THE WIT and WISDOM of
RUSSELL T. DAVIES
Part One: The Pre-Dawn of Doctor Who the New Series (2003-05)
On the 'Doctor Who' TV show -
"It's the best idea ever invented in the history of the world!"
Russell T. Davies on BBC Wales Today (2004)
As we know now, this proved to be Russell T. Davies [right]. An inspired choice as it turned out, but one the BBC never really had much doubt about, as Mal Young - Head of BBC Drama - confidently announced back in 2003, "We're thrilled to have a writer of Russell's calibre to take us on this journey."
And some journey it was. On the road to resurrection, Russell was to prove more than a mere pencil-pusher ... he was an envelope pusher. As executive producer / show-runner, he was the undoubted guiding light that brought a sadly faded icon back to our screens.
Much has been made of Russell's legacy after the fact of the show's global success, but what were his thoughts before the New Series was unleashed? The following dozen quotations make interesting reading in understanding his creative mindset before he knew what he had (re-)created ...
2003
"I want to make the Doctor the best character ever. He should be so fascinating he's radioactive. He's funny, clever, wild and fast. Your best friend times 500."
"None of us is talking about a reboot, it's the same old Doctor Who. I want the Doctor, at least one companion, whose name is probably Rose Tyler. I want the TARDIS, I want it to look like a Police Box, and I want them to fly through the universe and all its history, facing death and danger and braving it out with a fast and funny fighting spirit. That's Doctor Who, isn't it?"
in Doctor Who Magazine 2004
"I have a philosophy - I can do what I want. If we can think of the perfect story for him to fall in love then he will. The purists may be up in arms, but there are more things to worry about in life. There is no pure Doctor Who. He is 41 years old - it is the only way to do it, to change."
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