Customer Rating: 

Russel Davies' book on the writng of Dr Who from series 4 to The End of Time is amazing. As a heterosexual man I can probably never understand the meaning for Russell in what he has done personally with Dr Who but I genuinely believe his era with Crhistopher Ecclestone and David Tennant is the greatest we have seen (started watching the show with the Pertwee story Frontier in Space if you were wondering.)

I avoided this for ages but I have to say if you like him at all when you see him in interview you should read this as his charm and enthuisiam for Who come through clearly.

Watched End of Time 2 again today and the skill of his writing is tremendous - my wife said "none of the others got a reward" and my answer was none of the other writers either thought of it or would have got away with it. It gets me angry to see rubbish like the Dr Who Episode Guide within which Time & The Rani and Curse of Fenric get the same score and End of Time is considered poor because the master's plan is ludicrous (so what) and it takes ages for Tennant to regenerate. As time passes we will come to appreciate the qualities of Davies to celebrate all that we cherish in our heroes and why we love this progranme.

Customer Rating: 

In emails galore Russell T. Davies describes to friend Benjamin Cook the agony and the ecstasy of a momentous fourteen months.

"There's no such thing as a typical day." Masterminding the fourth series of the revitalized "Doctor Who" is daunting enough -attempting to surpass the previous seasons' quality and excitements. There are episodes to write, including an ambitious Christmas Special, plus the overseeing of spin-offs "Torchwood" and "The Sarah Jane Adventures". Problems abound. Scripts forever need cutting down to size, budgets heeded, deadlines met - not to mention coping with devastating press leaks, a heavy cold, chicken pox and innumerable other crises. No wonder Russell T. Davies so often writes well into the night and sometimes through it. THE wonder is that he still finds time to email (sometimes at great length) his thoughts and frustrations - not to mention the elation when everything clicks neatly into place. These emails are chatty and truly fascinate, we amongst other things following the evolution of episodes we later watched and enjoyed so much.

Here is a book not just for "Doctor Who" fans but for all interested in the writer's craft. (Note Russell's pet hates - examples of the lazy writing so much in evidence each day on our screens.)

Awesome, exhilarating, provoking much food for thought. There is lavish praise for colleagues (especially Catherine Tate - a Doctor's companion in a class of her own) and genuine delight Steven Moffat should agree to take over the baton. In passing, Russell pays tribute to a young actor's skills shown in one episode - this was Colin Morgan, destined to become a magical Merlin. Elsewhere there is sadness at the terminal illness of Howard Attfield who played Donna's dad. Rewriting led to the creation of a grandfather - he portrayed so memorably by Bernard Cribbins.

Lavishly illustrated, Russell's own cartoons included. Prepare to be overwhelmed by the talent, enthusiasm and stamina. If only the emails WE receive could be a fraction as entertaining!

Customer Rating: 

I also had the first book and loved it for all the reasons others have said. I bought The Final Chapter as I had seen such good reviews. I could not put the book down, and in the end had to ration my reading sessions so that I could enjoy it for even longer. As the man himself says: Wonderful, Marvellous!

Customer Rating: 

Not given it 5 stars as it could be a bit more Dr Who & a bit less RTD.

Customer Rating: 

Want to know how a TV writer really works (rather than all the books on How to Write)? This is the book for you. Funny and informative about how TV shows are really scripted and produced. It's also a mini memoir for RTD, and it tells you everything you want to know about the new series of Doctor Who.

RTD is a pretty adept cartoonist too.