Russell T Davies: Difference between revisions
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Russel T Davies is a gay faggot, he fucked up [[Doctor Who]] <small>e.g</small> he made the 10th doctor's regeneration to overdramatic and fucked it up. When he said he would leave after 2009, fans around the world celebrated like it was 1999 again. |
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{{Infobox writer |
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| name = Russell T Davies |
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| image = Russelltdavies.jpg |
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| alt = Davies sat with his back towards a marble-effect wall. |
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| caption = Davies outside [[Cardiff Central railway station]] on 22 April 2008. |
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|04|27|df=yes}} |
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| birth_name = Stephen Russell Davies |
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| birth_place = [[Swansea]], [[Glamorgan]] |
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| occupation = [[Screenwriter]], [[television producer]] |
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| nationality = Welsh |
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| genre = [[Drama]], [[science fiction]] |
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| notableworks = ''[[Queer as Folk (UK TV series)|Queer as Folk]]''<br>''[[Bob & Rose]]''<br>''[[The Second Coming (TV serial)|The Second Coming]]''<br>''[[Casanova (2005 TV serial)|Casanova]]''<br>''[[Doctor Who]]''<br>''[[Torchwood]]''<br>''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' |
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| period = 1986–present |
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| alma_mater = [[Worcester College, Oxford]] |
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| influences = [[Robert Holmes (scriptwriter)|Robert Holmes]]<br>[[Dennis Potter]]<br>[[Joss Whedon]] |
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| partner = Andrew Smith |
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| awards = {{Awards|award=[[British Academy Television Awards|Best Children's Drama]] |year=1998|title=[[Children's Ward]]}} {{Awards|award=[[Dennis Potter]] Award |year=2006}} |
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{{Awards|award=[[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|Best Drama Series]] |year=2006|title=Doctor Who}} |
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}} |
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'''Russell T Davies''', [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (born '''Stephen Russell Davies''',<ref name="lawson">{{cite episode|title=Russell T Davies|series=[[Mark Lawson]] Talks to...|network=[[BBC]]|station=[[BBC Four]]|airdate=16 January 2008}}</ref> 27 April 1963) is a Welsh [[television producer]] and [[screenwriter]] whose works include ''[[Queer as Folk (UK TV series)|Queer as Folk]]'', ''[[Bob & Rose]]'', ''[[The Second Coming (TV serial)|The Second Coming]]'', ''[[Casanova (2005 TV serial)|Casanova]]'', and the 2005 revival of the classic British [[science fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. |
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Born in Swansea, Davies aspired to work as a [[comic artist]] in his adult life, until a careers advisor at his school suggested that he study English literature; he consequently focused on a career of play- and screen-writing. After he graduated from Oxford University, Davies joined the [[BBC]]'s [[children's television|children's department]] on a part-time basis in 1985 and worked in varying positions, including writing and producing two series, ''[[Dark Season]]'' and ''[[Century Falls]]''. He left the BBC in the early 1990s to work for [[Granada Television]] and later became a freelance writer. |
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Davies moved into writing adult television dramas in 1994. His early scripts generally explored concepts of religion and sexuality among various backdrops: ''[[Revelations (1994 TV series)|Revelations]]'' was a soap opera about organised religion and featured a lesbian vicar; ''[[Springhill (TV series)|Springhill]]'' was a soap drama about a Catholic family in contemporary [[Liverpool]]; ''[[The Grand (TV series)|The Grand]]'' explored society's opinion of subjects such as prostitution, abortion, and homosexuality during the [[interwar period]]; and ''Queer as Folk'', his first prolific series, recreated his experiences in the [[Canal Street (Manchester)|Manchester gay scene]]. His later series include ''Bob & Rose'', which portrayed a gay man who fell in love with a woman, ''The Second Coming'', which focused on the [[Second Coming of Christ|second coming]] and [[deicide]] of [[Jesus Christ]], ''[[Mine All Mine]]'', a comedy about a family who discover they owned the entire city of Swansea, and ''Casanova'', an adaptation of [[Histoire de ma vie|the Venetian lover's complete memoirs]]. |
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His most notable achievement is reviving and running the science fiction series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' after a sixteen year hiatus, with [[Christopher Eccleston]], and later [[David Tennant]], in the title role of the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]]. Davies' tenure as [[executive producer]] of the show oversaw a surge in popularity that led to the production of two [[spin-off (media)|spin-off]] series, ''[[Torchwood]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', and the revival of the Saturday primetime dramas as a profitable venture for production companies. Davies was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to drama, which coincided with his announcement that he would step down from as the show's executive producer with his final script, ''[[The End of Time]]'' (2009–10). Davies is currently living in Los Angeles, [[California]], and has been overseeing production of ''[[Torchwood: Miracle Day]]'' and, before the death of [[Elisabeth Sladen]], series five of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''. |
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==Early life and youth career== |
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Stephen Russell Davies was born on 27 April 1963 in Mount Pleasant Hospital, [[Swansea]]. His parents, Barbara and Vivian Davies, were [[Classic literature|Classic]]s teachers from the suburban area of [[Sketty]]. Stephen was the youngest of three children and their only son. Because he was born by [[caesarean section]], his mother was placed on a [[morphine]] drip; an overdose resulted in a [[psychotic episode]] and institutionalisation.<ref name="birth">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 9–11}}</ref> He described his mother's experience as "literally [...] like science fiction" and an early inspiration for his writing career.<ref name="birth" /> |
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As a child, Davies was almost exclusively referred to by his middle name.<ref name="birth" /> He grew up in a household that "never switched the TV off" until after [[sign-off#United Kingdom|closedown]], and he subsequently became immersed in dramas such as ''[[I, Claudius]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]''; one of his first memories, at the age of three, was the dénouement of the 1966 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''[[The Tenth Planet]]''. He was also an avid cartoonist and comics enthusiast and purchased series such as ''[[Asterix]]'' and ''[[Peanuts]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 12}}</ref> |
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Davies attended the local Tycoch Primary School in Sketty and enrolled at [[Olchfa School|Olchfa Comprehensive School]] at the age of eleven. In his first year, the main school buildings were closed off for renovation after inspectors discovered the cement used in construction caused other public buildings to collapse. Lessons were held in [[portacabin]]s instead, which influenced his imagination to create mystery, science-fiction, and conspiracy thriller stories about the main building. He also immersed himself in books such as ''[[Sons and Lovers]]'' by [[D. H. Lawrence]] and ''The Crystal Mouse'' by Babs H Deal; the latter influenced him so much he could "see it echoing in anything" he wrote.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 13–15}}</ref> |
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At the age of fourteen, Davies auditioned for and joined the newly formed [[West Glamorgan]] Youth Theatre (WGYT). The group's founder and director, Godfrey Evans, considered him to be "a total all-rounder" who was talented and popular with the other students. Working with the group allowed him to define his sexual identity: he embarked on a several-month relationship with fellow youth thespian Rhian Morgan, and later [[coming out|came out]] as homosexual in his teenage years.<ref name="wgyt-comics">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 16–17}}</ref> |
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In 1979, Davies completed his [[O-Levels]] and stayed at Olchfa with the ambition to study [[English Literature]] at an [[Oxbridge]] university; he abandoned his aspirations of becoming a comic artist after a careers advisor convinced him his [[colour-blindness]] would make that path unlikely.<ref name="wgyt-comics" /> During his studies, he participated in the WGYT's assignments to create [[Welsh language]] drama to be performed at the [[National Eisteddfod of Wales]], including ''Pair Dadeni'', a play based on the [[Mabinogion]] myth cycle, and ''Perthyn'', a drama about community belonging and identity in early-1980s West Glamorgan. In 1981, he was accepted by [[Worcester College, Oxford]] to study English literature. At Oxford, he realised that he was enamoured with the [[narrative]] aspect of fiction, especially [[History of modern literature#19th century|nineteenth-century literature]] such as [[Charles Dickens]].<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 19–21}}</ref> |
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Davies continued to submit scripts to the WGYT during his studies at Oxford: ''Box'', a play about the influence of television that Evans noted contained Davies' penchants for misdirecting the audience and mixing comedy and drama; ''In Her Element'', which centred around the animation of still objects; and ''Hothouse'', an [[Alan Bennett]]-inspired piece about internal politics in an advertising office. In 1984, he made his final performance for the WGYT and signed up for a course in Theatre Studies at [[Cardiff University]] after graduating from Oxford.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 22–24}}</ref> He worked sporadically for the [[Sherman Theatre]]'s publicity department and claimed [[Jobseeker's Allowance]] in the interim. In 1985, Davies began his professional television career after a friend suggested that he should talk to a television producer who was seeking a temporary graphic artist for the children's show ''[[Why Don't You...?]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 24–25}}</ref> |
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==Children's television career== |
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Davies was taken on as a member of the [[BBC Wales]] [[CBBC|Children's]] department in 1985 and given one-day contracts and commissions, such as illustrating for ''Why Don't You...?''. As he was only given three days of work per month by the BBC, he continued to freelance and volunteer for the Sherman Theatre. In 1986, he was approached by the ''[[Sunday Sport]]'' before its launch to provide a [[football (soccer)|football]]-themed daily strip; he declined because he was concerned about the pornographic content of the newspaper. He also submitted a script for ''[[Crossroads (soap opera)|Crossroads]]'' in response to an appeal for new writers; it was not used because the show was cancelled in in 1987. He ultimately abandoned his graphic art career entirely when he realised in his early twenties that he enjoyed writing the dialogue of a comic more than creating the art.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 27–31}}</ref> |
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On 1 June 1987, Davies made his first and only appearance as a television presenter on ''[[Play School (UK TV series)|Play School]]'' alongside regular presenter [[Chloe Ashcroft|Chloë Ashcroft]]. ''Why Don't You...?'' line producer Peter Charlton suggested that he would "be good on camera" and advised him to take his career public. Davies was granted the opportunity for sporadic appearances over a period of six months; he hosted only one episode as a storytelling illustrator before he walked off the set and commented he "[was] not doing that again". The appearance remains an in-joke in the industry, and the recordings were invariably requested for [[wrap party|wrap parties]] Davies attended.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 31–33}}</ref> |
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On ''Why Don't You...?'', Davies took on varying jobs, including researcher, director, illustrator, assistant floor manager, and unofficial publicist for fan-mail. He was offered his first professional scriptwriting job in 1986 by show producer Dave Evans; he had entered Evans' office to collect his wages and was offered an extra £100 to write a replacement script. Davies' script was positively reviewed in the department and led to increasingly larger roles that culminated in a six-month contract to write for the show after it relocated to Manchester in 1988.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 33–35}}</ref> He worked for the show for two more years and eventually became the show's producer. He oversaw an increase in drama which tripled its audience—despite the fact BBC Manchester was not permitted to create children's dramas—which reached its climax with his last episode: a drama where the ''Why Don't You...?'' protagonists, led by the show's longest running presenter [[Ben Slade]], were trapped in a café by a supercomputer that tried to kill them.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 38–41}}</ref> |
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While he was producing ''Why Don't You...?'', Davies branched out within the children's department at [[BBC North West|BBC Manchester]]: he attended directors' courses; wrote for older audiences with his contributions to ''[[DEF II]]'' and ''[[On the Waterfront (TV series)|On the Waterfront]]''; and accompanied [[Keith Chegwin]] to Norway to assist in the production of a children's documentary about politics. The head of the children's department, Ed Pugh, offered him the chance to produce ''[[Breakfast Serials]]'', a new series scheduled for an 8:00 am slot. ''Breakfast Serials'' incorporated elements of [[Non sequitur (literary device)|non-sequitur]] comedy and popular culture references aimed at older students, such as a parody of ''[[Land of the Giants]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 35–38}}</ref> Davies would make the decision to leave the children's department and the BBC during the production of ''Breakfast Serials'': a friend called him after the first episode was transmitted and observed that he had "broadcast a joke about the juvenilia of [[Emily Brontë]] at eight o'clock in the morning"; the conversation caused him to reflect that he was writing for the wrong audience.<ref name="leavingkids">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 41–42}}</ref> However, Davies would produce three more children's series while he pursued an adult drama career: ''[[Dark Season]]'', ''[[Century Falls]]'', and ''[[Children's Ward]]''. |
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===''Dark Season'' and ''Century Falls''=== |
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[[File:KateWinslet06TIFF.jpg|alt=Kate Winslet at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival.|thumb|upright|''Dark Season'' was a breakthrough role for multi-award winning actress [[Kate Winslet]].<ref name="DSplot" />]] |
