughts, we're able to see the thought processes involved in the full evolution of the scene. This is truly THE book to get if you are a fan of Doctor Who. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheoClarke
Lent to me with assurances of its brilliance, this was approached with some scepticism: I still regret reading Faithful, the year of emails between Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan. My concerns wre misplaced. Russell T Davies embraced Benjamin Cook's idea of a candid sharing of the process and
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products of a year writing Doctor Who. Davies' openess and Cook's astute enthusiasm combine in an entertaining revelation of the creative process and Davies' motivations. I cannot imagine a better book on television script writing, on Doctor Who, or on RTD himself. Davies' cartoon illustrations alone would have made this worthwhile. The whole package is an astonishing feast. Show Less
LibraryThing member robinamelia
This book provides the inside scoop on what goes into creating the current manifestation of this marvelous show. The tale is told by email correspondence between series head writer Russell T. Davies and his fan Ben Cook. We share in the agonies of Davies' continual procrastination. At least, he
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thinks it is that. With all the many duties he has to juggle, it's a wonder he gets any writing done. And even more amazing is how when he does start typing, it comes out fully formed, shot by shot, as riveting to read almost as it was to watch. Apparently, what he calls procrastination is really an internal pre-writing process. I love finding out what goes into creating the show, how all the various plot elements, and casting choices come together. This is a great book for all those who enjoy the show on two levels: both what is on the screen and what happens behind it Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
An account of once and future Doctor Who/showrunner Russell T. Davies' work on the show from the 2007 Christmas special through the end of Season 5 of the new series. It's told in the form of a long-running, casual email exchange between Davies and writer Benjamin Cook, in which Davies answers
I actually picked up my copy of this book in 2008, when it was first published, but for some reason I just kept never getting around to reading it. With Davies' return to the show, though, now seemed very much like the time for it.
I'll admit, at first I wasn't at all sure just how glad I was to finally be reading the thing. It seemed like this might be a deeper dive into Russell Davies' mind than I actually wanted. It's disconcertingly horny in there, for one thing, and he's prone to be a bit... wallow-y. Although, in fairness, he was kind of asked to be, and he's at least quite self-aware about it. And it didn't help, I'm sure, that the early parts of the book are mostly about his work on the script for "Voyage of the Damned,' which... well, let's face it, that's not really anybody's favorite episode, is it?
I did come to appreciate it at lot more as things went on, though. I always find it interesting to get a glimpse into a writer's thought process, and Davies does have some interesting and occasionally even insightful things to say about that process, and about working in television, specifically. It was also very interesting to get this much of a look into the nitty-gritty details of how a television script evolves from its first conception in the writer's brain through the actual filmed product that appears on our screens. I knew sort of intellectually how vulnerable the effective telling of any TV story is to the harsh realities of run time, and actor availability, and production schedules, and FX budgets, but seeing it unfolding in front of me here honestly leaves me boggling a little at the fact that any TV episode actually works and holds together and makes sense at all after it's been through all of that. Not that that's ever going to stop me nitpicking the ones that don't, mind you.
So, anyway. I am glad I finally got to it, after all. Although, boy, has it just made all my mixed feelings about RTD's return even more mixed. The depictions of how he finishes every script at or after the very last minute (whether or not he's had any sleep or, say, contracted chicken pox) may actually explain a few things about his stories, but it doesn't inspire huge amounts of confidence. And, on the one hand, this book prompted me to remember just how much I loved "Partners in Crime" and how entertaining Davies' particular brand of silliness can be when it comes off well. On the other hand, ye gods, "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End" were more of a ridiculous mess than I even remembered them being, and reading about them just gives me a front row seat to what I still regard as probably the most infuriatingly bad storytelling decision in the history of television. But don't worry, I'll spare you my rant on that subject. And, hey, who knows? Maybe he'll finally fix it, leaving me blissfully free to send all my nerd rage elsewhere. I can hope, right?
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Cook's questions about his job and his writing process, sends him drafts of the scripts he's currently working on, and generally offers up thoughts and reflections, as well as more than a few emotional outbursts about how stressed he is trying to get things finished.I actually picked up my copy of this book in 2008, when it was first published, but for some reason I just kept never getting around to reading it. With Davies' return to the show, though, now seemed very much like the time for it.
I'll admit, at first I wasn't at all sure just how glad I was to finally be reading the thing. It seemed like this might be a deeper dive into Russell Davies' mind than I actually wanted. It's disconcertingly horny in there, for one thing, and he's prone to be a bit... wallow-y. Although, in fairness, he was kind of asked to be, and he's at least quite self-aware about it. And it didn't help, I'm sure, that the early parts of the book are mostly about his work on the script for "Voyage of the Damned,' which... well, let's face it, that's not really anybody's favorite episode, is it?
I did come to appreciate it at lot more as things went on, though. I always find it interesting to get a glimpse into a writer's thought process, and Davies does have some interesting and occasionally even insightful things to say about that process, and about working in television, specifically. It was also very interesting to get this much of a look into the nitty-gritty details of how a television script evolves from its first conception in the writer's brain through the actual filmed product that appears on our screens. I knew sort of intellectually how vulnerable the effective telling of any TV story is to the harsh realities of run time, and actor availability, and production schedules, and FX budgets, but seeing it unfolding in front of me here honestly leaves me boggling a little at the fact that any TV episode actually works and holds together and makes sense at all after it's been through all of that. Not that that's ever going to stop me nitpicking the ones that don't, mind you.
So, anyway. I am glad I finally got to it, after all. Although, boy, has it just made all my mixed feelings about RTD's return even more mixed. The depictions of how he finishes every script at or after the very last minute (whether or not he's had any sleep or, say, contracted chicken pox) may actually explain a few things about his stories, but it doesn't inspire huge amounts of confidence. And, on the one hand, this book prompted me to remember just how much I loved "Partners in Crime" and how entertaining Davies' particular brand of silliness can be when it comes off well. On the other hand, ye gods, "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End" were more of a ridiculous mess than I even remembered them being, and reading about them just gives me a front row seat to what I still regard as probably the most infuriatingly bad storytelling decision in the history of television. But don't worry, I'll spare you my rant on that subject. And, hey, who knows? Maybe he'll finally fix it, leaving me blissfully free to send all my nerd rage elsewhere. I can hope, right?
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Awards
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — Non-Fiction — 2009)
Original language
English
Physical description
512 p.; 7.5 x 1.25 inches
ISBN
1846075718 / 9781846075711