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Russell T. Davies
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Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale Final Chapter Paperback – March 10, 2010

by Russell T. Davies (Author), Benjamin Cook (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 425 ratings
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When The Writer's Tale was published in autumn 2008, it was immediately embraced as a classic. For this extensively revised and updated paperback edition, Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook continue their candid and in-depth correspondence to take in work on the last of Russell's 2009 specials - and the end of David Tennant's era as The Doctor - while also looking back to the achievements of the first three seasons. With over 300 pages of all-new material, including new photos and original artwork, The Writer's Tale is a fitting tribute to Russell T Davies' phenomenal achievement in bringing Doctor Who back for a new generation of fans.
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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Doctor Who
  2. Print length
    704 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Random House UK
  5. Publication date
    March 10, 2010
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    184607861X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1846078613
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is a treasury of wit, of truthfulness, and of good sound storytelling sense, and well worth stealing from,The Doctor Who Annual for adults,You can douse all the other books about Who in lighter fuel and spark up your Zippo - this is all you need

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 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 and The Stage and is the author of Doctor Who: The New Audio Adventures - The Inside Story. He lives in London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House UK (March 10, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 704 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 184607861X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846078613
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.85 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 425 ratings

About the author

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Russell T. Davies

Russell T. Davies

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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 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 and The Stage and is the author of Doctor Who: The New Audio Adventures - The Inside Story. He lives in London.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
425 global ratings
Unbelievable (in a bad way)
1 Star
Unbelievable (in a bad way)
I am so disappointed. The front and back cover of the book is pristine. The Introduction and Foreword are fine. Then, as you can from above, the rest of the book is printed upside down. To add insult to injury, the words on the upside down pages are cut off. I’ve already indicated to Amazon that I’ll be returning it. What a mess.
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Top reviews from the United States

David Spencer
5.0 out of 5 stars A Master Class for Aspiring and Professional Writers
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2008
Verified Purchase
As the author of a book on writing myself ( The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide ), and as a fellow very hard on books about writing (I don't think they're worth much unless they're by people who actually do the kind of writing they're expounding on for a living), I promise you, this one is worthwhile. For anyone who tells or wants to tell stories in any print or performance medium.

Though the book collects the seemingly unedited, largely unexpurgated email dialogue between Russell T Davies and journalist Benjamin Cook -- and as such may instill the apprehension that it will be a long-winded ramble (the print is small and it is a BIG, THICK book, and a coffee-table edition at that) -- it turns out to be a breathless and often un-put-downable read, akin to any of the classical philosophical exchanges of literature between mentor and student. Davies, despite being a telly populist at heart, is among the brightest, most articulate dramatists in the English speaking world, with a staggering analytical perception I'd liken only to a very few (such as Sondheim and Stoppard) and his thoughts and observations are passionate, funny, touching, instructive and provocative throughout. He makes it clear that he doesn't mean for his process to be regarded as any kind of template for everybody's process, but as with any great writer, the acquaintance is still well worth making. And there are full scripts represented too. Not only that, but among the profuse illustrations are many by Davies himself, who seems to be as gifted a cartoonist as he is a wordsmith.

Caveats? One, and it may be a big one. I'm not sure how well the text of this book will translate to anyone who is not at least passing familiar with Davies' new millennium renovation of DOCTOR WHO in general, and his work on season four (the primary launching pad for this book's ruminations) in particular. Not that it isn't all quite comprehensible -- but I wonder if it will resonate as meaningfully to one who isn't already an aficionado. It's probably worth at least a trip to the public library to find out; whereupon if it passes muster, I would absolutely recommend shelling out the shekels to add it to yours.
27 people found this helpful
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D. Prallon
5.0 out of 5 stars What Writing is All About
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2012
Verified Purchase
The writer's tale is both a book and a diary - Russell himself uses it in the second bit to check what he was doing the year before.

It shows not only the many commitments and challenges a Executive Producer passes through but also the angst nature of the writing job, the anxiety, the panic and the wonderful relief of seeing it dones.

It is a real class on how to write - although it's not meant to be - for the only advice is that you do it your own way. Writers - of all kinds, academic, professional or ficwriters - will manage to see themselves through Russel's many doubts and certainties, and be challenged to think about their creative processes all the way through the book.

Not only it is a good book on writing and producing, as it is also an delightful reading in itself. It reads easily, captures you, as if they were characters and not real people, as their lives develop through the pages. It doesn't matter if you love or hate Russel work, if you write, produce or doesn't care about Doctor Who at all - it is still a wonderful thing to read and full of funny stories and great tales. And -that- is what makes it better than anything else: you can truly read the writer's tale as a story as well as history.

