Writer's Tale reviews

Saturday, 4 October 2008 - Reported by Anthony Weight
Both The Guardian and The Independent newspapers in the UK have today published reviews of Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, the new book by Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook.

The Guardian's review is written by Veronica Horwell, who delivers a very positive verdict. "Fifteen chapters of that should be far too much even for us fundamentalist Doc-venerators," she writes. "But it isn't far too much. It's the Doctor Who Annual for adults, and it's not nearly enough, should have been 1001 pages, because Davies doesn't need to be writing fiction, shaping stuff retrieved from the flux of his Great Maybe, to be a storyteller. He's the Scheherazade of Cardiff Bay. He's making this up as he goes along."

The Independent's piece is combined with an interview with Davies, conducted recently at BBC Television Centre. "There's such goodwill towards Doctor Who," Davies comments. "Which makes it much easier for us. It's not like someone really famous will come on and have to play a murdered prostitute, like in Prime Suspect. They have fun and it's seen by kids and that's what really registers with people and means they're up for it."




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Books - Press

Multi-Platform DW Book Range On Way

Wednesday, 1 October 2008 - Reported by DWNP Archive
Posted By John Bowman

A multi-platform Doctor Who book project called The Darksmith Legacy will be launching next year.

The 10-part collectable series will see the first two books out in January, followed by a new "episode" every month after that.

Published by BBC Children's Books in association with Penguin Books, it will offer the adventure of a book serialisation, complete with cliffhangers, plus interactivity and content only obtainable online.

Book One is entitled The Dust of Ages and is by Justin Richards. Book Two is called The Graves of Mordane, by Colin Brake, while Book Three is The Colour of Darkness, which has been penned by Richard Dungworth. No more titles are known as yet.

People will be able to receive an exclusive preview of The Dust of Ages by visiting www.thedarksmithlegacy.com

The website will not be live until mid-November, although it is hoped that a holding page will be up soon once final approvals are given by the BBC.

More information, from the press release, is given below.
Join the Quest to save the Doctor and the Eternity Crystal from his latest adversaries: The Darksmith Collective.

In addition to the books, readers can assist the Doctor in his Quest by visiting online destination www.thedarksmithlegacy.com

By registering on the site, visitors can create their own avatar and alien identity and begin collecting
eternity points, crucial to the Doctor's survival.

Collaboration with other fans online to earn extra points will release exclusive content and assist in the Quest to keep the precious Eternity Crystal safe from the dangerous Darksmith Collective.




FILTER: - Books

The Writer's Tale Signing Sessions - UPDATED

Wednesday, 17 September 2008 - Reported by DWNP Archive
Posted By John Bowman

Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook will be signing copies of their forthcoming book, Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, at bookshops in England and Wales next month.

The dates, venues and times are as follows:

  • October 8: Waterstone's, Piccadilly, London, 6pm


  • October 9: Waterstone's, High Street, Birmingham, midday, and Waterstone's, Trafford Centre, Manchester, 6pm


  • October 10: Borders, Bristol, 12.30pm, and Borders, Cardiff, 5.30pm.

    Only copies of the book will be autographed.

    The 512-page tome is published by BBC Books on September 25.




  • FILTER: - Production - Books

    Davies book preview

    Monday, 15 September 2008 - Reported by Anthony Weight
    The Times newspaper in the UK has today published on its website a series of extracts from "The Writer's Tale", the forthcoming book by Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook about the making of the new series of Doctor Who. The book is due to be released in the UK on September 25th.

    The same newspaper has also made a news story out of the extracts, focusing on Davies's suggestion of Russell Tovey as a candidate for the Eleventh Doctor, and the fact that he considered attempting to get Harry Potter authorJK Rowling to appear in the 2008 Christmas special.

    Further extracts will be published in Wednesday's paper.

    Thanks to PolyG on the Doctor Who Forum




    FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Production - Books

    April Novel Information

    Thursday, 31 July 2008 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper
    Covers and Blurbs have now been released for the three New Series novels set for release in April. The novels, each featuring a New Series villain, will feature the 10th Doctor travelling alone.
    Judgement of the Judoon by Colin Brake

    Elvis the King Spaceport has grown into the sprawling city-state of New Memphis - an urban jungle, where organized crime is rife. But the launch of the new Terminal 13 hasn't been as smooth as expected. And things are about to get worse... When the Doctor arrives, he finds the whole terminal locked down. The notorious Invisible Assassin is at work again, and the Judoon troopers sent to catch him will stop at nothing to complete their mission. With the assassin loose on the mean streets of New Memphis, the Doctor is forced into a strange alliance. Together with teenage private eye Nikki and a ruthless Judoon Commander, the Doctor soon discovers that things are even more complicated - and dangerous - than he first thought... Featuring the Doctor as played by David Tennant in the hit BBC Television series.