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During his tenure on ''Why Don't You...?'', Davies oversaw the production of a story that took place in [[Loch Ness]]. The story was the precursor for his first freelance children's project: ''[[Dark Season]]''. The show, originally called ''The Adventuresome Three'', would feature the ''Why Don't You...?'' characters in a purely dramatic setting that was influenced by his childhood. He submitted the script to the head of the BBC's Children's department, Anna Home, and [[Granada Television]]. Both companies were interested in producing the show with minor changes: Granada wished to produce it as one six-part serial, as opposed to Davies' plan of two three-part serials; and Home was interested in accepting the show on the condition it included a new cast of characters. He accepted Home's offer, and the show was allocated the budget and timeslot of ''[[Maid Marian and her Merry Men]]'', which had been put on hiatus the year before.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 43–45}}</ref> |
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The first three episodes of ''Dark Season'' feature three young teenagers in a contemporary secondary school, Reet ([[Kate Winslet]]), Marcie (Victoria Lambert), and Tom (Ben Chandler), who discover a plot by the villain Mr Eldritch (Grant Parsons) to take over the world using school computers. Eldritch is eventually defeated by Marcie and the computer expert Professor Polzinsky ([[Rosalie Crutchley]]). The next three episodes focus on a new villain: the archaeologist Miss Pendragon ([[Jacqueline Pearce]]), later described by Davies as a "[[devil worship]]ping [[Nazi]] lesbian",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/sep/15/channel4.gayrights|title=Transmission was madness. Honestly.|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Russell T|last=Davies|date=15 September 2003|accessdate=13 September 2011}}</ref> who becomes a part of the ancient supercomputer Behemoth. The two distinct plot elements converge at the end of the fifth episode, when Pendragon crashes through the school stage as Eldtrich walks into the auditorium.<ref name="DSplot">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 45–47}}</ref> |
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''Dark Season'' uses concepts seen in his tenure as executive producer of ''Doctor Who'': "[[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|School Reunion]]", written by [[Toby Whithouse]], shares its concept of the antagonist using computers in a [[comprehensive school]] to take over the world; "[[Army of Ghosts]]" unexpectedly brings together the series' two major villains for the final episode; and the characters of Marcie and her friends are similar, albeit unintentionally, to the structure of the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] and his [[companion (Doctor Who)|companion]]s.<ref name="DSplot" /> ''Dark Season'' was the first series that he was credited as "Russell T Davies"—the initial arbitrarily chosen to distinguish himself from [[Russell Davies|the BBC Radio 4 presenter]]—and the first series that he was commissioned to write a novelisation: it features a more ambiguous climax and foreshadows a sequel set in an arcade similar to the one featured in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' serial ''[[Warriors of Kudlak]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 51–52}}</ref> |
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Davies started planning a second series for ''Dark Season'' that followed a similar structure. The first half of the series would take part in the arcade mentioned in the novelisation, and the second would feature the appearance of psychic twins and the re-emergence of the villain Eldritch. The concepts were transferred to its spiritual successor, ''[[Century Falls]]'', which was produced in 1993 at the request of ''Dark Season'' director [[Colin Cant]]. The series primarily used the "psychic twins" concept and was set in an isolated village based on those in the [[Yorkshire Dales]] and the [[North York Moors]].<ref name="CFplot">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 52–54}}</ref> |
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The plot of ''Century Falls'' is driven by a legend that no children had been born in the eponymous village for over forty years. The lead protagonist, Tess Hunter (Catherine Sanderson), is an overweight teenager who moves to the village with her mother at the beginning of the serial. She quickly befriends the psychic Ben Naismith ([[Simon Fenton]]) and his twin sister Carey (Emma Jane Lavin). The three teenagers examine the waterfall that gave Ben his powers and the disaster that caused the legendary infertility. The serial climaxes in a confrontation between Tess and the deity Century, who is attempting to fuse with Tess' unborn sister.<ref name="CFplot" /> |
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''Century Falls'' is conceptually much darker than its predecessor ''Dark Season'' and his later work, which Davies attributed to a trend that inexperienced writers "get off on the dark stuff".<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 53}}</ref> The series also offers a sense of realism in its protagonist—who is neither heroic nor aspirational, and has poor social skills—and not avoiding the word "fat", which the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' praised as "something that defies the [[Thought Police]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 54–55}}</ref> ''Century Falls'' was the last script he wrote for the BBC's children's department for fourteen years. He had begun to formulate another successor: ''The Heat of the Sun'', a series set over Christmas 1999 and [[New Year's Day]] 2000 that would have included the concepts of psychic powers and world domination.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 56–57}}</ref> |
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===''Children's Ward''=== |
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While he was writing ''Dark Season'' and ''Century Falls'', Davies sought freelance projects elsewhere, including three scripts for the BBC children's comedy ''[[ChuckleVision]]''. On venture in 1991 led him to [[Granada Television]], where he edited scripts for the ITV children's medical drama ''[[Children's Ward]]'' under the supervision of eventual ''[[Coronation Street]]'' producer Tony Wood and his former boss Ed Pugh. By 1992, he had been promoted to producer and oversaw an increase in discussion of larger contemporary issues. In 1993, he wrote a script featuring a teenage boy that had been infected with [[HIV]] via a blood transfusion, which challenged the prevalent assumption that only gay people contracted HIV:<ref name="theward" /> |
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{{quote| |
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;Jason Lloyd: You must be a [[wikt:poof|poof]] if you've got [[AIDS]]. |
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;Richard Higgs: I'm not gay, and I haven't got AIDS; I'm HIV positive. But just for the sake of an argument let's say I was homosexual. Would it matter? What difference would it make? |
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;Jason: [You'd] fancy me, wouldn't you? |
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;Richard: There's not a boy, girl, man, or woman alive who could possibly fancy you. Look around. Where's this queue of people dying to ask you out? They don't exist, Jason, because you're stupid, you're bigoted, and you don't matter one little bit.|Russell T Davies|''Children's Ward'', 1993<ref name="poof" />}} |
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Davies left the role of producer in 1994, but continue to write for the series on occasion. Notably, he was requested to write the 100th episode of the series, then called ''The Ward'', which aired in October 1996. Instead of celebrating the milestone, he wrote a script about a recently emerging threat: [[paedophile]]s in online chat-rooms. The episode was about a ''[[The X-Files]]'' fan who was drawn in by a paedophile's offer of a rare magazine. In the dénouement of the episode, the child recounts the tale of his near abduction and describes his attacker as "just a man like any other man". The episode earnt Davies his first [[BAFTA]] award: the 1997 Children's BAFTA for Best Drama.<ref name="theward">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 59–64}}</ref> |
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==Adult television career (1994–2004)== |
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During his production tenure on ''Children's Ward'', Davies continued to seek other freelance writing jobs, particularly for [[soap opera]]s; his intention was to eventually work on the popular and long-running Granada soap ''Coronation Street''. In pursuit of this career plan, he storylined soaps such as ''[[Families (TV series)|Families]]'' and wrote scripts for shows such as ''[[Cluedo (UK game show)|Cluedo]]'', a game show based on the [[Cluedo|board game of the same name]], and ''Do the Right Thing'', a localised version of the Brazilian panel show ''Você Decide'' with [[Terry Wogan]] as presenter and [[Frank Skinner]] as a regular panellist. One writing job, for ''The House of Windsor'', a soap opera about footmen in [[Buckingham Palace]], was so poorly received that his other scripts for the show would be written under the pseudonym Leo Vaughn.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 64–69}}</ref> |
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In 1994, Davies quit all of his producing jobs, and was offered a scriptwriting role on the late-night soap opera ''[[Revelations (1994 TV series)|Revelations]]'', created by him, [[Tony Wood]], and [[Brian B. Thompson]]. The series was a tongue-in-cheek deconstruction of organised religion, and featured his first overtly LGBT character: a lesbian vicar portrayed by [[Sue Holderness]], who came out of the closet in a [[two-hander]] episode with Carole Nimmons.<ref name="lesbian">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 69–72}}</ref> Davies attributes the revelation about Holderness's character as a consequence of both the "pressure cooker nature" of the show and the recent [[ordination of women in the Anglican communion|ordination of female vicars in the Church of England]].<ref name="lesbian" /> He let his contract with Granada expire and pitched a new early-evening soap opera to [[Channel 4]], ''RU'', created by Bill Moffat, father of ''[[Press Gang]]'' co-creator [[Steven Moffat]], and co-written by him and [[Paul Cornell]]. Although the slot was eventually taken by ''[[Hollyoaks]]'', he and Cornell mutually benefited from the pitch: Davies introduced Cornell to the ''Children's Ward'' producers, and Cornell introduced Davies to [[Virgin Publishing]]. Davies wrote one ''Doctor Who'' [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel, ''[[Damaged Goods (Doctor Who novel)|Damaged Goods]]'', in which the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] tracks a [[Class A drug]] across several galaxies. A sub-plot in the book was in turn the inspiration for ''The Mother War'', a never-produced thriller for Granada about a woman, Eva Jericho, and a [[calcification|calcified]] fetus in her uterus.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 72–73}}</ref> |
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Davies continued to propose dramas to Channel 4, including ''Springhill'', an [[apocalyptic fiction|apocalyptic]] soap-opera co-created by his colleagues [[Frank Cottrell Boyce]] and [[Paul Abbott]] that aired simultaneously on [[Sky One]] and Channel 4 in 1996–97. Set in suburban Liverpool, the series focuses on the pious [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] Freeman family and their encounter and internal conflict with Eva Morrigan (Katharine Rogers).<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 75–76}}</ref> He storylined for the second series, but submitted fewer scripts; Granada had commissioned him to write for their soap ''The Grand'', temporarily storyline for ''Coronation Street'', and write the straight-to-video special ''[[Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 86}}</ref> The second series of ''Springhill'' continued his penchant for symbolism; in particular, it depicted Marion Freeman ([[Judy Holt]]) and Eva as personifications of good and evil, and climaxed with a finale set in an ultra-liberal dystopian future where premarital sex and homosexuality are embraced by the Church.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 78–80}}</ref> Boyce later commented that without Davies' input, the show would have been a "dry run" for Abbott's hit show ''[[Shameless]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 81}}</ref> |
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Davies' next project was ''[[The Grand (TV series)|The Grand]]'', a [[period drama|period soap drama]] set in a Manchester hotel during the [[interwar period]]. It was designed to be a valuable show in a ratings war with the BBC and was scheduled at 9 pm on a Friday night. After the original writer abandoned the series, Granada approached him to write the entire show.<ref name="thegrandandharkness">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 87}}</ref> His scripts for the first series reflect the pessimism of the period; each episode added its own emotional trauma on the staff, including a soldier's execution for desertion, a destitute maid who threatened to illegally abort her unborn child to survive, and a multi-episode storyline centred on the chambermaid Monica Jones ([[Jane Danson]]) as she kills her lover in self-defence, is arrested, and eventually executed for murder.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 88–90}}</ref> The show was renewed for a second series despite the first's dark tone.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 90–91}}</ref> |
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The second series had a lighter tone and greater emphasis on character development, which Davies attributed to his friend Sally, who had previously warned him of the adult humour in ''Breakfast Serials''; she told him that his show was too bleak to be compared to real life. Davies highlighted the sixth and eighth episodes of the second series as a time of maturity as a writer: for the sixth, he utilised then-unconventional narrative devices such as [[flashback (narrative)|flashback]]s to explore the hotel barman's closeted homosexuality and the societal attitudes towards sexuality in the 1920s;<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 94–95}}</ref> and he highlighted the eighth as when he allowed the series to "take on its own life" by deliberately inserting plot devices such as [[McGuffin]]s to enhance the comic relief of the series.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 91–94}}</ref> Although it was well received, the series' ratings were not high enough to warrant a third series. After its cancellation in September 1997, Davies had an existential crisis and almost died from an overdose; the experience persuaded him to detoxify and make a name for himself by producing a series that celebrated his homosexuality.<ref name="qofformativr">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 98}}</ref> |
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===''Queer as Folk''=== |
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[[File:Canal Street, Europride 2003.jpg|thumb|Manchester's [[gay district]] on [[Canal Street (Manchester)|Canal Street]] was a major source of inspiration for ''Queer as Folk'' and, later, ''Bob & Rose''.|alt=Canal Street during Europride 2003: several rainbow flags adorn the exterior of bars along the road.]] |
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{{Main|Queer as Folk (UK TV series)}} |
