I am a big fan of the BBC series, Doctor Who. I usually don’t get too locked into a television series but I quickly fell in love with the Doctor, especially Season 4 with David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Season 4 had everything: excitement, humor, a strong female character, compelling stories, phenomenal acting and a beautiful musical score. So imagine my joy when I discovered Russell T. Davies, Doctor Who’s Head Writer and Executive Producer, had written an inside look on the season I loved the most!
Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale is a year-long email conversation between Davies and journalist, Benjamin Cook as Season 4 was being written and filmed. The Great Correspondence, as Davies and Cook referred to their communications, is a unique look inside the BBC series. It’s a no holds barred look into Davies life as a he plans episodes, discusses how creative and casting decisions are made, handles budget woes, deals with location and scheduling snafus and a very deep look into the writing process.
Cook asks every question of Davies any aspiring writer would love to discuss with a writer of Davies caliber and talents. The Writer’s Tale should rank on every list of writing how-to books such as Stephen King’s “œOn Writing” and Anne Lamott’s “œBird by Bird”. Davies is funny and brutally honest on what writing is like for him; he doesn’t sugar coat. The reader does not need to be a “œWhovian” to fully understand and appreciate what Davies has to say. Any aspiring writer can harvest bushels of information and advice from Davies, regardless if they know what the TARDIS is or not. Doctor Who fans will enjoy seeing how storylines evolved and grew into the episodes they love today.
Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale is a must read for Doctor Who fans and aspiring writers alike.
Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale: The Final Chapter by Russell Davies and Benjamin Cook Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition