{"id":35878,"date":"2022-06-26T00:21:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-25T23:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/?p=35878"},"modified":"2022-06-25T12:24:52","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T11:24:52","slug":"an-honest-appraisal-of-russell-t-davies-in-advance-of-his-return-to-doctor-who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2022\/06\/26\/an-honest-appraisal-of-russell-t-davies-in-advance-of-his-return-to-doctor-who\/","title":{"rendered":"An Honest Appraisal of Russell T Davies In Advance of His Return to Doctor Who…"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

We’re all very excited about Russell T Davies’ return to Doctor Who<\/em>. The Chris Chibnall era has been very divisive, and a return to Russell is a welcome development indeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what exactly will we be getting? We think<\/em> we know, but do we? In a recent interview, Steven Moffat talked about Russell’s return, indicating that — and I’m paraphrasing here — “you think you know what you’ll get, but you really don’t.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he’s probably right. As a fellow writer, Who<\/em> fan, and former showrunner, Moffat knows how RTD operates better than most.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of this writing, we’ve already gotten tidbits and morsels about what’s coming for the 60th anniversary specials. Tennant. Tate. Harris. Meep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meep!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Doctors? One would assume so. It is an anniversary special after all. Well, three of them, probably.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is a different RTD. A man who evolved as a writer and showrunner between Series 1 and 4.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll be honest: when first watching the Christopher Eccleston series, as good as the stories were, I found Russell’s solo stories, such as Aliens of London\/World War Three<\/em> and The Long Game <\/em>to be among the weakest of that year’s offerings, especially competing with the likes of Dalek, Father’s Day, The Unquiet Dead<\/em>, and The Empty Child\/The Doctor Dances<\/em> in mix by other authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But by Series 4, Russell was churning out classics like Midnight<\/em> and Turn Left<\/em>, some of the most critically acclaimed episodes of the era, blowing away the year’s competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine what he’ll squeeze through that keyboard after a decade’s rest away from his beloved show! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another factor regarding what he’ll be bringing to the table this time: a lack of BBC restraint. Russell has never been shy about injecting some of his social politics into stories. Now that he’s got full creative control of Doctor Who<\/em>, there are fewer boundaries, fewer creative limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will we this mean for the finished product? Will “Russell Unbound” turn people away? The heavy handed, preachy messages laid down by Chibnall never went over well. History has taught us that RTD has a more well-crafted touch, at the very least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some creatives need<\/em> boundaries, rules, limitations, as it often forces them into corners that ignite their imaginations. On deadlines past, Russell would force himself<\/em> into a corner by waiting until the eleventh hour on some scripts, where he’d find himself panicked and exhilarated, culminating in inspiration. Doubtless, we will see more of that in the new era.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He’s even said it will be strange and different. This sounds as if he might be getting experimental for a new age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a fair bet that it’ll be bold and dramatic, brilliant and bonkers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming off this last era, maybe anything goes here. Everyone has been getting very, very excited so far, yet we’re flying blind. We’re not sure what to expect. It might also not be a bad idea to manage expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assume nothing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, sure, we may love it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or… we might loathe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way though, the anticipation is exciting. <\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What might we assume about Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":35880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"An Honest Appraisal of Russell T Davies In Advance of His Return to #DoctorWho...","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[73],"tags":[4871,4036,280,411,152,44,154,516,281,4488,156,711,12,101,49],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/World-War-Three.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19154,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2019\/02\/13\/russell-t-davies-and-steven-moffat-reflect-on-life-after-doctor-who\/","url_meta":{"origin":35878,"position":0},"title":"Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat Reflect on Life After Doctor Who","author":"Tyler Harris","date":"13 February 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"At the Radio Times Covers Party, former Doctor Who showrunners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat spoke about their time working on the programme. Seeing these two in the same room is always a pleasure, but in the same interview? You couldn\u2019t ask for anything more. After Davies left the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/EDLjf05ODM0\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":35367,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2022\/05\/01\/chris-chibnall-found-out-russell-t-davies-was-returning-as-showrunner-36-hours-before-we-did\/","url_meta":{"origin":35878,"position":1},"title":"Chris Chibnall Found Out Russell T Davies Was Returning as Showrunner 36 Hours Before We Did","author":"Philip Bates","date":"1 May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I know a little about what\u2019s going to happen, but not very much,\" Chris adds.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies-Dalek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies-Dalek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies-Dalek.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies-Dalek.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14084,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2018\/01\/16\/what-warning-did-steven-moffat-give-to-incoming-showrunner-chris-chibnall\/","url_meta":{"origin":35878,"position":2},"title":"What Warning Did Steven Moffat Give to Incoming Showrunner, Chris Chibnall?","author":"Philip Bates","date":"16 January 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A change of showrunner is a huge thing for our dear little show; while the handovers between producers and script editors for Classic\u00a0Who were monumental, the term \"showrunner\" only entered into our average lexicon with Russell T. Davies, for\u00a0Doctor Who\u00a0Series 1 in 2005. Since then, there have been only two:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33340,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2021\/09\/24\/russell-t-davies-is-the-new-showrunner-of-doctor-who-no-this-isnt-2003\/","url_meta":{"origin":35878,"position":3},"title":"Russell T Davies Is the New Showrunner of Doctor Who (No, This Isn’t 2003)","author":"Philip Bates","date":"24 September 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"RTD is back, helming the show for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary... and beyond!","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/RTD-Russell-T-Davies.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21174,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2019\/06\/17\/doctor-who-series-12-to-feel-more-like-the-russell-t-davies-and-steven-moffat-eras\/","url_meta":{"origin":35878,"position":4},"title":"Doctor Who Series 12 to Feel More Like the Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat Eras?","author":"Philip Bates","date":"17 June 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"It's apparently \"certain to feature more long term story arcs than last year's run\".","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Resolution-Dalek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Resolution-Dalek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Resolution-Dalek.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Resolution-Dalek.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Resolution-Dalek.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10184,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2017\/06\/10\/russell-t-davies-on-thirteenth-doctor-i-do-know-who-it-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":35878,"position":5},"title":"The Thirteenth Doctor Has Been Cast and Russell T. 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