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{{quote|I'm queer. I'm gay. I'm homosexual. I'm a poof, I'm a poofter, I'm a ponce. I'm a bumboy, batty-boy, backside artist, bugger. I'm bent. I am that arse bandit. I lift those shirts. I'm a faggot-ass, fudge-packing, shit-stabbing uphill gardener. I dine at the downstairs restaurant, I dance at the other end of the ballroom. I'm Moses and the parting of the red cheeks. I fuck and I am fucked. I suck and I am sucked. I rim them and wank them, and every single man's had the fucking time of his life. And I am ''not'' a pervert. If there's one twisted bastard in this family, it's this little blackmailer here. So congratulations, Thomas. I've just officially outed you. ''[beat]'' Oh, and one more thing: did I mention I've got a baby?|Stuart Jones ([[Aidan Gillen]]) [[coming out]] to his parents in the first episode of ''Queer as Folk 2''.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Out of the Closet, Into the Fire, Part 1 |series=[[Queer as Folk (UK TV series)|Queer as Folk]] |credits=Writer and producer: Davies, Russell T; Director: [[Menhaj Huda|Huda, Menhaj]]; Starring: [[Charlie Hunnam|Hunnam, Charlie]]; [[Craig Kelly (actor)|Kelly, Craig]]; [[Aidan Gillen|Gillen, Aidan]] |network=[[Channel 4]] |airdate=15 February 2000 |seriesno=2 |number=1 }}</ref>}} |
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After his near-death experience, Davies started to develop a series for [[Channel 4]] which reflected the "hedonistic lifestyle" of the gay quarter of Manchester he was leaving behind. Encouraged by ex-Granada executives Catriona MacKenzie and Gub Neil to "go gay", the series focused on a group of friends in Manchester's gay scene, tentatively titled ''The Other End of the Ballroom'', and later, ''Queer as Fuck''.<ref name="qofformative">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 97–99}}</ref> By February 1998, when he completed the first draft for the series première, the series was known under its eventual title ''Queer as Folk''.<ref name="qofformative" /> The series emulates dramas such as ''[[Band of Gold (TV series)|Band of Gold]]'' in presenting realistic discussion on sexuality, as opposed to "one-sided" gay characters in soap operas such as ''[[Eastenders]]'', and eschews "heavy-handed discussion" of issues such as HIV, instead focusing on the party scene on [[Canal Street (Manchester)|Canal Street]].<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 97–100}}</ref> |
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After he wrote the pilot, he approached actors for the main characters.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 98–100}}</ref> [[Christopher Eccleston]] was Davies' first choice for the role of Stuart Jones; Eccleston declined because of his age and suggested his friend [[Aidan Gillen]] instead.<ref name="qofcasting">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 100–101}}</ref> The roles of Vince Tyler and Nathan Maloney were quickly given to [[Craig Kelly (actor)|Craig Kelly]] and [[Charlie Hunnam]], and the secondary character Alexander Perry, originally written for the television producer [[Phil Collinson]] during his brief acting career, was portrayed by [[Anthony Cotton]], who later portrayed the gay character [[Sean Tully]] in ''[[Coronation Street]]''.<ref name="qofcasting" /> The series was allocated a £3,000,000 budget, and was produced by [[Red Productions]], owned by his friend and former colleague [[Nicola Shindler]], and filmed by ''[[Cracker (UK TV series)|Cracker]]'' and ''[[Hillsborough disaster#"Hillsborough" television drama|Hillsborough]]'' director [[Charles McDougall]] and ''The Grand'' director Sarah Hardin on location in Manchester.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 102}}</ref> The eight forty-minute episodes emulated experiences from his social life and includes an episode where the minor character Phil Delaney ([[Jason Merrells]]) succumbs to his excesses and dies unnoticed by his social circle.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 103–105}}</ref> |
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The series was transmitted in early 1999, when [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] were discussing [[LGBT rights in the United Kingdom|LGBT equality]]; the series première aired on the day the House of Lords was discussing the [[Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000|Sexual Offences Bill 1999]], which eventually reduced the [[age of consent]] for homosexual couples to 16.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 109}}</ref> The première was controversial, in particular because it depicted the character Nathan, aged fifteen, in sexual intercourse with an older man; the broadcasting watchdog [[Ofcom]] received 136 complaints and the series received criticism from his parents and conservative activist [[Mary Whitehouse]].<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 109–110}}</ref> The controversy was amplified when the sponsor [[Beck's]] withdrew after several episodes and homosexual activists complained that the series was not representative of gay culture. Nevertheless, the show garnered 3.5 million per episode and a generally positive reaction from fans, and was renewed for a two-episode special due for the following year.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 110–112}}</ref> |
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''Queer as Folk 2'' was broadcast in February 2000 and was [[McGuffin|driven by the plot element]] of Vince's half-sister's wedding. The specials place emphasis on Vince and Stuart's relationship, and ends with their departure for another gay scene in a pastiche of ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]'', as Nathan took the role as the leader of the Manchester scene's next generation.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 115–117}}</ref> On the heels of the special, Davies pitched the spin-off ''Misfits'', a late-night soap opera set in a [[boarding house]] owned by Vince's mother, Hazel,<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 120}}</ref> and ''The Second Coming'', a series that depicted the [[Second Coming of Christ]] in contemporary Manchester.<ref name="secondcomingon4" /> ''Misfits'' was rejected in December 2000 and ''The Second Coming'' was initially approved by Channel 4 but later rejected after a change of executive personnel.<ref name="secondcomingon4" /><ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 126}}</ref> Instead of contesting the cancellation of ''The Second Coming'', he left Channel 4 and vowed to not work with them again.<ref name="secondcomingon4">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 129–131}}</ref> |
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===''Bob & Rose''=== |
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{{Main|Bob & Rose}} |
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Shindler continued to pitch ''The Second Coming'' to other television networks while Davies sought other ventures. His next series was based on a gay friend who married a woman and fathered a child. He saw the relationship as a promising concept for an unconventional love story and asked the couple about their relationship to develop the show.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 131}}</ref> After developing the series around the prejudice that he and his gay friends had shown, he realised he was creating [[straw man|caricatures for the purpose of exposing them]], and instead focused on telling a traditional love story and gave the couple the traditionally British names of Bob Gossage and Rose Cooper.<ref name="bobandroseandholly">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 133–136}}</ref> |
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To simulate a classic love story, the plot required antagonists, in the form of Bob's best friend Holly Vance and Rose's boyfriend Andy Lewis ([[Daniel Ryan (actor)|Daniel Ryan]]). While Andy, named after Davies' boyfriend, Andrew Smith, was a minor character and departed in the third episode, Holly featured throughout the entirety of the series.<ref name="bobandroseandholly" /> ''Bob & Rose'' thus followed a similar format to ''Queer as Folk'', in particular, the triumvirate of main characters composed of a couple and an outsider who lived in contemporary Manchester, and inverted the traditional "[[coming out]]" story by focusing on Bob's uncharacteristic attraction to Rose; Bob describes his sexual life by simply speaking the line "I fancy men. And her.".<ref name="bobandroseandholly" /> The series was similar to the [[Kevin Smith]] film ''[[Chasing Amy]]'' (1997), as they both portrayed a romance between a straight character and gay character and the resulting ostracism from the couple's social circles, much like ''The Second Coming'' shared its concept with Smith's 1999 film ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 138}}</ref> |
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After successfully pitching the show to [[ITV]], Red Productions joined Davies in casting the show and initially approached ''[[Jonathan Creek]]'' star [[Alan Davies]] to portray Bob.<ref name="casting">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 137–138}}</ref> Despite being heterosexual, he heartily accepted the role and spent several weeks researching first-hand Manchester's gay scene with series director [[Joe Wright]]. His only objection to the role was Bob being a fan of [[Manchester United F.C.]], the team Shindler had named Red Productions for, because of his prolific support of [[Arsenal F.C.]].<ref name="casting" /> The part of Rose was given to [[Lesley Sharp]], her first leading role after her portrayal of secondary characters in past Red shows ''[[Playing the Field]]'' and ''[[Clocking Off]]'', and [[Jessica Stevenson]] was cast as Holly by ITV Head of Drama Nick Elliott on the basis of her performance in the Channel 4 comedy ''[[Spaced]]''.<ref name="casting" /> |
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The series was filmed in the southern suburbs of Manchester between March and June 2001 and often used Davies' own home as a [[green room]]. The series was the only Red–Davies collaboration not to be scored by future ''Doctor Who'' composer [[Murray Gold]];<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 203}}</ref> the soundtrack was a [[Martin Phipps]] composition inspired by [[Hans Zimmer]]'s work on the 1993 film ''[[True Romance]]''.<ref name="filmandairing" /> It aired on Monday nights in September and October 2001.<ref name="filmandairing">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 137–139}}</ref> Although it was critically acclaimed, and eventually won two [[British Comedy Awards]] and a [[British Academy Television Award]] nomination, the series had lower viewing figures than expected and was moved to a later timeslot for the final two episodes.<ref name="bestthing">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 139–141}}</ref> Although the series was not as successful as he hoped, the show helped Davies rekindle his relationship with his mother shortly before her death, just after the transmission of the fourth episode, which he sees as "possibly the best thing [he has] ever written".<ref name="bestthing" /> |
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===''The Second Coming''=== |
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{{Main|The Second Coming (TV serial)}} |
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{{quote|You are becoming Gods. There's a new master of creation, and it's you! [You've] unravelled DNA, and at the same time you're cultivating bacteria strong enough to kill every living thing! Do you think you're ready for that much power, you lot?|Stephen Baxter ([[Christopher Eccleston]])|''The Second Coming''}} |
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Shortly after the transmission of ''Bob & Rose'', Davies was approached by Abbott to write for his new BBC show ''[[Linda Green]]''. He accepted the offer and wrote an episode where the titular character (portrayed by [[Liza Tarbuck]]) and her friends attend a schoolmate's funeral and become psychologically haunted by the deceased woman's solitary life.<ref name="lindagreen">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 143–145}}</ref> His first work for the BBC in eight years prompted them to continuously approach him with concepts for period dramas; he invariably declined because his only intention was to revive ''Doctor Who'', which had then been on hiatus for over a decade.<ref name="lindagreen" /> In 2002, he met with the BBC to discuss the revival of the show and producing ''The Second Coming''; the BBC were unable to commit to either, and he again declined to work for them.<ref name="lindagreen" /> After the BBC rejected ''The Second Coming'', Shindler proposed that the series should be pitched to ITV. Despite the story's controversial message, the critical success of ''Bob & Rose'' encouraged the channel to commission the series for broadcast.<ref name="lindagreen" /> |
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''The Second Coming'' had been several years in the making and endured many rewrites from the first draft presented to Channel 4 in 2000, but retained its key concept of a realistic depiction of the [[Second Coming of Christ]] with a humanity-centred deity.<ref name="secondcomingon4" /><ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 145}}</ref> A major removals from the script, due to time constraints, was a long sequence titled "Night of the Demons": the main character, a shop assistant named Stephen Baxter who discovers his divine lineage, takes over a hotel with his disciples and eventually encounters several of the hotel's employees that have been [[demonic possession|possessed by the Devil]].<ref name="notd">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 149–150}}</ref> Several similar sequences were removed to create a [[thriller (genre)|thriller]] set in the days before [[Last Judgment|Judgement Day]].<ref name="notd" /> |
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An experienced actor was required to portray Stephen; Davies approached [[Christopher Eccleston]], who had previously been approached for the role of Stuart in ''Queer as Folk'', based on his performance as Nicky Hutchinson in the drama ''[[Our Friends in the North]]''.<ref name="tsccasting">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 150–151}}</ref> Eccleston accepted the role and helped Davies make the character more human after he observed that "Baxter was getting lost amid his loftier pronouncements". The character of Judith, who would represent the fall of God, was given to Lesley Sharp after her performance in ''Bob & Rose'', and the role of the Devil was given to [[Mark Benton]].<ref name="tsccasting" /> |
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''The Second Coming'' was controversial from its conception. When it was a Channel 4 project, it was the subject of a ''[[Sunday Express]]'' article a year before its original projected transmission date of late-2001.<ref name="tscexpress">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 152}}</ref> The series would again receive criticism when it was rumoured it would be broadcast over the Easter weekend of 2003.<ref name="tscair" /> The series was eventually broadcast over consecutive nights on 9–10 February 2003 to 6.3 million and 5.4 million viewers respectively, and received mixed reactions from the audience:<ref name="tscair" /> Davies received death threats for its atheistic message and criticism for its anticlimactic ending,<ref name="tscexpress" /> but he received two nominations for Television Awards and one for a [[Royal Television Society]] Award.<ref name="tscair">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 153–145}}</ref> |
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===''Mine All Mine''=== |
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{{Main|Mine All Mine}} |
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In the time near his mother's death, Davies returned to Swansea several times and reflected on the role of family. During one visit, he realised that he had not yet written a series set in Wales; hence, he started creating a series about a family who discovers that they own the entire city of Swansea.<ref name="mamconcept" /> ''The Vivaldi Inheritance'', later renamed ''Mine All Mine'', was based on the tale of the Welsh pirate [[Robert Edwards (pirate)|Robert Edwards]] and his descendants' claim to {{convert|77|acres|m2}} of real estate in [[Lower Manhattan]], New York City.<ref name="mamconcept">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 157–159}}</ref> The series was a departure from his trend of experimental social commentary; it was instead designed to be a mainstream comedy that utilised Welsh actors: Davies and Red Productions even planned a cameo appearance by Swansea-born Hollywood actress [[Catherine Zeta Jones]].<ref name="mamconcept" /> |
