Episode Three

It doesn't take much to get me to try out new things. So, when your best mate says - 'Hey, fancy writing some Who?' it's hard, nay daft to say no.

Normally I'm wary of fan-fiction or any foray into the world of Stuff That Already Exists. I suppose that it all has to do with the fallout from the concept of Canon.

Canon, at least in a Doctor Who sense, is said to have begun with the advent of colour. Before colour it was a free for all on ideas (even with Colour the road to Canon was rocky - see the potential issues that arise when you look too closesly at The Daleks and Genesis of the Daleks by Terry Nation, but I digress), in black and white anything was possible. I suspect that canon was more of an eighties idea, when continuity became a big thing. The Star Trek films of the eighties are a continuation of the Original Series; Doctor Who in itself is all forty odd years of continuation - so surely having everything make sense internally is a good step?

I've always felt that expanding your own ideas too much into areas unexplored by certain franchises has been pointless. After all, it's unofficial, ergo it doesn't count. To that extent I've never been particularly interested in the idea of Extended Universes either, after all, the word Extended just implies unofficial.

The fact that I'm quite prepared to throw myself into this idea might then seem like hypocrisy. But, there comes a time though when you have to look at yourself in the mirror and gauge what kind of nerd you are, and to be honest, I'm not sure I like the version of me that gets itchy about Canon. To hell with it! What's an idea if you can't have fun with it?

To this end. Episode Three. Draft one is complete and is in the hands of my wonderful Executive Producer. Largely speaking, for me this started out as an exercise in commissioning. I wanted to be commissioned to write a story, i.e. given an idea and told to run with it, while not having any part to say in the writing of the overall arc. This is a healthy thing because it means my interest is, from the off, limited. I can't get obsessed over another writing project. Surely.

Having watched Season Three of NuWho and loved it, the latter half in particular, it got me thinking about what I like in Who, old and new. Recently I watched Genesis of the Daleks for the first time and was blown away. This, is what Doctor Who should be like all the time! Cried I. (Of course, I know it can't be like that all the time, but I do lament the fact that it's not like that more often).

To list, here are some of the things that blew me away:

a) Dealing with sensibly, and with layers, the origin of the Great Nemesis.
b) The way that it fleshed out an enemy without killing the mystery.
c) Davros. Pure and simple - a creation of brilliance.
d) All the supporting cast and their myriad of flaws and interests.
e) The Doctor being played like a puppet by the Timelords.

It's a fantastic story. Likewise, NuWho:

1) Dealing with the difference between Humans and Timelords.
2) Sensitive use of companions. From Rose to Captain jack to Mickey to Martha - all of whom represent a spectrum of relationships you can have with the Doctor and - crucially - all of them new.
3) The simplicity of it.
4) The fun.

So, what did I want from this project? Well, largely to explore the aspects that I've listed above. Not that I think they're missing from Who as it exists, but there were things that I wanted to play around with. The allure was of writing a script of the nineties, to explore an alternate train of reality, where Doctor Who didn't end with the film in '96, it got commissioned for a series in the American style. To be honest - I had Babylon 5 and nineties trek on my mind the entire time thinking, this is what it could have been like.

At some point it'll get put online, but only when One and Two are written in a good enough state to be seen. Hopefully, that'll be soon!

Episode Three

Jom has presented me with the first draught of Episode Three! I've read it, and it's brilliant. All that remains is to send him my comments and wait for the second draught.

Meanwhile, it seems likely that Episodes One and Two will need to be a single episode, since I can't get the story to work in a two-part format. I also need to contact Grace regarding her episodes.

New Writer on Board

Talked to Jom about the project last night. He's quite keen to write a few episodes, so he'll be tackling Episode 3 (which I'd outlined with him in mind) as well as an important two-parter later on.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on Episode 1, and it's starting to take shape. Just needs more dedication, really. As soon as I get it written, I'm going to get some beta readers to go over it (including Jom and Grace, who are already on board to write a few episodes), and work on it more. If that's in place, then it'll pay off when other episodes get written.

Episode 1 Status

Wrote eight pages of Episode One tonight. Ought to be forty-five pages when complete.

I think non-Doctor scenes need slowing down - they're a bit quick at the moment, probably influenced by the 2005+ Series. Some nice talky scenes could serve the story quite well, particularly if Doctor scenes are allowed to remain fast.

Still, though, I'm getting a grip on Sinead. She's not wonderfully realised at the moment, and the script will need some hefty editing once both episodes of the story are done (and, indeed, once more of the series has been written), but I'm pleased with it so far.

New Writers

Today, I discussed the project with Grace, a friend of mine. Specifically, I discussed the idea of having other people write certain episodes, with everyone working as each other's script editors.

She seemed very fond of the idea, possibly in no small part due to her interest in Doctor Who, but finding some stories far more interesting than others. She likes historicals, and that's excellent, since I find them very difficult to handle.

Seems she's on board. I'm hoping to get some other people to handle other sorts of stories. This does, of course, require me to complete the first story soon, so that I can show people an example of what I'm after.

Episodes One and Two

The first two episodes are a two-parter, to kick things off with a bang.

I've been working on this story for a while, and I've found myself unable to get a grip on it.

Looking back at what I've done, I think I see the problem - the pace is too consistent. I wanted a slow-burning first episode, and a fast-paced second episode, and that means that the first part is too slow.

I think the new rule is that if the Doctor is on-screen, then the story is FAST. When he's not there, it should feel like the calm before the storm. Everything's a little bit too quiet.

Still, I'm very excited about the characters and monsters.

It'll come as no surprise that this story introduces the companion. Indeed, this is the introduction of Sinead Gallagher. Originally, I'd outlined an episode seen entirely through her eyes, with the Doctor weaving in and out of her life.

I'm not fond of this method, however. The Doctor deserves equality, so more Doctor is needed. Of course, this is still Sinead's story - these are extraordinary events for her, whereas to the Doctor, it's just like any other day.

Meanwhile, I'm introducing a family of sorts to the series. I loved UNIT in the 70s, and I'm fond of a similar situation of a close-knit group. I'm aware of the 2005 series, of course, that created a literal family, but I'm not keen to go that far.

The Outline

Before doing anything else, I decided on an outline for the series.

Seeing as this is based on an American format, I decided that the series would be 24 episodes long, with each episode being 45 minutes long, with three lots of 5-minute ad breaks.

The series will feature traditional, Classic Who-style multi-parters, as well as American-style one-off episodes. The series will have several ongoing storylines (or "arcs"), in keeping with 90s American sci-fi shows.

Currently, there are two three-parters, four two-parters, and the remaining ten episodes are one-offs.

All the episodes have working titles, as well as a basic premise for the adventures.

Later on, I fleshed this outline out with a treatment, as though pitching the series to a television company. This will also serve as the template for the writing.