Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale ("Doctor Who") (Doctor Who (BBC Paperback))

Genre : Book ( Paperback )
Release : 2010/03/10
Price : $16.47

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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.

As many other reviewers have told us, this is a great book, especially for fans of "Doctor Who" and/or Russell T. Davies. Davies is one of the best writers in any medium and it's fascinating to have a behind-the-scenes tour of his creation of 2+ seasons of "Doctor Who" scripts (with a little "Torchwood" on the side.)

However, Amazon's listing is a bit confusing. The current listing makes it appear that there are two editions (hardcover and paperback) of the same book, which is not the case. The hardcover edition (THE WRITER'S TALE, published in 2008) is the beginning of the correspondence between Davies and Cook, dated between the winter of 2007 and the summer of 2008, and includes samples of scripts which were attached to that correspondence. The paperback (THE WRITER'S TALE: THE FINAL CHAPTER, published in 2010) includes all of the correspondence from the hardcover edition but eliminates the script samples. (They are moved to their website [..].) It picks up where the correspondence left off in the hardcover edition and continues till the summer of 2009. The illustrations overlap to a certain extent but not entirely. Oddly enough, Amazon's UK site makes this distinction perfectly clear.

Personally, I'm glad I have both editions, though I could wish that THE FINAL CHAPTER was also available in hardcover to make a nice pair. And what I would REALLY like is for Mr. Davies to dig into his memory and tell us about what happened before the books, all the way back to when he first started work on the resurrection (or is it regeneration) of "Doctor Who."

I thought this was a great insight into how Doctor Who is written by Davies and other writer's and what goes on behind the scenes. I thought it should have left in the scenes they had in the first book (too much of a hassle to go on line to read the scripts)and how Davies and company was able to resurrect Doctor Who back in 2005. Despite the two critiques, I would recommend this book to anyone who was interested in writing for television or movies and wanted to know about the ins and out of Doctor Who.

As a huge Dr. Who fan, I had to have this book. It has exceeded every expectation I had! More than just a behind-the-scenes of Dr. Who, the email correspondence between Davies and Cook delves into Davies' personal life, inspiration and previous works. Surprising is Davies' persistent self-doubt mixed with exploding arrogance over his own talent. He is consumed by his profession and was truly destined to be a writer. As the end of his time on Dr. Who approaches (during which time he is producing and writing for three shows), it becomes obvious that his labor of love has become an intolerable burden. But, he keeps going...out of loyalty to his fans, co-workers and cast.

Davies' philosophical humor about what it means to be a writer, how to make it in the business and monk-like cloistering in Cardiff make it clear why he is such a successful writer.

Davies, while insisting that this isn't a how-to guide, provides really interesting examples of how he has developed his writing technique and why is works. It's more than just what he writes, but how he writes it that makes his stories so successful. The difference between "He runs to the TARDIS quickly" and "He runs to the TARDIS. FAST!"

Overall, this book gives a peek at the consumptive passion the artist has for his art. Whether painter, sculptor or writer. It's not a job for these people. It's a compulsion!

I purchased this book for my husband as a gift. He is a big Dr Who fan and likes to get inside information on some of his "passions" which at the time is anything having to do with Dr Who.

This book is mainly written by Russell T Davies, one of the lead writers for the Dr Who series. There are many email correspondences in the book, which gives the book a read like a diary.

There are photos included, which adds a nice piece to the book. The book itself is quite lengthy, and does give an insider's view of the series.

After spending an evening with the book, I found it a little disappointing because it took away some of the mystery and mystique of "Dr Who". Maybe it is better at times to let fantasy and science fiction remain cloaked in mystery.

But for those who like to know as much about the development of a successful series, with the human element exposed, this is a great read.

This book would be an excellent primer for anyone who wishes to be a screenwriter or who wants to break into TV. Written as an e-mail correspondence that lasted two years or more, you get a really fascinating look into how a writer works (or doesn't!) how decisions such as casting get made, and all the vicissitudes of filming.

One of the more interesting sections is a "before and after" script: the original, written by a staff writer, and the improved version, edited and re-written by Mr. Davies. What a difference!

You don't have to be a Doctor Who fan to appreciate this book, but it probably helps if you've seen the 2005+ re-boot version (not the old, 1970s silly sci fi), so that you have a clearer idea of the discussion topics.

In summary, it's not hard to see why Doctor Who became the number one show in the U.K. under show runner Mr. Davies. He's brilliant!