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Because the series was centred on an entire family, Red Productions was given the task of casting eleven principal characters:<ref name="mamcasting">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 160–161}}</ref> the role of family patriarch Max Vivaldi was given to [[Griff Rhys Jones]], at the request of ITV for prolific actors;<ref name="mamcasting" /> Rhian Morgan, Davies' ex-girlfriend from the WGYT, was cast as Max's wife Val;<ref name="mamcasting" /> [[Sharon Morgan]] as Max's sister Stella;<ref name="mamcasting" /> [[Joanna Page]] as Candy Vivaldi;<ref name="mamcasting" /> Matthew Barry and [[Siwan Morris]] as the Vivaldi siblings Loe and Maria;<ref name="mamcasting" /> ''[[Hi-de-Hi!]]'' actress [[Ruth Madoc]] as Val's sister Myrtle Jones;<ref name="mamcasting" /> and [[Jason Hughes (actor)|Jason Hughes]] as Maria's boyfriend Gethin.<ref name="mamcasting" /> The series, specifically the family's composition of two daughters and a gay son, mirrored his own upbringing to the point where Davies and his boyfriend referred to the show as "The Private Joke".<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 161}}</ref> |
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The series was originally written in six parts, but Davies excised a large portion of the fifth episode because the crew expressed concerns with its pacing. The series was filmed in late 2003 under the direction of Sheree Folkson and Tim Whitby, and utilised many areas of Swansea that Davies was familiar with since his childhood. It aired as four hour-long episodes and a ninety-minute finale on Thursday nights preceding Christmas 2003.<ref name="mamair">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 162–163}}</ref> Eventually, ''Mine All Mine'' would be his least successful series and ended its run with just over two million viewers, which he later blamed on the series' high eccentricity.<ref name="mamair" /> |
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===''Casanova''=== |
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{{Main|Casanova (2005 TV serial)}} |
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{{quote|Gentlemen, I'm sure we can sort this out amicably. Look at it this way: if you could do what I could do, you'd do it too! But you can't. I can. And I have. And I'll do it again. So you should be happy for me, just a little tiny bit, don't you think?|Giacomo Casanova ([[David Tennant]])'s "manifesto" and first lines in the serial.<ref name="casacastandfilm" />}} |
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Shortly after the transmission of ''Mine All Mine'', the BBC commissioned Davies to produce the revival of ''Doctor Who'', which completed his decade-long quest to return the series to the airwaves.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 164}}</ref> At the time, he was developing two scripts: the first, a cinematic adaptation of the [[Charles Ingram]] ''[[Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?]]'' scandal, was cancelled after he accepted the ''Doctor Who'' job;<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 166–168}}</ref> and the second, a dramatisation of the life of the Venetian adventurer and lover [[Giacomo Casanova]], was his next show with Red Productions.<ref name="casanovaconcept">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 168–170}}</ref> |
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Davies' association with ''Casanova'' began when [[London Weekend Television]] producers [[Julie Gardner]], Michele Buck, and [[Damien Timmer]] approached him to write a 21st-century adaptation of [[Histoire de ma vie|Casanova's memoirs]].<ref name="casanovaconcept" /> He accepted to script the series because it was "the best subject in the world" and, after reading the memoirs, sought to create a realistic depiction of Casanova instead of further perpetuating the stereotype of a hypersexual lover.<ref name="casanovaconcept" /> The series was originally written for ITV, but was turned down after he could not agree on the length of the serial.<ref name="casanovaconcept" /> Shortly after the ITV declined to produce ''Casanova'', Gardner took up a position as Head of Drama at [[BBC Wales]] and brought the concept with her. The BBC agreed to fund the series, but could only release the money required if a regionally based independent company produced the series. Davies turned to Shindler, who agreed to become the serial's fifth executive producer.<ref name="casanovaconcept" /> |
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Davies' script takes place in two distinct time frames and required two different actors for the eponymous role: the older Casanova was portrayed by [[Golden Globe]] and [[Honorary Academy Award]] winner [[Peter O'Toole]], and the younger Casanova was portrayed by [[Olivier Award]] nominee and upcoming television actor [[David Tennant]].<ref name="casacastandfilm">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 170–172}}</ref> The serial takes place primarily during Casanova's early adulthood and depicts his life among three women: his mother ([[Dervla Kirwan]]), his lover Henriette ([[Laura Fraser]]), and his consort Bellino ([[Nina Sosanya]]).<ref name="casacastandfilm" /> The script takes a different approach to [[Casanova (1971 TV serial)|Dennis Potter's 1971 dramatisation]]; instead of Potter's focus on sex and misogyny, the 2005 serial focuses on Casanova's compassion and respect for women.<ref name="casacastandfilm" /> |
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''Casanova'' was filmed alongside the first few episodes of the new series of ''Doctor Who'', which meant producers common to both projects, including Davies and Gardner, made daily journeys between the former's production in [[Lancashire]] and [[Cheshire]] and the latter's production in Cardiff.<ref name="casanddw" /> Red Productions also filmed on location overseas in a stately home in [[Dubrovnik]], and alongside production of [[Casanova (2005 film)|the identically titled 2005 Lasse Hallström film]] in [[Venice]].<ref name="casacastandfilm" /> The two production teams shared resources and were given the unofficial names of "Little Casanova" and "Big Casanova" respectively.<ref name="casacastandfilm" /> When it premièred on [[BBC Three]] in March 2005, the first episode attracted 940,000 viewers, a record for a first-run drama on the channel, but was overshadowed on [[BBC One]] by the return of ''Doctor Who'' in the same month.<ref name="casanddw">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 174–175}}</ref> |
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==''Doctor Who'' (2005–2010) and beyond== |
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{{See also|History of Doctor Who#Back to the BBC|l1=History of Doctor Who: Back to the BBC}} |
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{{quote|Do you know, like we were saying? About the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning, and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it: the turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go... That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home.|The [[Ninth Doctor]] ([[Christopher Eccleston]])|''Doctor Who'', "[[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]]"<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer: Russell T Davies; Director: [[Keith Boak]]; Producer: [[Phil Collinson]]; Starring: [[Christopher Eccleston|Eccleston, Christopher]]; [[Billie Piper|Piper, Billie]]; et al | seriesno = 1 | number = 1 | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff, Wales | airdate = 26 March 2005}}</ref>}} |
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Since he watched the [[First Doctor]]'s ([[William Hartnell]]) [[regeneration (Doctor Who)|regeneration]] into the [[Second Doctor]] ([[Patrick Troughton]]) at the end of the 1966 serial ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'', Davies had "fallen in love" with the show and, by the mid-1970s, he was regularly writing reviews of broadcast serials in his diary. His favourite writer and childhood hero was [[Robert Holmes (screenwriter)|Robert Holmes]]; during his career, he has complimented the creative use of BBC studios to create "terror and claustrophobia" for Holmes' 1975 script ''[[The Ark in Space]]'' and has opined that the first episode of ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'' (1977) featured "the best dialogue ever written; it's up there with [[Dennis Potter]]".<ref name="rtdasdwfan">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 179–181}}</ref> His screenwriting career also began with a ''Doctor Who'' submission; in 1987, he submitted a [[spec script]] set on an intergalactic news aggregator and broadcaster, which was rejected by script editor [[Andrew Cartmel]], who suggested that he should write a more prosaic story about "a man who is worried about his mortgage, his marriage, [and] his dog".<ref name="rtdasdwfan" /> |
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During the late-1990s, Davies lobbied the BBC to revive the show from its hiatus and reached the discussion stages in late 1998 and early 2002.<ref name="daviesproposal">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 182–183}}</ref> His proposals would update the show to be better suited for a 21st-century audience: the series would be recorded on film instead of videotape; the length of each episode would double from twenty-five minutes to fifty; episodes would primarily take place on Earth, in the style of the [[Third Doctor]] ([[Jon Pertwee]]) [[UNIT]] episodes; and Davies would remove "excess baggage" from the mythology such as [[Gallifrey]] and the [[Time Lord]]s.<ref name="daviesproposal" /> His pitch competed against three others: [[Death Comes to Time|Dan Freedman]]'s fantasy retelling, [[Matthew Graham]]'s [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]]-styled pitch, and [[Mark Gatiss]]' reboot, which made the Doctor the [[audience surrogate]] character, instead of his [[companion (Doctor Who)|companion]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 183–185}}</ref> Davies also took cues from American fantasy television series such as ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and ''[[Smallville (TV series)|Smallville]]'', most notably ''Buffy'''s concepts of series-long [[story arc]]s and the "[[Big Bad]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 208}}</ref> |
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In August 2003, the BBC had resolved legal issues over production rights that had surfaced as a result of the jointly produced [[Universal Studios]]–BBC–[[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] [[Doctor Who|1996 ''Doctor Who'' film]], and the Controller of BBC One [[Lorraine Heggessey]] and Controller of Drama Commissioning [[Jane Tranter]] approached Gardner and Davies to create a revival of the series to air in a [[primetime]] slot on Saturday nights, as part of their plan to devolve production to its regional bases. By mid-September, they accepted the deal to produce the series alongside ''Casanova''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 185–186}}</ref> |
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Davies' [[pitch (filmmaking)|pitch]] for ''Doctor Who'' was the first one he wrote voluntarily; previously, he opted to outline concepts of shows to commissioning executives and offer to write the pilot episode because he felt that a pitch made him "feel like [he's] killing the work".<ref name="dwpitch">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 187–189}}</ref> The fifteen-page pitch outlined a [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] who was "your best friend; someone you want to be with all the time", the eighteen-year-old [[Rose Tyler]] ([[Billie Piper]]) as a "perfect match" for the new Doctor, avoidance of the forty-year back story "except for the good bits", the retention of the [[TARDIS]], [[sonic screwdriver]], and [[Dalek]]s, removal of the Time Lords, and a greater focus on humanity.<ref name="dwpitch" /> His pitch was submitted for the first production meeting in December 2003 and a series of thirteen episodes was obtained by pressure from [[BBC Worldwide]] and a workable budget from [[Julie Gardner]].<ref name="dwpitch" /> |
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The first new series of ''Doctor Who'' featured eight scripts by Davies;the remainder were allocated to experienced dramatists and writers for the show's [[Doctor Who spin-offs|ancillary releases]]:<ref name="s1writers">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 189}}</ref> [[Steven Moffat]] penned a two-episode story, and [[Mark Gatiss]], [[Robert Shearman]], and [[Paul Cornell]] each wrote one script.<ref name="s1writers" /> Davies also approached his old friend Paul Abbott and ''[[Harry Potter]]'' author [[J. K. Rowling]] to write for the series; both declined due to existing commitments.<ref name="s1writers" /> Shortly after he secured writers for the show, Davies stated that he had no intention to approach writers for the old series; the only writer he would have wished to work with was Holmes, who died in May 1986.<ref name="s1writers" /> |
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By early 2004, the show had settled into a regular production cycle. Davies, Gardner, and BBC Controller of Drama [[Mal Young]] took posts as executive producers, and Phil Collinson, his old colleague from Granada, took the role of producer.<ref name="producers">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 190}}</ref> Davies' official role as [[head writer]] and [[executive producer]], or "[[showrunner]]", consisted of laying a skeletal plot for the entire series, holding "tone meetings" to correctly identify the tone of an episode, often described in one word—for example, the "tone word" for Moffat's "[[The Empty Child]]" was "romantic"—and overseeing all aspects of production.<ref name="producers" /> |
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The production team was also tasked with finding a suitable actor for the role of the Doctor. Most notably, they approached film actor [[Hugh Grant]] and comedian [[Rowan Atkinson]] for the role. By the time Young suggested ''The Second Coming'' and ''[[Our Friends in the North]]'' actor [[Christopher Eccleston]] to Davies, Eccleston was one of three left in the running for the role: the other candidates are rumoured in the industry to have been [[Alan Davies]] and [[Bill Nighy]].<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 190–192}}</ref> Eccleston created his own characteristics of his rendition of the Doctor based on Davies' life, most notably, his catchphrase "Fantastic!": |
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{{quote|[The central message of the show is] seize life, it's brief, enjoy it. The Doctor is always saying "isn't it fantastic?", which is one of Russell's favourite words. "Look at that blue alien, isn't it fantastic? Oh, it's trying to kill me. Never mind, let's solve it."|Christopher Eccleston<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 192}}</ref>}} |
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Filming for the show started in July 2004 on location in [[Cardiff]] for "[[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]]".<ref name="dw1filming">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 192–193}}</ref> The start of filming created stress among the production team because of unseen circumstances: several scenes from the first block had to be re-shot because the original footage was unusable; the [[Slitheen]] prosthetics for "[[Aliens of London]]", "[[World War Three (Doctor Who)|World War Three]]", and "[[Boom Town (Doctor Who)|Boom Town]]" were noticeably different from their computer-generated counterparts; and the BBC came to a gridlock in negotiations with the [[Terry Nation]] estate to secure the [[Dalek]]s for the [[Dalek (Doctor Who episode)|sixth episode of the series]];<ref name="dw1filming" /> Davies and episode writer [[Rob Shearman]] were forced to rework the script to feature another race, until Gardner was able to secure the rights a month later.<ref name="dw1filming" /> After the first production block, which he described as "hitting a brick wall", the show's production was markedly eased as the crew familiarised themselves.<ref name="dw1filming" /> |
