Russell T Davies on “comfort” of Doctor Who return after his husband’s death

The Nolly screenwriter has revealed what returning to Doctor Who means to him.

By Morgan Cormack

Published: Tuesday, 31 January 2023 at 12:00 am

As we prepare for the launch of Nolly on ITVX, it’s safe to say that the screenwriter at the helm of it, Russell T Davies, is a fan of the beloved soap and its classic stars.

But elsewhere in the near future, we have Davies’s big Doctor Who return to look forward to, as he comes back as showrunner for the 60th anniversary episodes and beyond in what he has described as “the next stage for Doctor Who”.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Times magazine ahead of Nolly‘s premiere this week, Davies revealed that the decision to return to Doctor Who is one that has some emotional personal ties.

When asked whether dealing with the loss of his husband Andrew – who passed away in 2018 – has got any easier, Davies said: “No and I don’t expect it will.”

During his husband’s illness, Davies gave up work to be his carer. Now, he revealed: “It isn’t killing me. I’m quite glad that I’ve gone back to writing Doctor Who because psychologically I’m thinking, ‘He knows what I’m doing now’.

“It gives me comfort. It’s when you do new things he never experienced that it feels odd and you don’t enjoy it so much.”

He went on to say: “In some ways, it has got worse because it’s ‘Oh, you’re still not coming back?’

“Maybe it’s why Andrew keeps popping up in everything I write. Even in Nolly with the scenes of her cancer, I found myself visiting hospitals. There’s been death in a lot of the stuff I’ve written over the past few years. I don’t mind that. I’m glad. It feels richer.”

In the interview, Helena Bonham Carter also agreed, saying: “We have to incorporate it into our lives and talk about it. And even with divorce, too – people don’t talk about it.

“For those of us who are grieving a divorce or someone who has gone… our heads are full of that person. So this thing of ‘Don’t mention it…’”