The Writer's Tale By Russell T. Davies Reviewed
A Year In the Life of Writing Doctor Who Captured by Benjamin Cook
Apr 29, 2009
Possibly the biggest show in Britain today, Doctor Who has become a staple of Saturday night television. In a year-long series of emails, production notes and text messages with fellow editorial writer Benjamin Cook, Russell T. Davies shows the manic, at times emotional, and occasionally sexy world of writing for the hit show in Doctor Who The Writer's Tale.
Writer Russell T. Davies in Doctor Who The Writer's Tale
At 512 pages, Doctor Who The Writer's Tale is immense. Every page counts though. From Russell T. Davies' drawings (and he can draw very well) to insightful production notes, every scrap of content is relevant. That's really not surprising as Russell T. Davies is incapable of relinquishing control of anything he's involved with. Naturally, then, this is a slick read with a lot of heart.
But that's not to say the writer isn't candid. Doctor Who The Writer's Tale shows Russell T. Davies at his most vulnerable. His relationship with his boyfriend and family suffers because of Doctor Who. He's frustrated with himself, his writing process and his self-destructive streak, and he's thoroughly annoyed with the politics at the BBC. Yet the constant heartbeat is the writing, the re-writing and the making of Doctor Who Series 4, a fact that is genuinely beautiful.
It is a credit to writer Benjamin Cook, regular contributor to The Doctor Who Magazine, that he is willing to ask difficult questions. At one point, the sad news of Doctor Who star David Tennant's mother having been taken ill emerges. Russell T. Davies relates the news to Cook. Cook immediately questions him on the impact this will have on the show, and it's moments like this that make The Writer's Tale resonate with authenticity.
Doctor Who The Writers Tale Not Strictly for Fans of the Show
Doctor Who fans might be disappointed with The Writer's Tale. Why? Because the book is not about the show itself, but more the logistics of creating it. From that first draft where Russell T. Davies is concocting new characters and new adventures, (every second, every day), to the re-writes and the attention to detail that exhausts and thrills, The Writer's Tale is a book about writing, for writers.
Russell T. Davies divulges his approach to dialogue, tells how to get the most from every moment of film and the importance of really thinking about what is on the page. Perhaps in the realm in which he is truly a master, Davies also orates on how to really give a character life, vitality and staying-power, all told to Benjamin Cook at around 2 a.m. each night in 2007/2008 as Doctor Who Series 4, as documented by The Writer's Tale, was made.
Understanding the Life of a Writer Through Russell T. Davies in The Writers Tale
Russell T. Davies is obsessed with work. That's what emerges from this book. It jumps from the page and assaults the reader. He needs to work, and as Benjamin Cook ably guides Davies, teasing out thoughts on the work, the making of the work and the execution of it, the reader starts to understand the sheer cost of brilliance, the steel cage it puts the Doctor Who Head Writer in that twists tighter with every typed word.
Russell T. Davies, at times, comes across arrogant and even aggressive. None are bad qualities in a writer. But then he's also sensitive, enviably articulate and always dedicated. This makes Doctor Who The Writer's Tale gripping reading, essential for its truth, and a must for anyone interested in the industry of writing for television. And finally, Russell T. Davies was right, the writing was a little bit sexy.
(Hardback; 512 pages; Publisher: BBC Books; Publish Date: 25 Sep 2008; ISBN-10: 1846075718 ISBN-13: 978-1846075711)
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