The Fires of Pompeii<\/a>, based on the 2008 episode that saw the Tenth Doctor and Donna take their first adventure in the TARDIS together.<\/p>\nTravelling to Pompeii (instead of Rome \u2013 whoops!), the newly-formed partners in time argued over the Doctor\u2019s responsibility to help the doomed people, fought lava-monsters and met some (future) familiar faces in Peter Capaldi\u2019s Caecilius and Karen Gillan\u2019s Soothsayer. Now, that story comes to life again \u2013 with a textual twist or two.<\/p>\n
Recently, we caught up with writer James Moran to find out what it was like to adapt his own script into a book, what new details he retrospectively added into the story and his thoughts on the next Tennant\/Tate comeback on the way.<\/p>\n
Plus: who knew tectonic plates were so noisy?<\/p>
Hi James \u2013 I have to ask, what was it like adapting your own script for prose? What was the process like? <\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s tricky, because I\u2019m so used to scripts now, and I\u2019m not used to prose. I find it a lot harder than scripts. Obviously, the story\u2019s already worked out, so that part is taken care of. It was just trying to figure out all the things I wanted to put back in \u2013 all the places where it needed to be expanded, and some of the things that I couldn\u2019t really do.<\/p>\n
In a TV episode, you can cut back and forth between scenes very quickly, but you can\u2019t do too much of that in a book. It gets a bit confusing about who\u2019s speaking, and whose point of view it is.<\/p>\n
Right from the very first sentence, it was just the knowledge that people would be seeing every single word I put down on these pages, whereas in a script, most people don\u2019t tend to read the script \u2013 they just see the episode or the film.<\/p>\n
Was it a bit nerve-wracking?<\/strong><\/p>\nCompletely, yeah. When you write scripts, it doesn\u2019t matter if your grammar isn\u2019t amazing, because what matters is that you\u2019re communicating in the stage directions what the audience see and hear. So it doesn\u2019t have to be beautiful, flowery language. But in prose, they\u2019re going to see every single word, and it\u2019s terrifying.<\/p>\n
I used to be very, very good at grammar, but I\u2019ve developed a few bad habits over the years with scripts.<\/p>\n
Doctor Who author and screenwriter James Moran<\/span><\/figcaption> James Moran<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n If you cast your mind back to 2007, what were the biggest obstacles you found when you sat down to write the story in the first place?<\/strong><\/p>\nThere were two main ones. The first was that because it\u2019s a real event in history \u2013 we obviously can\u2019t change history and say that it didn\u2019t happen. It\u2019s a big event that the Doctor can\u2019t prevent. He can\u2019t stop it from happening. So that was quite a challenge because it kind of sits right in the way of your story. That was tricky.<\/p>\n
The other main challenge for me \u2013 because I\u2019ve been watching the show since I was 3 or 4 years old, as long as I can remember \u2013 the very first time I tried to write the Doctor\u2019s first line\u2026 I did a few lines, where I was like, \u201cNo, that doesn\u2019t sound like him.\u201d And I couldn\u2019t figure out why it didn\u2019t sound right.<\/p>\n
And then I realised: it doesn\u2019t sound right because to me, the Doctor\u2019s a real person, and my brain is aware that I\u2019ve just made that line up for him. So it doesn\u2019t sound right because I\u2019ve made it up, and he hasn\u2019t said it. So that messed with my head a little bit.<\/p>\n
And also doing things like\u2026 When you write \u201cINT. TARDIS\u201d for the first time \u2013 that is bonkers. And is it \u201cDAY\u201d or \u201cNIGHT\u201d? Because they\u2019re in space, so it\u2019s neither. So my brain kind of got in my own way a little bit.<\/p>\n
You mentioned putting some stuff back in to the Target book. Was there anything you cut from the TV script that you reinstated?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, there were a couple of things to do with volcano behaviour. There was a really cool piece of research I found when I was planning it. It was just about how the Earth\u2019s rock plates grind together under the ground. I found some recordings of that, and it\u2019s just the creepiest sound. They slowed it down, because normally you can\u2019t hear it. But it was terrifying.<\/p>\n
So I took a bit of artistic license with that, and used the slowed-down version. It\u2019s things like that where in a TV show, you make the point once, and you don\u2019t need to come back to it. In a book, you\u2019ve got more room to put in some more tangents and inside notes and things.<\/p>\n
Future Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi as Caecilius in Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n I did notice one or two bits that I think were added. You highlight Caecilius\u2019s distinctive face, which obviously was played out in the series when the Twelfth Doctor (also played by Peter Capaldi) recognised the connection. Was it fun to retrospectively tie that together?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe concept had already been done. So it\u2019s not like I had to think up an explanation for it. Luckily, Steven Moffat had explained it in one of his own episodes. I didn\u2019t actually ask him. I just sort of lifted it.<\/p>\n
I think he\u2019ll allow it.<\/strong><\/p>\nIt was supposed to be just about what\u2019s in the episode, but I thought, \u201cI\u2019ll throw that in.\u201d I just sort of hinted at it, so hopefully he won\u2019t sue me for royalties.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s fine. When I read Russell T Davies\u2019 redo of Rose, he added in Jodie Whittaker and Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi to Clive\u2019s shed. So for these Target adaptations, I think it\u2019s a little tradition.<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah. I think if I hadn\u2019t, people would have been a bit taken aback.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a little reference to the Doctor Who lockdown watch-along video as well, wasn\u2019t there? The Descendants of Pompeii?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, because I just thought that was a nice idea \u2013 and I\u2019ve done this in a few other stories as well \u2013 just the thought that occasionally the Doctor would go back and check on people. He wouldn\u2019t just pop into their lives, and disappear forever. I liked the idea that he would check in on people that he\u2019s encountered, and just make sure they\u2019re OK.<\/p>\n
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