In the end, it makes you feel much like the 10th Doctor, when parting: you just don't want it to end.
One person found this helpful
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NC
5.0 out of 5 stars As Told From the Writer's Desk
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
I'm a huge fan of Russell T. Davies' big, epic writing in the new Doctor Who, so as a writer I welcomed this chance to peek inside his head, through his email correspondence with journalist Benjamin Cook. What I found surprised me, enlivened me, heartened me; made me laugh and cry and say, "yes, I know that exactly!" He's candid, sordid, "big and blousy," and funny. He doesn't sugar coat things; many parts are painfully honest.

But here unfolds the twin story of one of the most successful shows of the decade and a while-I'm-writing journey of the man who made it happen. The book reads with all the nail-biting gusto of a good novel. It's a look at writing from a vantage seldom seen, from the writer's desk itself, where choices are made that effect, in Davies' case, literally millions. It's a story of what, and why, and sometimes how. It's a story of writing and life and just how much they're intertwined.

Read this book if you are a writer. Read it if you're a Doctor Who fan, or just a science fiction fan in general. It's worth every page.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Jonathan G
5.0 out of 5 stars The wife’s a whovian, do I need to say more.
Reviewed in Italy on July 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
Good insight as to the thinking of RTD’s reboot
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auzou
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
Reviewed in France on October 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
A good leap in the 2010's era of doctorat who and a great book about writing. A must have for all whovians!
One person found this helpful
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Eddie
4.0 out of 5 stars A very Humerous book
Reviewed in Australia on April 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
Very good book to read, very humorous from Russell T Davies and Benjiman Cook.

But few cracks and old with age.
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El Cid
5.0 out of 5 stars And maybe a good gift for a Doctor Who fan
Reviewed in Canada on July 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
An absolute must for anybody wishing to write for the television. And maybe a good gift for a Doctor Who fan.
One person found this helpful
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Nanny Ogg
5.0 out of 5 stars Ganz nah am Autor dran
Reviewed in Germany on January 3, 2009
Verified Purchase
Ein fantastisches Buch und absolut empfehlenswert für jeden, der sich entweder für's Schreiben und/oder für "Doctor Who" interessiert.

Ursprünglich geplant war, dass Benjamin Cook (Journalist für das Fanmagazin "Doctor Who Magazine") eMails mit dem Produzenten und Chef-Autor der Serie Russell T. Davies austauscht um der Frage nachzugehen, woher dieser seine Ideen nimmt. Wie Davies feststellt: eine einfache Frage, aber ohne einfache Antworten. Aus der Korrespondenz, die ursprünglich nur die Entstehung des Weihnachtsspecials 2007 und der ersten Folge der 4. Staffel umfassen sollte, entwickelte sich dann jedoch ein reger Schriftwechsel über mehr als 1 Jahr, der die Entstehung der gesamten Staffel begleitet.

Man verfolgt, wie Ideen aufkommen, geändert oder völlig verworfen werden. Als Fan der Serie weiß man beim Lesen natürlich sofort, welche Dinge es nun tatsächlich in die Serie geschafft haben. Das tut der Faszination aber keinen Abbruch, ganz im Gegenteil: man ist erstaunt, wie der Verlauf der Serie hätte sein können, wenn (um es mit RTD zu sagen) die Autoren "an der Kreuzung statt nach links nach rechts gegangen wären".

Durch den Aufbau des Buches (es werden die ausgetauschten eMails und SMS der zwei Autoren abgedruckt), ist es dabei sowohl möglich, alles in chronologischer Reihenfolge zu lesen als auch, einfach mitten ins Buch zu springen und zu sehen, wo man landet. Bei der Gestaltung ist auch noch auf die wunderbaren Zeichnungen und tollen Bilder hinzuweisen, mit denen das ganze gespickt ist - seien es kurze Comics von Russell oder Fotos von der Produktion der Serie.

Das ganze Buch ist sehr offen und ehrlich - man merkt schon, dass am Anfang wohl keiner der zwei gedacht hatte, dass die Mails jemals das Licht der Öffentlichkeit sehen werden. Der Leser ist hautnah dran: an der Euphorie über einen neuen Einschaltquotenrekord der Serie oder eine brillante Auflösung für ein Skriptproblem, aber auch an den Selbstzweifeln und den "beinahe"-Depressionen Russells, wenn die Ideen ausbleiben oder er sich einfach nicht zum Schreiben aufraffen kann, obwohl der Abgabetermin für das Skript unaufhörlich näher rückt.

Es ist KEINE Anleitung "Wie schreibe ich ein Drehbuch" (wie mehrfach bemerkt wird, dafür kann es eigentlich keine Anleitung geben, da muss jeder den für ihn selbst besten Weg finden), dafür aber ein überaus faszinierender Blick darauf, wie Großbritanniens erfolgreichster TV-Drehbuchautor der letzten Jahre SEINE Bücher schreibt.
3 people found this helpful
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