{"id":11386,"date":"2022-02-21T12:11:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T11:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1586821"},"modified":"2022-02-21T12:11:44","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T11:11:44","slug":"russell-t-davies-might-have-already-told-us-his-doctor-who-plans","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/russell-t-davies-might-have-already-told-us-his-doctor-who-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Russell T Davies might have already told us his Doctor Who plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Radio Times staff\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 21 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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By:<\/strong> Sab Astley<\/p>\n

Russell T Davies is the master of reusing and recycling. Most obviously, h<\/span>e\u2019s fond of casting actors from projects past for leading roles in newer work (notably, Christopher Eccleston had starred in The Second Coming and David Tennant in Casanova before joining Doctor Who<\/a>), but he\u2019s also prone to holding on to and breathing new life into ideas long after he first came up with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a skill he found particularly useful during his first <\/span>Doctor Who <\/span>run, taking monsters like the Toclafane (conceptualised as an alternative for the Daleks all the way back in July 2004) and later re-establishing them in their own right as The Master\u2019s metallic menaces. Even small details like names are re-worked; a Donna had originally appeared in Queer as Folk, with the name being unconsciously resampled by Davies without him even realising.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, with Davies\u2019 surprise return to <\/span>Doctor Who looming<\/span>, everyone is searching for potential clues as to RTD\u2019s approach to his second run \u2013 and unusually, the acclaimed screenwriter might have already given us a pretty good idea of what he\u2019s planning thanks to a little book called The Writer\u2019s Tale<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Writer\u2019s Tale <\/span>is a tome of correspondence between Davies and Doctor Who Magazine contributor Benjamin Cook, taking place over the pre-production of Series 4 right up to the final shots of Tennant\u2019s last special between 2007 \u2013 2009. This uniquely intimate look into Davies\u2019 writing process not only gives us an insight into how RTD approaches writing projects like <\/span>Doctor Who<\/span>, but also gives the chance to discover unused and scrapped ideas \u2013 the original concept for <\/span>Years & Years <\/span>is mentioned in here, all the way back in 2008! \u2013\u00a0 that RTD could return to and retool for his second pass as showrunner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting with the big one\u2026<\/p>\n

The Next Doctor<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Russell\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Russell Tovey<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

14<\/span>th<\/span> Doctor speculation is currently at an all-time high, with names like Michael Sheen<\/a>, Michaela Coel, T\u2019Nia Miller<\/a> and Olly Alexander<\/a> mentioned. However, one name that hasn\u2019t arisen, which <\/span>might <\/span><\/i>just be a strong contender to bet on: Russell Tovey.<\/span><\/p>\n

Davies makes no secret of his love for Tovey, and in a discussion over potential 11<\/span>th<\/span> Doctor castings, RTD states that Tovey is \u201cAmazing. I think I\u2019d make him the eleventh Doctor.\u201d Since then Tovey has starred in Davies\u2019 <\/span>Years & Years<\/span>, and currently all of his upcoming projects are in post-production \u2013 making it the perfect time for RTD to nab Tovey if he so wishes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alternatively, if we look at Davies\u2019 choice of actors in the years since The Writer\u2019s Tale,\u00a0the choice becomes clear: Lydia West. She\u2019s clearly a favourite of RTD\u2019s, starring in both <\/span>Years & Years <\/span>and <\/span>It\u2019s a Sin, <\/span>and could follow in Jodie Whittaker\u2019s footsteps as a female Doctor (and the first \u2018lead\u2019 Doctor to be played by a Black actor, though Jo Martin\u2019s Fugitive Doctor technically got there first).<\/span><\/p>\n

Altogether, based on RTD\u2019s creative patterns and the insight of The Writer\u2019s Tale it seems Russell Tovey or Lydia West are strong options for the 14<\/span>th<\/span> Doctor. However, there is a third possibility \u2013 the return of David Tennant<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

Tennant\u2019s return has been speculated since RTD\u2019s announcement, and now rumours supposedly supporting this idea have emerged. Apparently, Tennant may return not as the 10<\/span>th<\/span> Doctor, but as a new 14<\/span>th<\/span> incarnation for a brief collection of episodes to tie into Who\u2019s 60th anniversary. Initially, many may think there\u2019s little weight to this \u2013 but the idea of a Tennant-centric mini-series apparently once appealed to Davies, as he asked Cook \u201chow about a mini-series with David in 2010?\u201d to get his thoughts on a possible concept, as relayed in The Writer\u2019s Tale.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that Davies\u2019 successor Moffat offered up series 5 to Tennant for one last outing in the role, and according to Davies, \u201cDavid is thinking about it!\u201d \u2013 Cook later mentions an interesting anecdote from his interview with Catherine Tate: \u201cShe admitted that had you all been doing another series, she wouldn\u2019t have hesitated in signing up for it.\u201d This then spurs an echoed emphasis of that Tennant mini-series through a \u2018what if?\u2019 reflection: \u201cImagine how incredible a second series with Catherine and David would have been.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So who knows? With Davies returning, original revival producer Phil Collinson<\/a> back on board and Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter on hand via new production company Bad Wolf Studios, it\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility that Tennant could also be part of this \u201cgetting the band back together\u201d team-up. Maybe Catherine Tate could even show up! It still feels unlikely but if there\u2019s anything we\u2019ve learned recently it\u2019s that anything is possible when it comes to Doctor Who.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Next Companion<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Catherine\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Catherine Tate in Doctor Who<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Writer\u2019s Tale also offers a few clues about the next Doctor\u2019s best mate. You see, originally Donna Noble was not the first choice for series 4\u2019s companion \u2013 instead, we very nearly got \u2018Penny Carter\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was described by Davies as a \u201cslightly older Northern woman in her mid-30s\u201d, the type of person who would have \u201cjust black coffee [in the morning] \u2013 if it weren\u2019t Doctor Who, she\u2019d have a cigarette. That\u2019s very Penny.\u201d The reason for Penny\u2019s creation at the time was that Davies didn\u2019t believe they could convince Tate to return \u2013 the concept moved forward to the point where an unnamed but \u201cmarvellous actress with a rare flair for comedy\u201d loved by both Davies and Jane Tranter was <\/span>almost<\/span><\/i> offered the role; but then Tate said yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, elements of Penny were folded into Donna: her lovable charming granddad \u2018Geoff\u2019, who we now know as Bernard Cribbins\u2019 iconic Wilf, as well as his band of elderly adventurers introduced in <\/span>The End of Time<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Penny herself never made it beyond the page, and there\u2019s a clear melancholy shared by Davies when discussing the demise of the character \u2013 it\u2019s evident that he had become attached to Penny, and there was <\/span>definitely<\/span><\/i> a companion there to explore. While a woman called Penny Carter <\/span>does<\/span> make a cameo in <\/span>Partners in Crime<\/span> as a journalist investigating the Adipose, given Davies\u2019 love for the character, it\u2019s possible that Davies may draw on this strong, Northern heroine he almost brought to life before when it comes to creating series 14\u2019s companion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Stories<\/strong><\/h2>