Customer Reviews
One of the most enjoyable books I have read - By: Mick L, 04 Jul 2010 
Russel Davies' book on the writng of Dr Who from series 4 to The End of Time is amazing. As a heterosexual man I can probably never understand the meaning for Russellin what he has done personally with Dr Who but I genuinely believe his era with Crhistopher Ecclestone & David Tennant is the greatest we have seen (started watching the show with the Pertwee story Frontierin Space if you were wondering.)
I avoided this for ages but I have to say if you like him at all when you see himin interview you should read this as his charm & enthuisiam for Who come through clearly.
Watched End of Time 2 again today & the skill of his writing is tremendous - my wife said "none of the others got a reward" & my answer was none of the other writers either thought of it or would have got away with it. It gets me angry to see rubbish like the Dr Who Episode Guide within which Time & The Rani & Curse of Fenric get the same score & End of Time is considered poor because the master's plan is ludicrous (so what) & it takes ages for Tennant to regenerate. As time passes we will come to appreciate the qualities of Davies to celebrate all that we cherishin our heroes & why we love this progranme.
GRAFT AND CRAFT - By: Mr. D. L. Rees, 17 Jun 2010 In emails galore Russell T. Davies describes to friend Benjamin Cook the agony & the ecstasy of a momentous fourteen months.
"There's no such thing as a typical day." Masterminding the fourth series of the revitalized "Doctor Who" is daunting enough -attempting to surpass the previous seasons' quality & excitements. There are episodes to write, including an ambitious Christmas Special, plus the overseeing of spin-offs "Torchwood" & "The Sarah Jane Adventures". Problems abound. Scripts forever need cutting down to size, budgets heeded, deadlines met - not to mention coping with devastating press leaks, a heavy cold, chicken pox & innumerable other crises. No wonder Russell T. Davies so often writes well into the night & sometimes through it. THE wonder is that he still finds time to email (sometimes at great length) his thoughts & frustrations - not to mention the elation when everything clicks neatly into place. These emails are chatty & truly fascinate, we amongst other things following the evolution of episodes we later watched & enjoyed so much.
Here is a book not just for "Doctor Who" fans but for all interestedin the writer's craft. (Note Russell's pet hates - examples of the lazy writing so muchin evidence each day on our screens.)
Awesome, exhilarating, provoking much food for thought. There is lavish praise for colleagues (especially Catherine Tate - a Doctor's companionin a class of her own) & genuine delight Steven Moffat should agree to take over the baton. In passing, Russell pays tribute to a young actor's skills shownin one episode - this was Colin Morgan, destined to become a magical Merlin. Elsewhere there is sadness at the terminal illness of Howard Attfield who played Donna's dad. Rewriting led to the creation of a grandfather - he portrayed so memorably by Bernard Cribbins.
Lavishly illustrated, Russell's own cartoons included. Prepare to be overwhelmed by the talent, enthusiasm & stamina. If only the emails WE receive could be a fraction as entertaining!
I didn't want to finish the book! - By: Rosie, 06 May 2010 I also had the first book & loved it for all the reasons others have said. I bought The Final Chapter as I had seen such good reviews. I could not put the book down, &in the end had to ration my reading sessions so that I could enjoy it for even longer. As the man himself says: Wonderful, Marvellous!
Thoroughly enjoyable - By: KM, 06 Apr 2010 
Not given it 5 stars as it could be a bit more Dr Who & a bit less RTD.
Doctor Who: The (procastinating) Writer's Tale - By: Timbo, 23 Mar 2010 Want to know how a TV writer really works (rather than all the books on How to Write)? This is the book for you. Funny & informative about how TV shows are really scripted & produced. It's also a mini memoir for RTD, & it tells you everything you want to know about the new series of Doctor Who.
RTD is a pretty adept cartoonist too.
