Things I learned from ‘The Writer’s Tale’
I got Russell T Davies’ The Writer’s Tale for Christmas. It’s a darn good read. I thought I’d share some tidbits, in (mostly) bullet-point form.
– Elton Pope was originally going to be in Journey’s End. RTD never explains why he wasn’t. That would have been awesome, though.
-RTD fancies Russell Tovey (Midshipman Frame) like mad. He was originally going to be in Journey’s End as well, at the Shadow Proclamation I think, before being exterminated by a Dalek. It didn’t happen because Russell Tovey was doing a play instead.
-The original idea for the Shadow Proclamation was to have loads and loads of monsters, all the ones from the series so far, running around. Obviously it didn’t happen, but I think that would have been awesome. Margaret Siltheen would have shown up and had a line.
-It took RTD a very long time to be happy with the last Doctor/Rose scene in Journey’s End.
The walls of the universe are open enough for her to pop to and fro. She’s always wanted to get him back, so why does she stay on Bad Wolf Bay? The hardest thing of all in that scene- and Billie might yet have problems with it- is getting Rose to walk away from the TARDIS in the first place, disguised by that funny Jackie dialogue. That, indeed, is the problems with the whole scene, that Rose has to act out of character to stay on Bad Wolf Bay. She’s utterly, marvellously selfish, and would push past anyone to get to her Doctor.
I got the feeling that he still wasn’t happy with it when it was finished. He didn’t say so, but I dunno, I have a feeling.
-Cut dialogue from The Unicorn and the Wasp (RTD is attempting to fit as many Agata Christie book titles into the dialogue as possible):
DONNA:
It’s like Ten Little-
DOCTOR:
Niggles aside, let’s look in the library.
I’m not the only one who would’ve been exceedingly uncomfortable with that, am I?
-George Lucas approached RTD to write an episode of the Star Wars TV show. He didn’t approach him enough though, cos he’s not doing it. Even though that would’ve been cool.
-RTD really hates the criticism ‘lazy writing’. Which is fair enough.
-On a similar note, Helen Raynor was really upset at the harsh reaction to her as a writer after Daleks In Manhattan.
-Regarding the interview that went round a while ago, where Martha was described as ‘second-best’, RTD was annoyed that what he said was taken out of context.
That’s all I’ve got. The book’s worth buying though, it’s really quite interesting.
December 27, 2008 @ 9:29 pm
DONNA: It’s like Ten Little- DOCTOR: Niggles aside, let’s look in the library. I’m not the only one who would’ve been exceedingly uncomfortable with that, am I? Holy crap. I’m so glad that was cut. That would have just been gratuitously offensive, since the book’s been called ‘And Then There Were None’ for more than 20 years.
December 28, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
From what he said in the book, he never seriously included it– he simply shared the idea with Ben Whatshisname because he knew he couldn’t include it. Having said that though, it still makes me uncomfortable.
December 28, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
since the book’s been called ‘And Then There Were None’ for more than 20 years. It’s *always* been published as And Then There Were None in the US, so the joke wouldn’t have even made any sense here (personal discomfort aside).
December 28, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
Oh, I bought that book some weeks ago and I totally loved it. I was also enjoying the bits about his other shows, especially Queer as Folk.
December 30, 2008 @ 9:48 am
Hands off Tovey, RTD! HANDS OFF!!
March 24, 2013 @ 6:25 pm
RTD would have never worked on Lucas’ Star Wars show. He has too much ego to be a little fish in Lucas’s pond.