We discuss the first Doctor Who story from Russell T Davies, looking at the development of his style, what’s changed between 80s TV and today, a ‘draft renaissance’, writing for TV vs audio, Doctor Who before 2005, RTD’s second reign, writer repetition/iteration, family focus, & more!
https://youtu.be/eV78QwQp8CI
https://archive.org/download/2022-07-doctor-who-hodiac/2022%20%2307%20Doctor%20Who%20Hodiac.mp3
00:00:00 Introduction + where did RTD’s first Doctor Who story come from?
00:17:44 Releasing drafts + archival focus
00:23:03 What would present-day RTD make of the script?
00:31:32 The writing of the Sixth Doctor + what was changed
00:41:44 Writing for audio + family focus + disconnections
00:53:26 The second episode
01:03:03 Comparing Davies’ and Handcock’s episodes
01:07:27 Getting into Doctor Who before 2005
01:10:04 RTD on Hodiac + his second era
01:16:02 Different RTD eras + writer repetition/iteration
01:20:59 Do we recommend this story?
1.
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “HERE IT IS. In preparation for today’s tweetalong, I went through some old papers to find the script and found… the VERY FIRST DOCTOR WHO SCRIPT I ever wrote!! On a manual typewriter! In 1985! 1986? Sixth Doctor and Mel! #SantasARobot.” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340023872071069697 / https://archive.vn/KAxwb
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “This script has no title, but it’s undoubtedly called MIND OF THE HODIAC. I’ll post a few pages here, but it’s 62 pages long. I think, in 1985, I imagined that was a 25 minute episode!! Hah. And there’s a synopsis for Ep.2.” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340023925267435523 / https://archive.vn/0xbKW
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “MIND OF THE HODIAC. I think I sent this to the Doctor Who production office. I’ve always said in interviews that I sent in a rough version of The Long Game… but think I misremembered, I think it was this. Must have been. I’s not bad, I like it! #SantasARobot.” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340024260539142145 / https://archive.vn/2CvMk
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “[image post]” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340024270911582210 / https://archive.vn/QQvAl
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “I think I sent this to the Doctor Who production office. I’ve always said in interviews that I sent in a rough version of The Long Game… but think I misremembered, I think it was this. Must have been. It’s not bad, I like it! #SantasARobot.” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340024431469584386 / https://archive.vn/E4vom
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “When the show closed down in 1989, I had a letter from Andrew Cartmel saying ‘Thank you for your idea, I liked it and put it to one side for consideration but now we’ve closed down…’ (Contrary to what he says in next month’s DWM, fact fans) #SantasARobot.” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340024808994709506 / https://archive.vn/SVPBJ
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “OKAY, it’s not the Doctor Who rarity you wanted. It’s not a missing episode, it’s a never-episode. But it’s the first script by the man who went on to relaunch the show in 2005, that’s not too bad! #SantasARobot.” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340024983448395776 / https://archive.vn/TYuCq
Davies, Russell T. @russelldavies63. “I won’t post the whole thing – this story could still work! But it’s very much my Doctor Who, even in 1985, great big cosmic events all focusing down on an ordinary Earth family. Come and bid, Big Finish! #SantasARobot.” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020, https://twitter.com/russelldavies63/status/1340025072170528768 / https://archive.vn/kEt2t
2.
Davies, Russell T, and Benjamin Cook. The Writer’s Tale – The Final Chapter. BBC Books, 2010, p. 32
3.
Davies, Russell T, and Benjamin Cook. The Writer’s Tale – The Final Chapter. BBC Books, 2010, pp. 678-679.
4.
Davies, Russell T. “Production Notes #10.” Doctor Who Magazine, vol. 350, 11 Nov. 2004, p. 50.
5.
Cartmel, Andrew, and Russell T Davies. “Studio 84.” Doctor Who Magazine, vol. 560, 7 Jan. 2021, p. 16.
6.
Davies, Russell T. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 01:02-01:43, Big Finish.
7.
Kashevsky, Max. @MaxKashevsky. “I want to thread a difficult needle without pricking myself. Mind of the Hodiac is as well-produced as humanly possible – the sound design, the casting, the cowrite – but as a story, it shows the limitations of 23-year-old Russell T Davies. And I think that’s brilliant ” Twitter, 7 April 2022, https://twitter.com/MaxKashevsky/status/1512052361879080963 / https://archive.vn/W6tEv
8.