    The Slitheen Excursion by Simon Guerrier

    1500BC - King Actaeus and his subjects live in mortal fear of the awesome gods who have come to visit their kingdom in ancient Greece. Except the Doctor, visiting with university student June, knows they're not gods at all. They're aliens. For the aliens, it's the perfect holiday - they get to tour the sights of a primitive planet and even take part in local customs. Like gladiatorial games, or hunting down and killing humans who won't be missed. With June's enthusiastic help, the Doctor soon meets the travel agents behind this deadly package holiday company - his old enemies the Slitheen. But can he bring the Slitheen excursion to an end without endangering more lives? And how are events in ancient Greece linked to a modern-day alien plot to destroy what's left of the Parthenon? Featuring the Doctor as played by David Tennant in the hit BBC Television series.

    Prisoner of the Daleks by Trevor Baxendale

    The Daleks are advancing, their empire constantly expanding in to Earth's space. The Earth forces are resisting the Daleks in every way they can. But the battles rage on across countless solar systems. And now the future of our galaxy hangs in the balance... The Doctor finds himself stranded on board a starship near the frontline with a group of ruthless bounty hunters. Earth Command will pay them for every Dalek they kill, every eye stalk they bring back as proof. With the Doctor's help, the bounty hunters achieve the ultimate prize: a Dalek prisoner - intact, powerless, and ready for interrogation. But where the Daleks are involved, nothing is what it seems, and no one is safe. Before long the tables will be turned, and how will the Doctor survive when he becomes a prisoner of the Daleks? Featuring the Doctor as played by David Tennant in the hit BBC Television series.




    FILTER: - Books

    Doctor Who Storybook - 2009

    Thursday, 10 July 2008 - Reported by Marcus
    The third of Panini's fully illustrated Doctor Who Storybooks is due out in August.

    The Doctor and Donna travel to previously unseen times and places in this new collection of adventures, full of monsters, thrills and scares, and all illustrated in full colour. The time travellers face mythical beasts on a desert island in the company of Jason and his Argonauts, square up to a terrifying Ice Warrior in the wastes of the Arctic Circle, battle the cute-but-deadly denizens of a theme park gone mad, get tangled up in the mystery of the Bayeux Tapestry, and try to prevent an entire planet from being kidnapped.

    The book contains seven brand new short stories, featuring writers from the TV series itself.

    • Hello Children, Everywhere, written by Paul Magrs, illustrated by Brian Williamson.
    • Grand Theft Planet! written by James Moran (The Fires of Pompeii), illustrated by Daryl Joyce.
    • Cold written by Mark Gatiss (The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot's Lantern), illustrated by Ben Willsher.
    • Bing Bong written by Gareth Roberts (The Shakespeare Code, The Unicorn and the Wasp) & Clayton Hickman, illustrated by Dan McDaid.
    • Island of the Sirens written by Keith Temple (Planet of the Ood), illustrated by Adrian Salmon.
    • The Puplet written by Gary Russell, illustrated by Andy Walker.
    • Hold Your Horses written by Nicholas Pegg, illustrated by Jon Haward & Nigel Dobbyn.

    Plus there's a comic strip, The Immortal Emperor written by Jonathan Morris with art by Rob Davis, and A Letter from the Doctor as told to new showrunner Steven Moffat (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead).

    The 80-page hardback also features a new painted cover by Alister Pearson and a frontispiece by David A Roach. It's published by Panini Books and edited by Clayton Hickman.




    FILTER: - Books

    Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale

    Tuesday, 8 July 2008 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
    This autumn, BBC Books will publish Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, a close look at the work of chief writer and showrunner Russell T Davies on Series Four of Doctor Who. The book is co-written by Davies and Doctor Who Magazine journalist Benjamin Cook, and is scheduled for publication on25 September 2008. The publisher's blurb is below.

    The book has a foreword by bestselling novelist Philip Pullman and an afterword by Tenth Doctor David Tennant.

