The Writer's Tale

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale is a collection of e-mail correspondence between Russell T. Davies, executive producer and head writer on the revived Doctor Who, and Benjamin Cook, a journalist and writer for Doctor Who Magazine. The e-mails date between February 2007 and April 2008 and detail the creation of the episodes of Series 4, as well as the events leading up to Davies' announcement that he was leaving the series after production of the 2009 Specials. Interspersed are photos, illustrations, and script excerpts.

Although widely referred to simply as The Writer's Tale, the official title of the book incorporates Doctor Who.

The book includes a foreword by Phillip Pullman, writer of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

Publisher's Summary
"It's such a hard job. Writers never talk about how hard it is, out of the fear of being pretentious. 'Try being a nurse or a teacher,' people say. No - try being a writer! Try sitting with every doubt and fear about yourself and everyone, all on your own, with no ending or help or conclusion... At the same time, writing can be the most wonderful job in the world. When I'm happy with a script, I'm happier than you can ever imagine. Delicious! What I mean is, writing is never easy."

Main Focus
A behind-the-scenes look into the production of Doctor Who in 2007 and 2008, told through correspondence between the show's executive producer and a journalist.

Notable Features

 * Many script excerpts, including scenes not broadcast.
 * Details of characters and plots never realized on screen, including aborted plans for a new companion in Series 4, and a season outline featuring storylines not used.