BBC Announces All The Writers & Directors For Jodie Whittaker’s First ‘Doctor Who’ Series
The BBC today has released the full list of writers and directors for Jodie Whittaker’s first ‘Doctor Who‘ outing which comes to the channel in Autumn 2018.
They are certainly an interesting mix! On the writing side, they range from a former Children’s Laureate to the originating writer of ‘Wentworth’. Over on the directing front, you have people who have directed a huge array of shows from ‘Lucifer’ and ‘Gotham’ to ‘This Life’ and ‘Home and Away’!
“We have a team of writers who’ve been working quietly and secretly for a long time now, crafting characters, worlds and stories to excite and move you. A set of directors who stood those scripts up on their feet, bringing those ideas, visuals and emotions into existence with bravura and fun,” commented showrunner Chris Chibnall. ” Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here’s what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they’ve all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year.”
The Writers
Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman has written over 60 books for children and young adults including the Noughts and Crosses series of novels, and her book Pig-Heart Boy, which was adapted into a Bafta-winning, six-part TV serial. “I’ve always loved Doctor Who,” Malorie said. “Getting the chance to write for this series has definitely been a dream come true.”
Ed Hime was nominated for a Craft Bafta for his first episode of ‘Skins’, and won the Prix Italia for his radio play ‘The Incomplete Recorded Works of a Dead Body’. “Writing for this series comes down to the adventure really, and telling emotionally engaging stories to bring everyone along with you,” he commented about getting the Who gig.
Playwright and screenwriter Vinay Patel’s television debut, ‘Murdered By My Father’, won the 2016 Royal Television Society Award for Best Single Drama and was nominated for three Baftas. “I grew up watching shows like Star Trek and Quantum Leap on the edge of my dad’s bed, and I loved how they managed to capture the imagination of a kid like me as well as acting as a moral compass,” says Vinay. “I never imagined that I’d get to write for Doctor Who – I was pretty thrilled.”
Pete McTighe is the originating writer of ‘Wentworth’, the female prison drama that has sold to over 150 countries. He’s written over a hundred hours of TV drama and been nominated for five Writers Guild Awards. “My entire television career has quite literally been an elaborate plan to get to write Doctor Who – and no one is more shocked than me that it paid off,” he joked. “I’ve been having the time of my life working with Chris, and writing for Jodie and the new team, and can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been up to.”
Joy Wilkinson has been selected as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and has had two screenplays featured on the Brit List. Her TV scripts include the critically-acclaimed BBC five-parter ‘The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby’, while her theatre work has won prizes including the Verity Bargate Award. “I loved the show and felt like it might be a good fit for me, but I knew it was really hard to get onto,” adds Joy. “So quite frankly I’m still pinching myself to be here!”
The Directors
Sallie Aprahamian has been directing television for over two decades with critically acclaimed shows including: ‘Extremely Dangerous’, ‘The Sins’, ‘Real Men’, ‘The Lakes’, ‘Teachers’ and ‘This Life’. Sallie’s memories of Doctor Who go right back to the 1960s, when William Hartnell created the role. “I watched the First Doctor from behind the sofa through my fingers, frightened and exhilarated,” commented Sallie. “I was really delighted, as a fan and as a director, to be invited to work on the first female Doctor’s series. What a brilliant time to be on the show!”
Jamie Childs, who directed Jodie Whittaker’s reveal as the Thirteenth Doctor, returns for the opening episode of the new series. She also directed episodes of ‘Stan Lee’s Lucky Man’ and the upcoming adaptation of ‘His Dark Materials’. To Jamie, Doctor Who represents an important part of our television landscape. “We tend to avoid making many shows in Britain that really allow the audience to properly escape, and Doctor Who has been doing this for decades,” she comments. “So yes, sign me up – I’ve always wanted to be part of that! There really aren’t many shows made over here that allow the viewer to travel to another universe.”
Jennifer Perrott wrote, directed, produced and executive produced her award-winning 35mm short film ‘The Ravens’. Since finishing ‘Doctor Who’ she has been directing ‘Gentleman Jack’, a forthcoming BBC One/HBO historical drama series created by Sally Wainwright. She previously directed episodes of ‘Home and Away’ and ‘Doctors’. “Doctor Who is an iconic show and one I’d loved as a child, especially when Tom Baker was the Doctor,” Jennifer adds. “Space travel has become more a part of modern life and this has opened the door for more human stories to be told amidst the escapist fantasy of saving the world from alien invasion. The aliens are now as emotionally complex as the humans, and I was really excited by that.”
Mark Tonderai went to school in Zimbabwe and architecture school in Kingston, before landing a job at the BBC as a trainee presenter. Mark has directed the full season of ‘The Five’, ‘Impulse’, ‘Lucifer’, ‘Gotham’, ‘Black Lightning’, George RR Martin’s ‘Nightflyers’ and Jennifer Lawrence thriller ‘House at the End of the Street’. “What was really crucial in my decision to direct the show was Chris Chibnall,” said Mark about his appointment. “I’m a huge fan of his and I like the way he sees the world. He has this ability to entertain and also deliver truths – questions, too – about who we are. And he does it all with a hint of a smile.”
The new series of ‘Doctor Who’ premieres on BBC One in Autumn 2019.