    Davies and Cook will participate in a discussion about the book and Davies' tenure on Doctor Who at the National Theatre on 7 November 2008, as part of the theatre's "Platforms" series.

    Thanks to "Gregor" of the Doctor Who Forum.
    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 scene; how actors are cast and other creative decisions are made; and how he juggles the demands ofDoctor Who with the increasingly successful Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures spin-offs.

    Russell's scripts are discussed as they develop, and Russell and Ben's wide-ranging discussions bring in experiences from previous series ofDoctor Who as well as other shows Russell has written and created, including Queer As FolkBob and 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.




    FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Production - Books

    Doctor Who: The Forgotten

    Tuesday, 8 July 2008 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
    In August, American comics publisher IDW will release the first issue of Doctor Who: The Forgotten, a new comic book miniseries starring the Tenth Doctor and Martha, and also containing flashback stories for each of the previous nine Doctors. Thecomic is written by Tony Lee, who previously wrote for the Tenth Doctor and Rose in the Doctor Who Magazine strip "F.A.Q." (DWM 369-371). It is illustrated by Canadian artist Pia Guerra, who is best known for her work on the Vertigo comic Y: The Last Man. Guerra has described herself as an "insane" fan of Doctor Who (see her studio for proof) and is a past winner of the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Art. Covers for the series are provided by Nick Roche, who illustrated IDW's previous Tenth Doctor miniseries. That series, written by Gary Russell, will be available in trade paperback asDoctor Who: Agent Provocateur in August.Comic Book Resources has an interview with Lee, along with sample art from the first issue of The Forgotten.IDW also publishes Doctor Who: Classic Comics, which reprints Fourth Doctor comics from Doctor Who Weekly in full color.

    Thanks to Margaret Roberts and Shane Williams.
    In Doctor Who: The Forgotten, the Doctor finds himself stranded in a strange Museum that's dedicated to him; and with no TARDIS in sight. The Doctor and Martha must make sense of their surroundings, hindered by one small fact… the Doctor has lost his memories of every one of his previous incarnations! With items relevant to each Doctor in their possession, the Doctor must try to use them to regain his memories before it's too late.




    FILTER: - DWM - Books

    Telos Update

    Saturday, 5 July 2008 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper
    Telos Publishing has announced several new titles for 2008, and among them are the latest in their range of unofficial and unauthorised non-fiction guides toDOCTOR WHO and TORCHWOOD.

    MONSTERS WITHIN is by Stephen James Walker and continues the story of DOCTOR WHO from the 2007 Christmas Special through the end of Series Four. The book is a detailed viewer's guide to the build-up and background to the show, as well as factual analysis and review of all the episodes. MONSTERS WITHIN will be published in December 2008.

    SOMETHING IN THE DARKNESS is Stephen James Walker's follow up to the bestselling INSIDE THE HUB and looks at the second series of the DOCTOR WHO spin off TORCHWOOD. Like the DOCTOR WHO guide it delves into the background and production of the show and subjects all the episodes to critical review and analysis. SOMETHING IN THE DARKNESS will be published in August 2008.




    FILTER: - Production - Books

    The Time Traveller's Almanac

    Wednesday, 25 June 2008 - Reported by DWNP Archive
    Posted By John Bowman

    BBC Books has released details about the forthcoming Doctor Who publication The Time Traveller's Almanac.

    Billed as 'The Ultimate Intergalactic Fact-Finder', the hardback book explores parallel versions of Earth, counts sightings of Captain Jack Harkness through history, relives the Doctor's encounters with Charles Dickens, Madame de Pompadour and Queen Victoria, tracks the origins of the Family of Blood, the Chula spacecraft and the Vespiform, and focuses on events such as the First World War, the Great Depression and the Battle of Canary Wharf.

    From the fall of Troy to the Apollo moon landing, Shakespeare and Agatha Christie to the Gelth and the Reapers, it tracks key events throughout history and includes tales of great lives, explanations of important issues in science, technology and the arts, and retells the stories that have defined each era.

    Among the features, it also delves into the eruption of Vesuvius plus the mysteries of Carrionite science, takes a look at the eminent artists of the 16th, 19th and 21st centuries, and examines where the Daleks come from.

    Fully illustrated with photos and artwork, The Time Traveller's Almanac, by Steve Tribe, will be published on September 25, 2008.




    FILTER: - Production - Books