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David Tennant in DOCTOR WHO - THE WATERS OF MARS
Television:
Exclusive Interview: RUSSELL T. DAVIES SAYS GOODBYE TO 'DOCTOR WHO' AND LOOKS TO THE FUTURE OF 'TORCHWOOD'
The writer/producer's tenure on WHO is coming to an end and hints about what to expect in the final two-part WHO wrap up THE WATERS OF MARS
By CARL CORTEZ, Contributing Editor
Published 7/30/2009
While talking about his final home stretch as writer/executive producer of the David Tennant years of DOCTOR WHO (the THE WATERS OF MARS special airs in November and the final two-episode finale airs December and January on BBC in England), Russell T. Davies spoke with iF in this exclusive interview about his run on the seminal BBC series, what he’s looking forward to in the future and of course, the future of TORCHWOOD.
ON IF HE ACCOMPLISHED EVERYTHING HE SET OUT TO DO ON HIS RUN OF THE SERIES ….
“I didn’t really have a list I set out to do, because the show is so different every week, so I just wanted to it be good,” says Davies. “Honestly, I feel we never made a bad show and I believe that.”
ON LIFE AFTER ‘WHO’ AND STEVEN MOFFAT TAKING OVER AS SHOWRUNNER ON ‘WHO’ …
“We’ve left it in such good hands, I’ll be able to watch again,” says Davies. “Steven Moffat is taking over and he’s absolutely brilliant. I haven’t been able to watch a new [WHO] series for 20 years. So [when he comes on it] will be 21 years. So for me, that’s going to be huge.”
ON WHETHER OR NOT HE GAVE MOFFAT ANY ADVICE …
“Absolutely not,” says Davies. “We went out for lunch and I ostensibly was going to impart my wisdom, and as I sat down there, I realized ‘he knows everything, so why don’t we just gossip instead.’”
ON WHAT HE THINKS OF THE CHOICE OF MATT SMITH AS THE CHOICE FOR THE 11TH DOCTOR …
“I think he’ll be wonderful,” says Davies. “He looks wonderful. He’s simply what you want from any actor. He’s intelligent and he can do anything. He looks different in everything he’s ever done. I’m glad they didn’t go with someone older to be honest. I think there’s something in the zeitgeist in Doctor Who these days, and I think Matt has captured that.”
ON WHAT A FOURTH SEASON OF TORCHWOOD WOULD BE ...
“We’re talking about it,” he adds. “We’re in Los Angeles now. The people making it would be in London and Cardiff. We’re not rushing into any decision -- that’s what’s good about. We are amazed at the success of it. We need to look at that and analyze it a bit. We keep changing it. The more we go with the times with it, the more successful it seems it gets. You can’t predict what shape it’s going to take.”
ON DOING STAND-ALONES OR MINI-SERIES LIKE THIS YEAR’S FIVE PART ‘CHILDREN OF EARTH’ EVENT ….
“I loved that,” he says. “I prefer the continuous story. Until the BBC demands a new one, I certainly love that format.”
ON WHETHER HE’S THOUGHT OF WHERE TORCHWOOD WOULD GO NEXT …
“I know exactly where we would start,” he says.
ON JOHN SIMM RETURNING IN THE FINALE AS THE MASTER IF HE DIDN'T REGENERATE ….
“He won’t pop out of a box and say ‘I was alive all the time,’ although frankly, that would have been easier,” he says. “We spent a lot of money bringing him back.”
ON HOW MUCH OF THE SERIES HE PLANNED AHEAD OF TIME AND WHAT HE REVEALED TO TENNANT DURING THAT TIME …
“I didn’t have it planned out,” says Davies. “It didn’t exist in a hard copy anywhere. I rationed information out and doled it out bit by bit and David would find out when he got each script. I don’t believe in planning things too much really. I improvise as I go along and keep the whole thing on its toes -- that the audience doesn’t know where it’s all going either. The whole show, we didn’t quite know where it was going. It wasn’t all written on a white board in an office.”
ON WHAT THE BIGGEST SURPRISE DOING THE SERIES …
“I’m amazed that we got away with not having to redesign the Daleks,” he admits. “I think that was a miracle. I’m real hardcore and I’m amazed we got away with it.”
ON WHY MICHELLE RYAN DIDN’T END UP AS A FUTURE COMPANION ….
“She was only contracted to come in for one episode,” he says. “I don’t think we would have gotten Michelle if it was a long-running part. You were meant to feel that. You were meant to feel sad she didn’t join up at the end.”
ON WHETHER CAPTAIN JACK MIGHT APPEAR IN WATERS OF MARS FOR A CAMEO …
“No -- that would intrude,” he says. “That would be something glaring in the middle of the Doctor Who story. I’m sure he will back one day. I’m sure he’ll be back in TORCHWOOD, but I think he’ll be back on DOCTOR WHO one day. He’s one of those characters you keep bringing back.”
ON HOW HIS VERSION OF ‘WHO’ WILL BE PERCEIVED IN THE CANNON IN YEARS TO COME …
“That it was magnificent,” says Davies. “Although there will always be some bony bastard who’ll say he didn’t like it.”
CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH DAVID TENNANT FROM THE TCAS HERE
ALSO READ OUR RECAP OF THE DOCTOR WHO PANEL AT COMIC-CON HERE
Reader Comments
Ross from Dublin sez....
Moffat should be much better. His episodes have been much superior to Davies.
7/31/2009 5:19:43 AM
The Dude from Heaven sez....
If Davies really believes he never made a bad episode, he needs an ego-control pill REAL fast. Not to mention a reality check. Look at the ego on that thing!
7/30/2009 5:16:32 PM
