Yay for Team Capaldi. Peter and I are thrilled. Peter says he smiled but I don't believe him. In gratitude, we're making a new series with our action figures. We're in talks with Rachel T but she's too expensive after Star Beast. Sadly, Brian M has been poached by my wife.
Oi! It's my not-very-long awaited 43rd episode of Doctor Who. I think. Scriptwise, I mean. Gonna send it right to the telly in your living room so there's no excuse. Of course some of you may have prior engagements and that's absolutely fine. Cancel them.
Doctor Who tonight on BBC1 at 6.50. Adventure, excitement, suspense, exaggeration, that joke again, and that one ... Then Doctor Who Unleashed, featuring an interview with REDACTED and Russell and me wobbling round the TARDIS making hooting noises.
I'm a sad old man sometimes. Just been watching one of my old shows and I'm afraid I loved it. When River realises it's him - that's the best bit of Who I ever wrote.
Been delighted with the reactions to this show - even the angry ones. Grand finale tonight, please watch. Acting masterclass from Hugh and Karen. And yes, I promise, you DO find out what the joke was. Now I'll shut up till Christmas Doctor Who, you have my word.
@DennisVWillis1
@YouTube
Oh for .... I was pointing out that if I explicitly say I'm not writing for the new show someone will turn that into me being negative about it. Which you just did. FWIW love David, love Ncuti, love Russell, love the specials. All love from over here.
Faffing through my old emails, I found this from almost exactly sixteen years ago. No memory of writing it, but I'm replying to Julie Gardner. It made me smile when I realised what I was talking about - maybe it will make you smile too.
@rtalalay
Not my place. But. Almost every episode is somebody's favourite. Almost every episode is somebody's least favourite. The criticisms people make of an episode they hate are (a) usually true (b) also true of the ones they love but happily disregarded. Hate and love are like that.
@eIevenriver
Oh, come now! Those two would NEVER settle, they wouldn't last a night. They'd be off stealing horses and robbing casinos at the very least. Those chapters have never been written. They're just SCANDALOUS!
@RadioTimes
I mean there's a whole scene at the start of The Face Of Evil where the Doctor chats to the camera. Also at the start of Before The Flood. He's wished viewers at home a merry Christmas and given them a comedy gurn in Heaven Sent. It's a consistent feature of the show!
Well that was lovely, I thought. And so painfully long ago. Great days - I miss them. But, y'know, onwards! Halfway out of the dark!
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Since Death In Heaven is about to start .... the idea of putting Jenna first in the credits only happened late in the edit. And when Peter came round to my house to watch the ep go out, I realised I hadn't told him. Of course he pretended to be mortally offended!!
#HeyMissy
There's a line cut there that I regret. After "everything has to end sometime, or nothing would get started" there was "Snow isn't snow till it falls." Shouldn't have cut that.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Inside Man drops on Netflix tomorrow for everyone NOT in the UK. Still on iPlayer for UK viewers. Please watch so I can get more television work and support my family.
@BarbaraYetaxa
Classic Who wins on New Ideas: the bigger-on-the-inside TARDIS, the Doctor, Daleks, Cybermen, sonic screwdriver, UNIT, regeneration, Time Lords, Sontarans ... most of the poster boy ideas for new Who came from the old.
Actually, Jenna would be a terrific Doctor. And since she's seems to be playing the lead in every third TV show, it's probably going to happen.
#HeyMissy
I’m in awe of
#DouglasIsCancelled
. The dialogue is whip-smart, plotting clever and the themes deftly handled. Also brilliantly acted and directed. And Moffat managed to write a teenage activist who isn’t cringeworthy. Shame the publicity photo is so crap.
Yes, I'd forgotten the terrifying bit where they actually put it on television. I mean it's been a while (who cheered?) Anyway, an air date and everything. I hope you like it.
And a gorgeous song from that relentless genius, Murray Gold. I'd say he was Doctor Who's secret weapon - except he isn't exactly secret!
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Hey you lot! Don't want to disturb - just checking you're all having a good time. Obviously, as a proper Doctor Who fan I'm still combing Jodie's new episode for Pointless Insights - but I hope you're enjoying yourselves.