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The first episode of the revived ''Doctor Who'', "Rose", aired on 26 March 2005 and received 10.8 million viewers and favourable critical reception. Four days after the transmission of "Rose", Tranter approved a [[Christmas special]] and a [[Doctor Who (series 2)|second series]]. The press release was overshadowed by a leaked announcement that Christopher Eccleston's would leave the role after one series; in response, David Tennant was announced as Eccleston's replacement.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 194–195}}</ref> |
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Tennant had been offered the role when he was watching a pre-transmission copy of ''Casanova'' with Davies and Gardner. Tennant initially believed the offer was a joke, but after he realised they were serious, he accepted the role and made his first appearance in the dénouement of "[[The Parting of the Ways]]", the final episode of the first series.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 196}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 197}}</ref> ''Doctor Who'' continued to be one of BBC's flagship programmes throughout Davies' tenure, and resulted in record sales of the [[Doctor Who Magazine|show's official magazine]], an increase in [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off novels]], and the launch of the children's magazine ''[[Doctor Who Adventures]]'' and toy [[sonic screwdriver]]s and Daleks.<ref name="popularity">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 213}}</ref> The show's popularity ultimately led to a resurgence in family-orientated Saturday night drama; the ITV science-fiction series ''[[Primeval (TV series)|Primeval]]'' and the BBC historical dramas ''[[Robin Hood (2006 TV series)|Robin Hood]]'' and ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' were specifically designed for an early Saturday evening timeslot.<ref name="popularity" /> He was also approached by the BBC to produce several spin-off series, eventually creating two: ''[[Torchwood]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''.<ref name="twandsjacomm">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 213–215}}</ref> |
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===''Torchwood'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''=== |
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{{Quote box |
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|quote = "With ''Doctor Who'' we often had to pretend that bits of Cardiff were London, or [[Utah]], or the planet Zog. Whereas [''Torchwood''] is going to be honest-to-God Cardiff. We will happily walk past the [[Wales Millennium Centre|Millennium Centre]] and say, 'Look, there's the Millennium Centre'." |
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|source = Russell T Davies, April 2006<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_objectid=16951087&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=dr-who-spin-off-based-in-bay-name_page.html|title=Dr Who spin-off based in Bay|publisher=[[South Wales Echo]]|date=17 April 2006|first=David|last=James|accessdate=31 July 2010}}</ref> |
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}} |
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In October 2005, BBC Three Controller Stuart Murphy invited Davies to create a post-[[watershed (television)|watershed]] ''Doctor Who'' spin-off in the wake of the parent series' popularity.<ref name="twandsjacomm" /> ''[[Torchwood]]''—named after a [[anagram]]matic [[title ruse]] used to prevent leaks of ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s first series—incorporated elements from an abandoned Davies project titled ''Excalibur'' and featured the [[pansexual]] 51st century time-traveller [[Jack Harkness]] ([[John Barrowman]]) and a team of alien hunters in Cardiff.<ref name="twandsjacomm" /> The show began production in April 2006 and was marketed through foreshadowing in the main [[story arcs in Doctor Who|story arc]] of Doctor Who's second series, which portrayed Torchwood as a covert quasi-governmental organisation that monitors, exploits, and suppresses the existence of extraterrestrial life and technology.<ref>{{cite episode | title = Welcome to Torchwood | series = [[Doctor Who Confidential]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC Three]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 1 July 2006 | seriesno=2 | number = 12}}</ref> Upon its transmission, ''Torchwood'' was one of BBC Three's most popular shows; however, it received criticism for "adolescent" use of sexual and violent themes. This led the production team to alter the format to be subtler in its portrayal of adult themes.<ref name="twandsjacomm" /> |
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Concurrently, he was approached to produce a [[CBBC]] show which was described as ''Young Doctor Who''.<ref name="sjacomm">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 215–217}}</ref> Davies was reluctant to diminish the mystery of the Doctor's character and instead pitched a show with [[Elisabeth Sladen]] as the once-popular companion [[Sarah Jane Smith]]: ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', which follows Sarah Jane and local schoolchildren as they investigate extraterrestrial events in the [[London Borough of Ealing]].<ref name="sjacomm" /> The show was given a [[backdoor pilot]] as the ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|School Reunion]]" and premièred in its own right with "[[Invasion of the Bane]]" on 1 January 2007. The show was more successful than its 1981 predecessor ''[[K-9 and Company]]''; it received more favourable reviews than ''Torchwood'' and a significant periphery demographic that compared the show to 1970s ''Doctor Who'' episodes.<ref name="sjacomm" /> |
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The workload of managing three separate shows prompted Davies to delegate writing tasks for ''Torchwood'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' to other writers so he could focus on writing ''Doctor Who''.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 217–219}}</ref> After [[Billie Piper]]'s departure as Rose Tyler in the second series finale "[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]", he suggested a third spin-off, ''Rose Tyler: Earth Defence'', a compilation of annual [[Bank Holiday]] specials featuring Rose in a parallel universe version of Torchwood.<ref name="rted">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 219}}</ref> He later reneged on his idea, as he believed that Rose should stay off screen, and abandoned the idea even though it had been budgeted.<ref name="rted" /> |
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==={{Anchor|The Writer's Tale}}''The Writer's Tale'', and writing the fourth series=== |
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[[File:Russell T Davies.jpg|thumb|right|Davies at a book signing for ''The Writers Tale'' in [[Waterstone's]], the [[Trafford Centre]], [[Greater Manchester]], on 9 October 2008.|alt=Davies in a navy-blue polo shirt, with one hand resting on a copy of his book.]] |
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In September 2008, [[BBC Books]], an imprint of [[Random House Publishing]], published ''The Writer's Tale'', a collection of emails between Davies and ''[[Radio Times]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' journalist [[Benjamin Cook]]. Dubbed the "Great Correspondence" by Davies and Cook,<ref name="correspondence">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 21}}</ref> ''The Writer's Tale'' covers a period between February 2007 and March 2008 and explores his writing processes and the development of his scripts for the [[Doctor Who (series 4)|fourth series]] of ''Doctor Who'': "[[Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)|Voyage of the Damned]]", "[[Partners in Crime (Doctor Who)|Partners in Crime]]", "[[Midnight (Doctor Who)|Midnight]]", "[[Turn Left (Doctor Who)|Turn Left]]", "[[The Stolen Earth]]", and "[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]". The book's first chapter focuses on Cook's "big questions"<ref name="bigquestions">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 36}}</ref> on Davies' writing style,<ref name="correspondence" /> character development—using the ''Doctor Who'' character [[Donna Noble]] ([[Catherine Tate]]) and the ''[[Skins (TV series)|Skins]]'' character [[Tony Stonem]] ([[Nicholas Hoult]]) as contrasting examples—,<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 28}}</ref> how he formulated ideas for stories,<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 32}}</ref> and the question "why do you write?".<ref name="bigquestions" /> After several weeks, Cook assumes an unofficial advisory role to the scriptwriting and the development of the series. The book's epilogue consists of a short exchange between Davies and Cook: Cook changes from his role as "Invisible Ben" to "Visible Ben" and strongly advises to vastly alter the denouement to "Journey's End" from a cliffhanger that led into "[[The Next Doctor]]"—which had occurred in the previous three series finales, "[[The Parting of the Ways]]", "[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]", and "[[Last of the Time Lords]]"—to a melancholy ending that showed the Doctor alone in the TARDIS. After three days of deliberation, Davies accepts Cook's suggestion and thanks him for improving both episodes.<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 505}}</ref> |
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After its release, the pair embarked on a five-stop signing tour to promote the book in October 2008 at [[Waterstone's]] branches in London, [[Birmingham]], Manchester, [[Bristol]], and Cardiff.<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2010|loc=p 457}}</ref> The book received positive reviews: Veronica Horwell of ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that Davies was the "Scheherazade of [[Cardiff Bay]]" and opined that the book should have been twice the published length;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/oct/04/tvandradio|title=You. Would. Make. A. Good. Dalek.|last=Horwell|first=Veronica|date=4 October 2008|newspaper=The Guardian|accessdate=3 February 2010}}</ref> Ian Berriman of science fiction magazine ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'' gave the book five stars and wrote that it was the only book necessary to gain a knowledge of the show's production and secrets;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/2008/09/18/book_review_doctor_who_the_writer_s_tale/|title=Book Review: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale|last=Berriman|first=Ian|date=18 September 2008|publisher=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]|accessdate=3 February 2010}}</ref> television critic [[Charlie Brooker]] was inspired by the book to devote an entire episode of his [[BBC Four]] show ''[[Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe|Screenwipe]]'' to interviewing television writers;<ref name="cookintro2" /> and [[chat show]] couple [[Richard and Judy]] selected the book as a recommended Christmas present in the "Serious Non-Fiction" category of [[Richard & Judy Book Club|their book club]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewriterstale.com/news/?p=292|title=Richard and Judy pick The Writer's Tale|date=10 November 2008|publisher=[[Random House]]|accessdate=3 February 2010}}</ref> A second edition of the book, ''The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter'', was released in January 2010 by BBC Books. The second edition added 350 pages of correspondence—before excising draft scripts included in the first edition—and covered Davies' final months as executive producer of ''Doctor Who'' as he co-wrote the five-part [[BBC One]] ''[[Torchwood]]'' miniseries ''[[Torchwood: Children of Earth|Children of Earth]]'', planned [[David Tennant]]'s departure and [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]]'s arrival as the Doctor, and moved to the United States.<ref name="cookintro2">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2010|loc=p 15, Introduction by Benjamin Cook}}</ref> |
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===Post-''Doctor Who'' career=== |
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Davies planned to depart from producing the show in 2009 along with Gardner and Collinson, and finish his tenure with four special length episodes. His departure from the show was announced in May 2008, alongside a press release that named [[Steven Moffat]] as his successor.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 220–221}}</ref> His role in late 2008 was split between writing the 2009 specials and preparing for the transition between his and Moffat's production team; one chapter of ''The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter'' discusses plans between him, Gardner, and Tennant to announce Tennant's departure live during ITV's [[National Television Awards]] in October 2008.<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2010|loc=pp 482–504}}</ref> His final full script for ''Doctor Who'' was finished in the early morning of 4 March 2009, and filming of the episode closed on 20 May 2009.<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2010|loc=p 649}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2010|loc=p 676}}</ref> |
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Davies' next project is ''Cucumber'', a [[BBC Worldwide]] series about gay men that will air on the American cable network [[Showtime (TV channel)|Showtime]].<ref name="cucumber">{{cite web | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/torchwood-creator-developing-new-showtime-208464 | title='Torchwood' Creator Developing New Showtime Drama Series | publisher=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=6 July 2011 | accessdate=29 July 2011 |last=Nededog|first=Jethro}}</ref> Davies also planned to return to art by writing a graphic novel, and was unsuccessfully approached by [[Lucasfilm]] to write for the proposed [[Star Wars live-action TV series|''Star Wars'' live-action television series]].<ref name="mgmandsw">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 224}}</ref> Davies moved with Gardner and [[Jane Tranter]] to the United States in June 2009,<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2010|loc=p 406}}</ref><ref name="theangels" /> and resides in Los Angeles, [[California]].<ref name="theangels">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2010|loc=p 685}}</ref> He continues to oversee production of ''Torchwood'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''; he wrote one story for the 2010 series of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', ''[[Death of the Doctor]]'', which included Matt Smith as the Doctor and [[Katy Manning]] as the Doctor's former companion [[Jo Grant]],<ref>{{cite journal|last=Spilsbury|first=Tom|work=Gallifrey Guardian|issue=423|title=The Sarah Jane Adventures series four: titles revealed!|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|publisher=Panini Comics|journal=Doctor Who Magazine|date=23 June 2010|page=p 6}}</ref> and is the executive producer and author of the premiere ("The New World") and finale ("The Blood Line") of ''[[Torchwood: Miracle Day]]'', the fourth series of ''Torchwood''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Spilsbury|first=Tom|work=Gallifrey Guardian|issue=423|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|publisher=Panini Comics|title=Torchwood returns for a fourth series!|journal=Doctor Who Magazine|date=23 June 2010|page=p 5}}</ref><ref name="garbageday" /> |
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==Writing style== |