Gatiss, Mark. @Markgatiss. “…a lost ‘Doctor Who’ script!.” Twitter, 25 July 2021, https://twitter.com/Markgatiss/status/1419324887282458631 / https://archive.vn/mJN3R
9.
Davies, Russell T. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 03:32-03:53, Big Finish.
10.
Langford, Bonnie, and Emily Cook. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 04:04-04:55, Big Finish.
11.
Davies, Russell T. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 10:36-11:37, Big Finish.
Davies, Russell T. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 06:31-06:53, Big Finish.
12.
“Doctor Who – The Lost Stories.” Big Finish [accessed May 2022], https://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/doctor-who—the-lost-stories
13.
Davies, Russell T, and Colin Baker. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 06:31-07:03, Big Finish.
Langford, Bonnie, and Colin Baker. “Behind the Scenes.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 10:31-11:16, Big Finish.
14.
Davies, Russell T. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 07:03-07:54, Big Finish.
15.
Davies, Russell T. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 09:11-09:34, Big Finish.
16.
Handcock, Scott. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 18:11-18:28, Big Finish.
17.
Hall, Steven. Steven Hall [user account]. “The Seventh and Eighth Doctors’ attitudes to each other – Going Somewhere?” Gallifrey Base, 18 July 2013. https://gallifreybase.com/gb/threads/the-seventh-and-eighth-doctors-attitudes-to-each-other-going-somewhere.174442/#post-7042955
Hall, Steven. Steven Hall [user account]. “The Seventh and Eighth Doctors’ attitudes to each other – Going Somewhere?” Gallifrey Base, 18 July 2013. https://gallifreybase.com/gb/threads/the-seventh-and-eighth-doctors-attitudes-to-each-other-going-somewhere.174442/post-7045294
18.
Davies, Russell T, and Colin Baker. “Behind the Scenes.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 07:58-10:32, Big Finish.
19.
Davies, Russell T. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 01:01-01:14, Big Finish.
20.
Davies, Russell T. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 07:51-08:19, Big Finish.
21.
Handcock, Scott. @scott_handcock. “No scans exist! Only the original hard copy – which
@Emily_Rosina faithfully typed from scratch!” Twitter, 19 Jan. 2022, https://twitter.com/scott_handcock/status/1483562878649217025 / https://web.archive.org/web/20220118221719/https://twitter.com/scott_handcock/status/1483562878649217025
22.
Baker, Colin. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 00:37-00:58, Big Finish.
Davies, Russell T. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 03:50-04:03, 08:22-09:08, Big Finish.
23.
Baker, Colin, and Bonnie Langford. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 43:10-44:51, Big Finish.
Langford, Bonnie. “Round Table.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 13:43-14:52, Big Finish.
24.
Gill, Roy. @roy_gill. “Weirdly, having listened to Hodiac, there’s one plot element that reminded me of an element of one the CC’s you list (TBRAK).” Twitter, 31 March 2022, https://twitter.com/roy_gill/status/1509614169523625984 / https://archive.vn/e8rUE
25.
Davies, Russell T, and Scott Handcock. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 07:07-08:36, Big Finish.
26.
“Behind the Scenes.” Torchwood: Aliens Among Us 3, 6 Feb. 2018, Big Finish.
27.
Handcock, Scott. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 20:03-20:17, Big Finish.
Rudden, Dave. Dave_Rudden_Writes [user account]. “Hi, I’m Dave Rudden, author of anthologies THE WINTERTIME PARADOX & TWELVE ANGELS WEEPING – AMA!” Reddit, 18 Oct. 2020, https://www.reddit.com/r/doctorwho/comments/jcyscl/hi_im_dave_rudden_author_of_anthologies_the/g94cum4/ / https://archive.vn/WNKz9
28.
Davies, Russell T. “Extended Extras.” Mind of the Hodiac, 30 March 2022, 40:07-41:08, Big Finish.
29.
Gatwa, Ncuti. “Ncuti Gatwa and Russell T Davies talk everything Doctor Who | Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards 2022.” YouTube, uploaded by BAFTA, 00:36-00:45, https://youtu.be/3bgamRJ6WDw
30.
Jeffery, Morgan. “Celebrating Big Finish: How a gang of fans reinvented Doctor Who for a new audience.” Digital Spy, 23 June 2017, https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a831517/big-finish-nicholas-briggs-interview/ / https://archive.vn/AipcS
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