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Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale
 
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Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale (Hardcover)

by Russell T. Davies (Author), Benjamin Cook (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
RRP: £30.00
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Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with T is for Television: The Small Screen Adventures of Russell T Davies by Mark Aldridge

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale + T is for Television: The Small Screen Adventures of Russell T Davies
Price For Both: £26.92

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 512 pages
  • Publisher: BBC Books; 1st ed. edition (25 Sep 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1846075718
  • ISBN-13: 978-1846075711
  • Product Dimensions: 24.6 x 19 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 15,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #10 in  Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film Genres > Science Fiction
    #15 in  Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Television > TV Genres > Science Fiction
    #18 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Media > Doctor Who

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Product Description

Product Description

Writing isn't just a job that stops at six-thirty... It's a mad, sexy, sad, scary, obsessive, ruthless, joyful, and utterly, utterly personal thing. There s not the writer and then me; there's just me. All of my life connects to the writing. All of it.'

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


About the Author

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 Head Writer and 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 was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to drama. He divides his time between Cardiff and Manchester.

Benjamin Cook is a journalist and regular contributor to Radio Times and Doctor Who Magazine. He has also been published in TV Zone, Cult Times, TV Times and The Stage, and is the author of Doctor Who: The New Audio Adventures The Inside Story. He lives in London.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale
90% buy the item featured on this page:
Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale 4.6 out of 5 stars (22)
£18.98
T is for Television: The Small Screen Adventures of Russell T Davies
2% buy
T is for Television: The Small Screen Adventures of Russell T Davies 5.0 out of 5 stars (4)
£7.94
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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the ultimate window into the frantic world of Doctor Who, 1 Oct 2008
There's no shortage of glossy "Doctor Who" books on the shelves but this is by far the most revealing. It digs deep and gives the reader a fascinating insight into the exhaustion, exhileration and relentless hard slog that goes into the flagship show. Read it, even if you don't care for DW, if you want to know the truth about a writer's life. It's very warts-and-all, at times very funny, and always comes over as being honest. You won't get closer than this to finding out why things turned out the way they did. In particular, RTD's thoughts on "Journey's End", the S4 finale, are intriguing and reveal how he copes with the inevitable gulf between his first concept of how a story should end and the version that reaches the screen, subject to the limitations of budget, time, actor availability and overall tone.

Like the Doctor himself, RTD clearly feels under pressure as the man everyone looks to for answers, he finds it almost impossible to relinquish control of his beloved show, yet a part of him longs for a break from the constant creative demands on his energies, preferably before the stress kills him.

There are certainly a few dark nights of the soul here, but also complete versions of the scripts of "Voyage of the Damned", "Partners in Crime" and the explosive two-parter finale, including the early drafts and absorbing explanations for the way things changed later. An extra bonus is a plethora of photographs, some from deleted scenes, and RTD's unexpectedly witty and professional cartoons of cast and characters.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, 28 Sep 2008
An astonishingly enjoyable read. If you've ever even toyed with the idea of writing, this gives you huge insights into the sheer grind and self doubt that goes into trying to get a script out, and it's a fascinating read. The email exchange structure gives a frankness that any other style would probably skirt around and you get a feeling of a genuine professional friendship between the authors. Some of the content might be a little too frank if you were thinking of buying a "Doctor Who" book for the kiddies, because it's not really a "Doctor Who" book - it's a book about writing, and the writing happens to be "Doctor Who". You do end up worrying if Russell EVER sleeps and whether this writing lark is good for his health, you do wonder how anyone finds the time to do that job, and you do get to see another side to the cheery upbeat soul who appears on TV, but that just makes it all the more intriguing. And on top of all his other work, Russell's found time to provide a large number of very inventive cartoons to illustrate the text - you'd have to hate the guy if he wasn't so good at it. The book looks fantastic, too, beautifully laid out. All in all, a big fat Hooray!!
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading, 29 Sep 2008
Predictably witty and honest, this is a book that will be enjoyed by Doctor Who fans and aspiring writers alike. What really comes across is that Davies is passionate about the show he resurrected and is often tortured by his perceived shortcomings as a writer. I can well understand why he's had enough, although I suspect he won't in fact be able to stay away for long.
The e-mail format and excerpts from Doctor Who scripts mean this is a book you can 'dip into' quite easily rather than reading from cover to cover and the writer's own cartoon illustrations are an unexpected bonus - is there anything this man can't do? This would make a fantastic Christmas present for those of us who don't know how we'll make it through 2009 without a Dr Who series.
Of course everybody knows that Swansea produces the best writers in the world, but it's nice to have a bit more proof.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Tale - a Very True Story
Are you a fan of Russell T Davies scripts? If you are buying this book you'd better get ready to know some things about him you maybe never want to know. Read more
Published 9 hours ago by V. Kakin

5.0 out of 5 stars "Aih, You're Cleaning The Oven"
I am not a conventional reader. Page 1 does not usually get read, by me, before page 25, but then time is not supposed to be a linear progression in the world of Doctor Who, so... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sam Fenton

5.0 out of 5 stars I've really, really, really enjoyed this one
This is not the least good book in the entire space-time continuum. I have really, really, really, enjoyed this one. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jimternet

2.0 out of 5 stars Self-important
At the risk of setting myself up to be shouted down by all the millions of RTD fans out there... I hated this. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Anonymous

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book About Doctor Who And A Book About Writing = Heaven!
I got this book for my birthday and I almost couldn't stop reading since then. This is a book I'd love to have given 6 stars out of 5 because it's just brilliant. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Claudia Sieber

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
This book is fantastic. Simple as that. A must for any fan of Doctor Who, it is a brilliant insight into the creation of the stories, focusing on Voyage Of The Damned, Partners... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Rich Westman

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must for all Doctor Who lovers
Very revealing insight into the background, script writing and production of the Doctor Who programme. Read more
Published 8 months ago by The Good Shepherd Crew

5.0 out of 5 stars whofan
I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down,a fantastic mix of open,honest and often painful emails blended in beautifully with the doctor who scripts. Read more
Published 8 months ago by K. J. Green

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique examination of writing for television
A wonderful insight into television script writing, and Doctor Who in particular! Being a series of informative & witty emails between two writers, they give great clarity on how... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Gary J. Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars One for the adult fans - Loved it!
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... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Michelle Moore

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