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Davies is a self-admitted [[procrastination|procrastinator]] and often waits hours or days for concepts to form before he commits them to the script. In ''The Writer's Tale'', he describes his procrastination by discussing his early career. His early method of dealing with the pressures of delivering a script was to "go out drinking" instead. On one occasion in the mid-1990s, he was at the Manchester gay club [[Cruz 101]] when he thought of the climax to the first series of ''The Grand''. As his career progressed, he instead spent entire nights "just thinking of plot, character, pace, etc" and waited until 2:00 am in the morning, "when the clubs used to shut", to overcome the urge of procrastination.<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 30}}</ref> Davies described the sense of anxiety he experiences in an email to Cook in April 2007, in response to Cook's question of "how do you know when to start writing?": |
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{{quote|I leave it till the last minute. And then I leave it some more. Eventually, I leave it till I'm desperate. [...] I always think, I'm not ready to write it, I don't know what I'm doing, it's just a jumble of thoughts in a state of flux, there's no story, I don't know who A connects to B, I don't know anything! I get myself into a genuine state of panic. [...] Normally, I'll leave it till the deadline, and I haven't even started writing. This has become, over the years, a week beyond the deadline, or even more. It can be a week—or weeks—past the delivery date, and ''I haven't started writing''. In fact, I don't have delivery dates any more. I go by the start-of-preproduction date. I consider that to be my real deadline. And then I miss that. It's a cycle that I cannot break. I simply can't help it. It makes my life miserable.|Russell T Davies to Benjamin Cook, 3 April 2007.<ref name="deadlines">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=pp 54–55}}</ref>}} |
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He expanded on his email two weeks later in response to Cook's query about the supposed link between [[major depressive disorder]] and creativity. He explained that his anxiety and melancholy during the scriptwriting period still allowed him to keep on top of his work; on the other hand, he thought "Depression with a capital D [didn't have] any such luxury".<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 60}}</ref> |
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Davies explained in length his writing process to Cook in ''The Writer's Tale''. When he creates characters, he initially assigns a character a name and fits attributes around it. In the case of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in his inaugural series of ''Doctor Who'', he chose the name because he considered it a "good luck charm" after he used it for Lesley Sharp's character in ''Bob & Rose''. He presented his desire to make the show "essentially British" as another justification: he considered [[Rose (name)|Rose]] to be "the most British name in the world" and feminine enough to subvert the then-current trend of female companions and their "boyish" names, such as [[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]], [[Charley Pollard|Charley]], and [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]]. While he was writing for ''The Grand'', the executive producer requested that he change the female lead character's name, a decision that led to the "character never [feeling] right from that moment on".<ref name="themusic" /> The surname "[[Harkness (surname)|Harkness]]", most notably given to ''Torchwood'' lead [[Captain Jack Harkness]], is a similar charm, first used in 1993 for the Harkness family in ''Century Falls'', and ultimately derived from the [[Marvel Universe]] hero [[Agatha Harkness]],<ref name="thegrandandharkness" /> and the surname "[[Tyler]]" is similarly used because of his affection for how the surname is spelled and pronounced.<ref>{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 69}}</ref> |
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Davies also attempts to channel his writing by using music that fits the theme of the series as a source of inspiration: ''Doctor Who'' was typically written while he listened to [[action film|action]]-[[adventure film]] [[film score|score]]s; ''Queer as Folk'' was written to [[Hi-NRG]] music "to catch [the] sheer clubland drive"; ''Bob & Rose'' was written to the [[Moby]] album ''[[Play (Moby album)|Play]]'', because the two works shared a "urban, sexy, full of lonely hearts at night" image; and ''The Second Coming'' shared the concepts of "experimental[ity], anguish, dark[ness], [and] pain" of [[Radiohead]] albums.<ref name="themusic">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 24}}</ref> More specifically, he wrote the early drafts of the fourth series ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[Partners in Crime (Doctor Who)|Partners in Crime]]" while he was listening to [[Mika (singer)|Mika]]'s ''[[Life in Cartoon Motion]]'', and singled out the song "Any Other World" as a "''Doctor Who'' companion song" with lyrics that matched Penny, the planned companion for the fourth series.<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 22}}</ref> |
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When he creates new scripts, Davies considers the [[dénouement]] of a story to be representative of the work. He often formulates both the scene and its emotional impact early in the process, but writes the scenes last due to his belief that "[later scenes] can't exist if they aren't informed by where they've come from".<ref>{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 52}}</ref> Davies is a strong advocate for the continued use of the [[cliffhanger ending]] and opposes advertising that sacrifices the impact of storytelling. In pursuit of his quest, he instructs editors to remove scenes from press copies of episodes he writes; cliffhangers were removed from the review copies of the ''Doctor Who'' episodes "[[Army of Ghosts]]",<ref name="aogff">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2006/fear/f-armyofghosts.shtml|title=Fear Forecast: Army of Ghosts|publisher=BBC|work=Doctor Who microsite|accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref> "[[The Stolen Earth]]",<ref name="digitalspy">{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/review/a105038/s04e12-the-stolen-earth.html|title=S04E12: 'The Stolen Earth'|first=Ben|last=Rawson-Jones|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|date=28 June 2008|accessdate=28 July 2010|work=Cult: Doctor Who}}</ref> and the first part of ''[[The End of Time]]'',<ref>{{cite episode |title=The End of Time Part One|series=[[Doctor Who: The Commentaries]] |network=BBC |station=[[BBC 7]] |airdate=27 December 2009 |season=1 |number=17|credits=Davies, Russell T; [[Julie Gardner|Gardner, Julie]]}}</ref> and Rose Tyler's unadvertised appearance in "[[Partners in Crime (Doctor Who)|Partners in Crime]]" was excised.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Partners in Crime|series=[[Doctor Who: The Commentaries]] |network=BBC |station=[[BBC 7]] |airdate=6 April 2008 |season=1 |number=1|credits=Davies, Russell T; [[Julie Gardner|Gardner, Julie]]}}</ref> His most prolific cliffhanger was in the script of "The Stolen Earth", which created an unprecedented amount of interest in the show.<ref name="revoir">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1031895/Dr-Who-fever-sweeps-nation-10million-fans-prepare-tune-finale.html|title=Dr Who fever sweeps nation as 10million fans prepare to tune in for finale|date=5 July 2008|accessdate=17 April 2009|first=Paul|last=Revoir|publisher=[[Daily Mail]]}}</ref> In an interview with BBC News shortly after the episode's transmission, he argued that the success of a popular television series is linked to how well producers can keep secrets and create a "live experience":<ref name="struggle">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7490639.stm|title=Struggle to keep Who secret|last=Davies|first=Russell T|coauthors=[[Lizo Mzimba|Mzimba, Lizo]]|date=5 April 2009|publisher=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref> |
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{{quote|It's exciting when you get kids in playground talking about your story, about who's going to live or die, then I consider that a job well done, because that's interactive television, that's what it's all about: it's debate and fun and chat. It's playing a game with the country and I think that's wonderful.|Russell T Davies, "Struggle to keep ''Who'' secret", [[BBC News Online]]<ref name="struggle" />}} |
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Davies attempts to both create imagery and to provide a social commentary in his scripts; for example, he uses camera directions in his scripts more frequently than newer screenwriters to ensure that anyone who reads the script, especially the director, is able to "feel... the pace, the speed, the atmosphere, the mood, the gags, [and] the dread". His stage directions also create an atmosphere by their formatting and avoidance of the first person.<ref name="religionandhomosexuality">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=pp 85–87}}</ref> Although the basis of several of his scripts derive from previous concepts, he claims that most concepts for storytelling have been already used, and instead tries to tell a relatively new and entertaining plot; for example, the ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[Turn Left (Doctor Who)|Turn Left]]" shares its concept most notably with the 1998 film ''[[Sliding Doors]]''. Like how ''Sliding Doors'' examines two timelines based on whether Helen Quilley ([[Gwyneth Paltrow]]) catches a [[London Underground]] train, Davies uses the choice of the Doctor's companion to turn left or right at a road intersection to depict either a world with the Doctor, as seen throughout the rest of the fourth series, or an [[parallel universe (fiction)|alternate world]] without the Doctor, examined in its entirety within the episode.<ref name="turnleftconcept">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=p 33}}</ref> The world without the Doctor creates a dystopia which he uses to provide a commentary on Nazi-esque fascism.<ref name="TLcompanion">{{cite journal|last=Pixley|first=Andrew|date=14 August 2008|title=Turn Left|journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]|publisher=[[Panini Comics]]|location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], [[Kent]]|volume=The Doctor Who Companion: Series 4|issue=Special Edition 20|pages=pp 116–125}}</ref><ref name="tlscript">{{cite web|url=http://www.thewriterstale.com/pdfs/Doctor%20Who%204%20Ep.11-%20Shooting%20Script%20-%20Turn%20Left%20-%2030.01.08.pdf|title=Shooting Script for "Turn Left": Green script|last=Davies|first=Russell T|date=20 November 2007 (internally); 1 October 2008 (externally)|publisher=[[BBC Books]]|at=pp 33–34|accessdate=2 December 2007}}</ref> Davies generally tries to make his scripts "detailed, but quite succint", and eschews the practice of long character and set descriptions; instead, he limits himself to only three adjectives to describe a character and two lines to describe a set to allow the dialogue to describe the story instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/russell_t_davies_7.shtml|title=Russell T Davies|last=Davies|first=Russell T|date=October 2008|work=Writersroom|publisher=BBC|at=p 7|accessdate=13 July 2009}}</ref> |
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Davies also uses his scripts to examine and debate on large issues such as sexuality and religion, especially from a homosexual or [[atheist]] perspective. He refrains from a dependence on "cheap, easy lines" that provide little deeper insight;<ref name="subversions" /> his mantra during his early adult drama career was "no boring issues".<ref name="poof">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=pp 61–62}}</ref> ''Queer as Folk'' is the primary vehicle for his social commentary of homosexuality and advocation of greater acceptance. He used the series to challenge the "primal [...] gut instinct" of homophobia by introducing homosexual imagery in contrast to the heterosexual "fundamental image of life, of family, of childhood, [and] of survival".<ref name="subversions" /><ref name="homosexualsubversion">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=pp 123–124}}</ref> ''Torchwood'' also tackles LGBT themes by exploring the characters' sexuality and subverting stereotypes and the expectation of heterosexuality in contemporary Cardiff,<ref name="verybisexual">{{cite news|last=Hall|first=Locksley|date=24 October 2006|accessdate=19 September 2011|title = Torchwood: Captain Jack Gets His Own Show|url=http://www.afterelton.com/TV/2006/10/torchwood.html|publisher=[[AfterElton]]}}</ref> and ''Bob & Rose'' examines the issue of a gay man who falls in love with a woman. His most notable commentaries of religion and atheism are ''The Second Coming'' and his 2007 ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[Gridlock (Doctor Who)|Gridlock]]". ''The Second Coming'''s depiction of a contemporary and realistic [[Second Coming]] of [[Jesus Christ]] eschews the use of religious iconography in favour of a love story underlined by the male lead's "awakening as the Son of God".<ref name="religionandhomosexuality" /> In contrast, "Gridlock" takes a more pro-active role in debating religion: the episode depicts the unity of the supporting cast in singing the Christian hymns "[[Abide with Me]]" and "[[The Old Rugged Cross]]" as a positive aspect of faith, but depicts the Doctor as an atheistic hero which shows the faith as misguided because "there is no higher authority".<ref name="subversions" /> He also includes his commentary as an undertone in other stories; he described the sub-plot of the differing belief systems of the Doctor and [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] in "[[Tooth and Claw (Doctor Who)|Tooth and Claw]]" as a conflict between "Rational Man versus Head of the Church".<ref name="subversions">{{harvnb|Davies|Cook|2008|loc=pp 35–36}}</ref> |
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==Recognition== |
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{{quote|Saving it from extinction.|[[Frank Cottrell Boyce]], when asked his opinion on Davies' greatest contribution to British television drama.<ref name="frank">{{harvnb|Aldridge|Murray|2008|loc=p 235}}</ref>}} |
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Davies has received recognition for his work since his career as a children's television writer. Davies' first [[BAFTA]] award nominations came in 1992 when he was nominated for the "Best Children's Programme (Fiction)" Television Award for his work on ''Children's Ward''.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television Nominees, 1992|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/?year=1992}}</ref> ''Children's Ward'' was nominated for the Children's Drama award in 1996 and won the same award 1997.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television Nominees, 1996|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television Nominees, 1997|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=1997}}</ref> His next critically successful series was ''Bob & Rose''; it was nominated for a Television Award for Best Drama Serial and won two [[British Comedy Awards]] for Best Comedy Drama and Writer of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television Nominees, 2001|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/?year=2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[British Comedy Awards]]|accessdate=5 July 2011|work=The Past Winners|title=British Comedy Awards 2001|url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/pastwinners01.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080820093615/http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/pastwinners01.html|archivedate=20 August 2008}}</ref> ''The Second Coming'' was nominated for the same Television Award in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television Nominees, 2003|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/?year=2003}}</ref> His work on ''The Second Coming'' also earned him a nomination for a [[Royal Television Society]] award.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Royal Television Society]]|title=RTS Programme Awards 2003|accessdate=5 July 2011|url=http://www.rts.org.uk/Info_page_two_pic_2_det.asp?art_id=6053&sec_id=3480|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090322021246/http://www.rts.org.uk/Info_page_two_pic_2_det.asp?art_id=6053&sec_id=3480|archivedate=22 March 2009}}</ref> |
