richardwiggins's review against another edition
4.0
What a wonderful read. A mammoth read, mind. I read this as part of my Doctor Who marathon, which has been going on for years now, but includes (on top of the show itself) back issues of Doctor Who Magazine, commentaries, podcasts, DW Confidential, spin offs (including the Australian one) and even fan made productions. I’m doing this comprehensive marathon once, so I can truly say I’ve watched and fully considered everything. As a result, I can only review this book as “that” kind of obsessive fan.
I love Russell T Davies with all my heart. He is my hero. No stranger has changed my life more than him. Ben Cook is a journalist who both in and outside of this book has contributed huge, fearless additions to fandom. We are so lucky to have him. Together they give an unbeatable insight into what it’s like to write Doctor Who, straight from the horse’s mouth. I felt the full gamut of emotions reading this, which is amazing considering it’s essentially just a bunch of emails. It proves the level of clarity and beauty in Russell’s writing that he could make magic out of what others would find an inherently limited format.
If you want to learn how to write, you’ll pick up handy tips. If you want to know how Russell made the show between 2007 to 2009, then this will unveil a serious number of delicious secrets. This is the full story.
I love Russell T Davies with all my heart. He is my hero. No stranger has changed my life more than him. Ben Cook is a journalist who both in and outside of this book has contributed huge, fearless additions to fandom. We are so lucky to have him. Together they give an unbeatable insight into what it’s like to write Doctor Who, straight from the horse’s mouth. I felt the full gamut of emotions reading this, which is amazing considering it’s essentially just a bunch of emails. It proves the level of clarity and beauty in Russell’s writing that he could make magic out of what others would find an inherently limited format.
If you want to learn how to write, you’ll pick up handy tips. If you want to know how Russell made the show between 2007 to 2009, then this will unveil a serious number of delicious secrets. This is the full story.
c_salako's review against another edition
5.0
So glad I took the risk and grabbed this. Slightly intimidated by the size and my lack of Doctor Who knowledge but once I started I couldn't stop; Russell and Ben worked perfectly together.
Steven Moffat's foreword of "if you read this and still want to be a writer, you will be" is slightly scary but I completely related to Russell from the start, and you'll understand why Moffat says that as you get into the book. All writers (and Whovians) should read this. It's funny and honest and I loved the email/text format (and the drawings, cheeky Russell) and shows you an imperfect but, I think, a very good view into the head of such an amazing writer like Davies.
Steven Moffat's foreword of "if you read this and still want to be a writer, you will be" is slightly scary but I completely related to Russell from the start, and you'll understand why Moffat says that as you get into the book. All writers (and Whovians) should read this. It's funny and honest and I loved the email/text format (and the drawings, cheeky Russell) and shows you an imperfect but, I think, a very good view into the head of such an amazing writer like Davies.
morganl_'s review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
theteaisaddictive's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
I absolutely adored this book. First of all, as a look ‘behind the curtain’ into what it was like scripting and exec producing Doctor Who this really was invaluable — I had no idea how gruelling and stressful it was to showrun. Secondly, as an insight into RTD both as a person and professionally — for instance, I now have a list of shows to check out, the vast majority of which I had never heard of (the curse of being a millennial/zoomed cusp). Thirdly, for all the ruminations on why and how one writes; the drive behind it, the craft behind it, and what is or isn’t bullshit. I suspect if my personal philosophy on writing differed wildly from RTD’s I might have found these sections frustrating to sit through, but as our opinions largely seemed to align I found myself nodding along and thinking ‘Yes, exactly, that’s exactly what it feels like.’
inareskai's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Borrowed this book from a friend, and read it aloud to my husband so we could both enjoy it. Really interesting and super fun to hear insights from the production and writing processes.
ayavandenbussche's review
5.0
By far the best book about writing I have read. So inspiring and just brilliant.