#HeyMissy
Oh, I like this bit. Matt disappears from shot and appears in the movie. I remember arguing in the edit that there couldn't be a cutaway - it had to happen all in one shot. I probably argued grumpily.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
When I watched my old Whos (and I do, I'm afraid) I sometimes wonder was going in my mind. A shark - in a BEDROOM in a Dickens pastiche. I mean ...
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Now we have a famous Welsh opera singer singing to a sleeping rubber shark. I stared and stared at this in rushes, wondering how I got to do this for a living.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
This story was partly based on short Doctor Who story I wrote called Continuity Errors (which was the first Who I ever wrote actually.) I'll see if I can find a link or a copy and maybe Emily can put it on her website.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
I remember when the script went out I spoke to Karen and Arthur apologising there wasn't much for them to do, and that this wasn't a new approach! They were perfectly gracious and said "Who are you??" and "Get out!"
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Oh, and we go a bit Sherlock, I suppose. But, you know, the Doctor and Sherlock, they're not so far apart (and have often shared a tailor.) And in those days, my head was stuffed full of both of those shows (grumpily, as previously noted.)
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
The crayon line - love that. My son Louis laughed at it, and asked if Matt had made it up himself. "No!" I said, "I did." He looked disappointed. "I wish Matt had made it up." I knew from then on my status.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
I suppose I've written two sleigh rides in the sky for the Doctor! This and Last Christmas. In my childish heart, the Doctor and Santa are not that far apart.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Oh, I miss that cast and those days. What happened to those days? Are they coming back or is time still going in one direction (despite my best efforts!)
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
There were two special showings of this episode - and I learned a lot about how this show works the audience. The Mostly Adults audience laughed and whooped. The kids audience watched in rapt silence and jumped out of their skins when the shark crashed in.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Douglas Is Cancelled 3 tonight, ITV, 9pm. Really proud of this one. Ben Miles is astonishing and Karen Gillan will destroy you. If you haven’t watched it yet, you could start tonight and go back. It would still work - timey wimey.
The best thing about Doctor Who, it doesn't hang around, does it? No wonder he has a hyper-active orchestra following him around with an action theme.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
@macwrites
Nah. Writing is the best job, and you know it. Directors always pretend they wrote it themselves, actors always claim they made up their own lines. You know why? Because writing is the best job and everybody knows it.
This was the first idea I had for a Christmas special (who said only - shaddup!) I love the Dickens story, and I loved the idea of the Doctor being basically all the ghosts, using time travel
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
The Doctor being terrible at magic tricks - that's basically me. I love magic tricks, and spend hours trying to learn them online. Never managed one! Hopeless, clumsy, and inclined to blush while lying.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Is the changing nature of the portrait clear enough? And Older Kazran's appearing/disappearing bow tie? I know where to look, but I wonder if we nailed that detail. SACK EVERYONE!!
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
#DouglasIsCancelled
So it's tonight on ITV at 9pm (all available to binge on ITVx.) If you're the sort of person who likes extra bits in the end credit, you probably want to watch the end credits. Hope you enjoy, I'm off to hide.
The little monologue you hear from Katherine Jenkins talking about the fish was actually written by Lindsey Alford (now Minchen) who was a constant life-saver on all but one of my Who seasons.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Deranged though I clearly was, I do think the two time lines (and the changing history) are handled quite deftly here. Though I still should have been strapped to a gurney and tranquillised.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Anyway! Is everybody ready? I hope I remember anything! When I was a young fan, I hated when all those old timers from Doctor Who would show up and fail to remember a damn thing! And here I am - clueless. Will do my best.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Going by those old emails, I was in a permanent grump! Snappish, argumentative, surly, defensive! Ten years younger me was a right pain - frankly, you're lucky you've got me (no, shut up, you are!) WHY WASN'T I HAPPY?? Answer: Scottish.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
Right then!
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
- he hashtagged as the the UK reels into lockdown, spiralling infections, and mounting catastrophe! Half way does seem a bit optimistic right now, doesn't it? But there's nothing wrong with optimistic!
In desperation I looked at my old emails - and realised that at the time of making this Matt's hugely successful first season had just gone out and Sherlock was shown for the first time. I should have been on top of the world. And you know what?
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark
This was the second Who story from the BRILLIANT Toby Haynes. The visuals are quite stunning. I always feel I wasn't quite appreciative enough of Toby - probably cos I'm a grump, as already noted.
#HalfWayOutOfTheDark