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Most of Davies' recognition came as a result of his work on ''Doctor Who''. In 2005, ''Doctor Who'' won two Television Awards—Best Drama Series and the Pioneer Audience Award—and he was awarded the honorary Dennis Potter Award for writing.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television Nominees, 2005|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/?year=2005}}</ref> [[BAFTA Cymru]] also gave him that years' [[Siân Phillips]] Award for Outstanding Contribution to Network Television.<ref>{{cite news|title=Doctor leads Bafta Cymru winners |
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|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4934216.stm|publisher=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=5 July 2011|date=22 April 2006}}</ref> In 2006, he was awarded the accolade of "Industry Player of the Year" at the [[Edinburgh International Television Festival]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5290014.stm|title=Channel 4 Crowned Top TV Network|date=28 August 2006|publisher=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=24 July 2010}}</ref> In 2007, he was nominated for the "Best Soap/Series" [[Writers' Guild of Great Britain]] Award—along with [[Chris Chibnall]], [[Paul Cornell]], [[Stephen Greenhorn]], [[Steven Moffat]], [[Helen Raynor]], and [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]]—for their work on the [[Doctor Who (series 3)|third series of ''Doctor Who'']].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Writers' Guild of Great Britain]]|title=Guild Award winners 2007|accessdate=5 July 2011|date=19 November 2007|url=http://www.writersguild.org.uk/public/003_WritersGuil/173_WGGBNewsGui.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090206121743/http://www.writersguild.org.uk/public/003_WritersGuil/173_WGGBNewsGui.html|archivedate=6 February 2009}}</ref> He was again nominated for two BAFTA Awards in 2008: a Television Award for his work on ''Doctor Who'',<ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television Nominees, 2008|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/?year=2008}}</ref> and the Television Craft Award for Best Writer, for the episode "[[Midnight (Doctor Who)|Midnight]]".<ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|accessdate=24 July 2010|work=Past Winners and Nominees|title=Television-Craft Nominees, 2008|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television-craft/nominations/?year=2008}}</ref> Under his tenure, ''Doctor Who'' won five consecutive [[National Television Awards]] between 2005 and 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4376854.stm|title=National TV Awards 2005 winners|publisher=BBC News|date=25 October 2005|accessdate=31 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6104066.stm|title=National TV Awards 2006 winners|publisher=BBC News|date=31 October 2010|accessdate=31 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/01/television|title=National Television Awards 2007|publisher=[[The Guardian]]|date=1 November 2007|accessdate=31 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1567981/National-Television-Awards-Winners-in-full.html|title=National Television Awards: Winners in full|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=12 April 2008|accessdate=31 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7038857/National-Television-Awards-2010-the-winners.html|title=National Television Awards: the winners|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=20 January 2010|accessdate=31 July 2010}}</ref> He has also been nominated for three [[Hugo Awards]], all in the category of "[[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form|Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]]": in 2007, the story comprising "[[Army of Ghosts]]" and "[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]" was defeated by Steven Moffat's "[[The Girl in the Fireplace]]";<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Hugo2007.html|title=2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form – 2007 Hugo Awards |work=The Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards |accessdate=24 July 2010 |first=Mark |last=Kelly |publisher=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]]}}</ref> in 2009, the episode "[[Turn Left (Doctor Who)|Turn Left]]" was defeated by [[Joss Whedon]]'s ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog]]'';<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Hugo2009.html |title=2009 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form – 2009 Hugo Awards |work=The Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards|accessdate=24 July 2010|first=Mark |last=Kelly |publisher=Locus}}</ref> and in 2010, all three of his scripts which were eligible for the award, "[[The Next Doctor]]", the Davies–[[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Roberts]] collaboration "[[Planet of the Dead]]", and the Davies–[[Phil Ford (writer)|Ford]] collaboration "[[The Waters of Mars]]", were nominated: the award was won by "The Waters of Mars" and the other episodes took second and third place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2010-hugo-awards/|title=2010 Hugo Awards|accessdate=19 February 2011|publisher=[[World Science Fiction Society]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/content/pdf/2010HugoVotingReport.pdf|title=2010 Hugo Awards: Awards and Nominations|accessdate=19 February 2011|publisher=Word Science Fiction Scoiety|at=p 9}}</ref> |
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Davies' work on ''Doctor Who'' has similarly been recognised by the public. During his tenure as executive producer, only Steven Moffat's "[[Silence in the Library]]", which was scheduled against the final of the [[Britain's Got Talent (series 2)|second series of ''Britain's Got Talent'']], failed to win in its timeslot. The show's viewing figures were consistently high enough that the only broadcasts to have consistently rivaled ''Doctor Who'' for viewers in the [[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board]]'s weekly charts were ''[[EastEnders]]'', ''[[Coronation Street]]'', ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]'', and international [[football (soccer)|football]] matches.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Spilsbury|first=Tom|date=21 July 2010|title=Public Image|journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|publisher=Panini Comics|issue=424|page=p 9}}</ref> Two of his scripts, "[[Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)|Voyage of the Damned]]" and "[[The Stolen Earth]]", broke audience records for the show by being declared the second most viewed broadcasts of their respective weeks, and "[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]" became the first episode to be the most viewed broadcast of the week.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2008/07/journey-end-officially-number-one_16.html|title=Journey's End Officially Number One|first=Matt|last=Hilton|date=16 July 2008|accessdate=5 July 2011|publisher=Gallifrey Base|work=The Doctor Who News Page}}</ref> The show currently enjoys consistently high [[Appreciation Index]] ratings: "[[Love & Monsters]]", regarded by ''Doctor Who'' fans as his worst script,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Griffiths|first=Peter|date=16 September 2009|title=The Mighty 200|journal=Doctor Who Magazine|publisher=Panini Comics|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|issue=413|pages=pp 18–42|last2=Darlington|first2=David|last3=Arnopp|first3=Jason|display-authors=3}}</ref> gained a rating of 76,<ref>{{cite web|first=Matt|last=Hilton|work=The Doctor Who News Page|publisher=Gallifrey Base|accessdate=19 September 2011|title=Blink - AI Figure and Sunday Ratings|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2007/06/blink-ai-figure-and-sunday-ratings_5247.html|date=11 June 2007}}</ref> just short of the 2006 average rating of 77;<ref>{{cite news|last=Hilton|first=Matt|title="Runaway Bride" AI Figure|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2006/12/bride-ai-figure_28.html|accessdate=5 July 2011|date=28 December 2006|publisher=Gallifrey Base|work=The Doctor Who News Page}}</ref> and the episodes "[[The Stolen Earth]]" and "[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]" share the highest rating ''Doctor Who'' has received, at 91.<ref name="TSEcompanion">{{cite journal|last=Pixley|first=Andrew|date=14 August 2008|title=The Stolen Earth/Journey's End|journal=Doctor Who Magazine|publisher=Panini Comics|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|volume=The Doctor Who Companion: Series 4|issue=Special Edition 20|pages=pp 126–145}}</ref> |
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Among ''Doctor Who'' fans, his contribution to the show ranks as high as the show's co-creator [[Verity Lambert]]: in a 2009 poll of 6,700 ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' readers, he won the "Greatest Contribution" award with 22.62% of the votes against Lambert's 22.49% share,<ref name="DWM414">{{cite journal|last=Griffiths|first=Peter|date=14 October 2009|title=The Mighty 200, Part Two|journal=Doctor Who Magazine|publisher=Panini Comics|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|issue=413|pages=pp 20–24|last2=Farrington|first2=Ian|display-authors=2}}</ref> in addition to winning the magazine's 2005, 2006, and 2008 awards for the best writer of each series.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Griffiths|first=Peter|coauthors=et al.|date=10 December 2008|title=The Mighty 200|journal=Doctor Who Magazine|publisher=Panini Comics|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|issue=403|pages=pp 34–37}}</ref> Ian Farrington, who commented on the 2009 "Greatest Contribution" poll, attributed Davies' popularity to his range of writing styles, from the epic "[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]" to the minimalistic "Midnight", and his ability to market the show to appeal to a wide audience.<ref name="DWM414" /> |
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Davies' work on ''Doctor Who'' has led to accolades out of the television industry. Between 2005 and 2008, he was included in ''[[The Guardian]]'''s "Media 100": in 2005, he was ranked the 14th most influential man in the media;<ref>{{cite news|title=14. Russell T Davies|newspaper=The Guardian|work=MediaGuardian: The Media 100 2005|date=18 July 2005|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/jul/18/mediatop100200511|accessdate=24 July 2010}}</ref> in 2006, the 28th;<ref>{{cite news|title=28. Russell T Davies|publisher=The Guardian|work=MediaGuardian: The Media 100 2006|date=17 July 2006|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/jul/17/mediaguardiantop100200614|accessdate=24 July 2010}}</ref> in 2007, the 15th;<ref>{{cite news|title=15. Russell T Davies|newspaper=The Guardian|work=MediaGuardian: The Media 100 2007|date=9 July 2007|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/jul/09/mediatop1002007.mondaymediasection14|accessdate=24 July 2010}}</ref> and in 2008, the 31st.<ref>{{cite news|title=31. Russell T Davies|newspaper=The Guardian|work=MediaGuardian: The Media 100 2008|date=14 July 2008|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/14/mediatop100200827|accessdate=24 July 2010}}</ref> ''[[The Independent on Sunday]]'' also recognised his contributions to the public by including him on consecutive Pink Lists, which chronicle the achievements of gay and lesbian personalities: in 2005, he was ranked the 73rd most influential gay person;<ref name="pinklist06">{{cite news|title=Gay Power: The pink list|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/gay-power-the-pink-list-406297.html|newspaper=[[The Independent on Sunday]]|date=2 July 2006|accessdate=24 July 2010|first=Andrew|last=Tuck}}</ref> in 2006, the 18th;<ref name="pinklist06" /> in 2007, the most influential gay person;<ref>{{cite news|title= The pink list 2007: The IoS annual celebration of the great and the gay.|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-pink-list-2007-the-iiosi-annual-celebration-of-the-great-and-the-gay-447627.html|accessdate=24 July 2010|newspaper=The Independent on Sunday|date=6 May 2007}}</ref> in 2008, the 2nd;<ref>{{cite news|title=The ''IoS'' pink list 2008|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2008-852032.html|accessdate=24 July 2010|newspaper=The Independent on Sunday|date=22 June 2008}}</ref> and in 2009, the 14th.<ref>{{cite news|title=14 (2) Russell T Davies|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2009-1721869.html?action=Gallery&ino=14|accessdate=24 July 2010|date=28 June 2009|work=The IoS Pink List 2009|newspaper=The Independent on Sunday}}</ref> He was awarded an [[OBE]] in the Queen's [[2008 Birthday Honours]] list for services to drama,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_078749.pdf | title=Birthday Honours List 2008 | publisher=[[Directgov]] | date=14 June 2008 | accessdate=9 July 2011 |at=p 17}}</ref> and an honorary fellowship by [[Cardiff University]] in July 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Previous Recipients|work=Honorary Fellows|url=http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/about/fellows/previous/index.html#D|publisher=Cardiff University|accessdate=5 July 2011}}</ref> |
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==Production credits== |
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{{See also|Category:Screenplays by Russell T Davies|l1=Screenplays by Russell T Davies}} |
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{|class=wikitable |
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!rowspan=2|Series |
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!rowspan=2|Channel |
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!rowspan=2|Year |
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!colspan=3|Functioned as |
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!rowspan=2|Notes |
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|- |
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![[Screenwriter|Writer]] |
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![[Television producer|Producer]] |
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!Other roles |
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|- |
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|''[[Why Don't You...?]]'' || [[BBC1]] || 1985–90 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Director, assistant floor manager, and publicist || Various episodes |
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|- |
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|''[[Play School (UK TV series)|Play School]]'' || BBC1 || 1987 || || || Presenter || One episode |
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|- |
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|''[[On the Waterfront (TV series)|On the Waterfront]]'' || BBC1 || 1988–89 || || || Sketch writer and script editor || |
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|- |
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|''[[DEF II]]'' || BBC1 || 1989 || || || Sketch writer || Various episodes, uncredited |
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|- |
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|''[[Breakfast Serials]]'' || BBC1 || 1990 || {{y}} || {{y}} || || |
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|- |
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|''[[Dark Season]]'' || BBC1 || 1991 || {{y}} || || Creator || |
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|- |
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|''[[Children's Ward]]'' || [[ITV]] || 1992–96 || {{y}} || {{y}} || || |
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|- |
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|''[[Families (TV series)|Families]]'' || ITV || 1992–93 || || || Storyliner || |
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|- |
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|''[[ChuckleVision]]'' || BBC1 || 1992 || {{y}} || || || Three episodes |
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|- |
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|''[[Century Falls]]'' || BBC1 || 1993 || {{y}} || || Creator || |
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|- |
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|''[[Cluedo (UK game show)|Cluedo]]'' || ITV || 1993 || {{y}} || || || One episode |
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|- |
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|''Do the Right Thing'' || BBC1 || 1994–95 || || || Scriptwriter || Uncredited |
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|- |
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|''The House of Windsor'' || ITV || 1994 || {{y}} || || || Various episodes, several uncredited |
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|- |
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|''[[Revelations (1994 TV series)|Revelations]]'' || ITV || 1994–95 || {{y}} || || Co-creator || Various episodes |
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|- |
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|''[[Coronation Street]]'' || ITV || 1996 || || || Storyliner || Two weeks; cover for permanent storyliner |
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|- |
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|''[[Springhill (TV series)|Springhill]]'' || [[Channel 4]]/[[Sky One]] || 1996–97 || {{y}} || || Co-creator and storyliner || Seven episodes. Created with [[Paul Abbott]] and [[Frank Cottrell Boyce]]. |
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|- |
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|''[[Damaged Goods (Doctor Who novel)|Damaged Goods]]'' || {{NA}} || 1996 || {{y}} || {{NA}} || {{NA}} || [[Virgin New Adventures]] ''Doctor Who'' novel |
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|- |
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|''[[Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!]]'' || Straight-to-video || 1997 || {{y}} || || || |
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|- |
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|''[[The Grand (TV series)|The Grand]]'' || ITV || 1997–98 || {{y}} || || || 18 episodes, several uncredited |
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|- |
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|''[[Touching Evil]]'' || BBC1 || 1997 || {{y}} || || || One episode |
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|- |
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|''[[Queer as Folk (UK TV series)|Queer as Folk]]'' || Channel 4 || 1999–2000 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Creator || |
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|- |
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|''[[Bob & Rose]]'' || ITV1 || 2001 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Creator || |
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|- |
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|''[[Linda Green]]'' || BBC One || 2001 || {{y}} || || || One episode |
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|- |
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|''[[The Second Coming (TV serial)|The Second Coming]]'' || ITV1 || 2003 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Creator and executive producer || |
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|- |
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|''[[Mine All Mine]]'' || ITV1 || 2004 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Creator and executive producer || |
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|- |
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|''[[Casanova (2005 TV serial)|Casanova]]'' || [[BBC Three]] || 2005 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Creator and executive producer || |
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|- |
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|''[[Doctor Who]]'' || BBC One || 2005–10 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Executive producer, showrunner, and head writer || 31 episodes and three mini-episodes. Simulcast on [[BBC HD]] starting with "[[Planet of the Dead]]".<ref name="hidef">{{cite episode |title=Planet of the Dead|series=Doctor Who: The Commentaries |serieslink=Doctor Who: The Commentaries |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC 7]] |airdate=11 April 2009 |season=1 |number=15|credits=Gardner, Julie; Strong, James; Tennant, David}}</ref> |
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|- |
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|''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' || BBC Three || 2005–10 || || {{y}} || Executive producer || |
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|- |
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|[[Tardisode]]s || [[BBC.co.uk]] || 2006 || || {{y}} || Executive producer || |
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|- |
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|''[[Torchwood]]'' || {{nowrap|BBC Three (2006–07)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[BBC Two]] (2007)}}<br/>{{nowrap|[[BBC One]] (2009)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[BBC HD]] (2006–09)}}<br />{{nowrap|BBC One (HD)/[[Starz (TV channel)|Starz]] (2011)}} || 2006– || {{y}} || {{y}} || Creator and executive producer || Six episodes |
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|- |
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|''[[Torchwood Declassified]]'' || BBC Three || 2006– || || {{y}} || Executive producer || |
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|- |
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|''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' || [[CBBC (TV channel)|CBBC]]/[[BBC One]] || 2007–11 || {{y}} || {{y}} || Creator and executive producer || One special and one story |
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|} |
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===''Doctor Who'' franchise writing credits=== |
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{| class="wikitable" width=100% |
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|- |
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! scope="col" | Year |
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! scope="col" | Show |
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! scope="col" | Episode |
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|- |
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|rowspan=10|2005 |
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|rowspan=15|''Doctor Who'' |
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|"[[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[The End of the World (Doctor Who)|The End of the World]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Aliens of London]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[World War Three (Doctor Who)|World War Three]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[The Long Game]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Boom Town (Doctor Who)|Boom Town]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Bad Wolf]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[The Parting of the Ways]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Doctor Who: Children in Need]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[The Christmas Invasion]]" |
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|- |
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|rowspan=7|2006 |
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|"[[New Earth]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Tooth and Claw (Doctor Who)|Tooth and Claw]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Love & Monsters]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Army of Ghosts]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]" |
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|- |
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|''Torchwood'' |
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|"[[Everything Changes (Torchwood)|Everything Changes]]" |
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|- |
|||
|''Doctor Who'' |
|||
|"[[The Runaway Bride (Doctor Who)|The Runaway Bride]]" |
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|- |
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|rowspan=7|2007 |
|||
|''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' |
|||
|"[[Invasion of the Bane]]" (co-written with [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]]) |
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|- |
|||
|rowspan=15|''Doctor Who'' |
|||
|"[[Smith and Jones (Doctor Who)|Smith and Jones]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Gridlock (Doctor Who)|Gridlock]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Utopia (Doctor Who)|Utopia]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[The Sound of Drums]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Last of the Time Lords]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)|Voyage of the Damned]]" |
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|- |
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|rowspan=7|2008 |
|||
|"[[Partners in Crime (Doctor Who)|Partners in Crime]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Midnight (Doctor Who)|Midnight]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Turn Left (Doctor Who)|Turn Left]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[The Stolen Earth]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[Music of the Spheres (Doctor Who)|Music of the Spheres]]" |
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|- |
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|"[[The Next Doctor]]" |
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|- |
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|rowspan=4|2009 |
|||
|"[[Planet of the Dead]]" (co-written with Gareth Roberts) |
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|- |
|||
|"[[Doctor Who: Tonight's the Night]]" |
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|- |
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|''Torchwood'' |
|||
|''[[Torchwood: Children of Earth|Children of Earth]]'', episodes 1, 3, and 5 (episode 3 co-written with [[James Moran (writer)|James Moran]]) |
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|- |
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|rowspan=2|''Doctor Who'' |
|||
|"[[The Waters of Mars]]" (co-written with [[Phil Ford (writer)|Phil Ford]]) |
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|- |
|||
|2009–10 |
|||
|''[[The End of Time]]'' |
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|- |
|||
|2010 |
|||
|''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' |
|||
|''[[Death of the Doctor]]'' |
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|- |
|||
|2011 |
|||
|''Torchwood'' |
|||
|''[[Torchwood: Miracle Day|Miracle Day]]'', episodes 1 ("[[The New World (Torchwood)|The New World]]") and 10 ("[[The Blood Line]]", co-written with [[Jane Espenson]])<ref name="garbageday">{{cite journal | title=The Countdown to new Torchwood! | issue=435 | page=p 7|first=Tom|last=Spilsbury|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent|work=Gallifrey Guardian|publisher=Panini Comics|journal=Doctor Who Magazine|date=1 June 2011}}</ref> |
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|} |
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==References== |
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{{Wikipedia books|1=Doctor Who}} |
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===Sources=== |
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{{Refbegin|2}} |
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*{{Cite book|last=Davies|first=Russell T|authorlink=Russell T Davies|last2=Cook|first2=Benjamin|authorlink2=Benjamin Cook|title=The Writer’s Tale|edition=1st|date=25 September 2008|publisher=[[BBC Books]]|isbn=1846075718|ref=harv}} |
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*{{Cite book|last=Davies|first=Russell T|authorlink=Russell T Davies|last2=Cook|first2=Benjamin|authorlink2=Benjamin Cook|title=The Writer’s Tale: The Final Chapter|edition=2nd|date=14 January 2010|publisher=[[BBC Books]]|isbn=184607861X|ref=harv}} |
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*{{Cite book |last=Aldridge |first=Mark |last2=Murray |first2=Andy |title=T is for Television: The Small Screen Adventures of Russell T Davies |date=30 November 2008 |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn Ltd |isbn=1905287844|ref=harv}} |
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{{Refend}} |
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===Citations=== |
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{{Reflist|3}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.bafta.org/access-all-areas/videos/russell-t-davies-in-conversation,708,BA.html Russell T Davies in Conversation], 23 March 2009: Davies holds a [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]]-sponsored talk on children's television. |
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*{{Screenonline name|id=1256045|name=Russell T Davies}} |
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*{{IMDb name|0203961}} |
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{{Russell T Davies|key=*}} |
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{{Doctor Who}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2010}} |
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{{Authority control|LCCN=n/000/31870|VIAF=74148875|WORLDCATID=lccn-n00-31870}} |
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{{Good article}} |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> |
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|NAME = Davies, Russell T |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Davies, Stephen Russell (birth name) |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Screenwriter and television producer |
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|DATE OF BIRTH = 27 April 1963 |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Swansea]], Wales |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Russell T}} |
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[[Category:1963 births]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford]] |
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[[Category:BAFTA winners (people)]] |
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[[Category:Doctor Who]] |
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[[Category:Gay writers]] |
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[[Category:LGBT people from Wales]] |
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[[Category:LGBT screenwriters]] |
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[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]] |
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[[Category:People from Swansea]] |
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[[Category:Welsh atheists]] |
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[[Category:Welsh humanists]] |
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[[Category:Welsh science fiction writers]] |
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[[Category:Welsh television producers]] |
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[[Category:Welsh screenwriters]] |
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[[Category:Welsh television writers]] |
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[[Category:People educated at Olchfa School]] |
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[[zh:拉塞爾·T·戴維斯]] |
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Revision as of 11:19, 1 October 2011
Russel T Davies is a gay faggot, he fucked up Doctor Who e.g he made the 10th doctor's regeneration to overdramatic and fucked it up. When he said he would leave after 2009, fans around the world celebrated like it was 1999 again.