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A Couple of Things Afterwards
We spent the weekend in the New Forest, meeting deer and owls and otters, and falling asleep in a clearing near the Rufus Stone. I was really glad to get away, but it was a real joy to get back to so many kind posts and messages and, erm, podcasts. I'm reeling, a bit. Just a couple of things to mention, apart from general thanks:
The BBCi e-book version of Human Nature is now back up, with a little bit of a design retouch and a new essay by me about the adaptation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/human_nature/adaptation.shtml
I'm told that the interview with me won't be in the June issue of the Oxford Times supplement, but has been put back to the one out on July 6th. I'll post about it again then.
Oh, and I forgot to say, so this is an edit, the reason I posted this in the first place: the second time I was onset was when Mother Of Mine was being lowered very swiftly towards a greenscreen, waving her limbs, over and over. Above and beyond the call of duty, especially for a wonderful actor with a fear of heights. Me and Helen Raynor sat on the Tardis floor, over a light where it was warm, watching and having a natter.
Thanks again, everyone, and until next time, Cheerio.
The BBCi e-book version of Human Nature is now back up, with a little bit of a design retouch and a new essay by me about the adaptation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/human_nature/adaptation.shtml
I'm told that the interview with me won't be in the June issue of the Oxford Times supplement, but has been put back to the one out on July 6th. I'll post about it again then.
Oh, and I forgot to say, so this is an edit, the reason I posted this in the first place: the second time I was onset was when Mother Of Mine was being lowered very swiftly towards a greenscreen, waving her limbs, over and over. Above and beyond the call of duty, especially for a wonderful actor with a fear of heights. Me and Helen Raynor sat on the Tardis floor, over a light where it was warm, watching and having a natter.
Thanks again, everyone, and until next time, Cheerio.
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sounds like a good weekend away, are you gonna admit to thinking: 'Spirits of Rassilon'*, when you saw the owls? ;p I thought that was a pretty cool fact on the bbc website =D
*I meant to say Rassilons Messengers, now it sounds like Rassilon's minibar!
The weekend in the New Forest sounds idyllic. You haven't escaped the plaudits for The Family of Blood, though, which confirmed this two-parter as the strongest story of the third series. My review is over here. Thanks to you and to the production team for working together so splendidly.
Paul - congrats - according to OG both episodes are the best received of the entire new series to date (The Family of Blood rating even higher than Human Nature - no mean feat for a second episode). Everyone is delighted for you and delighted that the episodes were so perfect in every respect. Please come back for Series Five!
Hi Paul (good name that),
What a cracking two parter! Congratulations and BIG THANKS for those.
But, the thing is, as great as the piece is as a story, the thing that really amazed me all happens after the plot is over and dealt with. That scene in the kitchen. My days, sobbing like a smalll child, I was (and suddenly speaking like Yoda am I).
I shall now read the book and look forward to your next episode!
Take care
Paul, Cardiff.
Simply put, young Mr. C., damn'd fine work altogether, enhanced by a wonderful performance from that Tennant lad. Rather exceeded the standard of the new series as a whole, never mind this rather cartoonish current series. I'm rather looking forward to the day when you put something all your own on our goggle boxes, as I'm sure you'll do admirably.
Must read your original novels now, too.gmsil.com
THAT WAS FANTASTIC !
Though I have to say, I didn't cry THAT much - at least not as much as I thought I would after Ian Berriman's comments to me on the SFX forum last week...
I did cry though - don't get me wrong - just not as much as I thought I might. John Smith's speech about wanting to remain John Smith moved me, as did Latimer's fabulous "He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm and the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of Time and he can see the turn of the Universe. And he's wonderful." - those last three
words were what set me off there (and nice to finally know where the rest of that quote came from !).
I also liked his "Falling in love didn't even occur to him ? What sort of man is he ?"
And the fact that Martha's theme was playing as she said "He's everything to me, and he doesn't
even look at me, but I don't care, 'cos I love him to bits."
Oh and her "Don't just stand there, RUN ! God you're rubbish as a human" line was priceless !
And kudos to the make-up dept for the ageing job they did on David - fantastic work !!
I'm going to read the eBook soon -downloaded it yesterday...
Gawd bless yer Paul, that was a moving, entertaining and astonishing effort, what a wordsmith and creator of wonderous story arcs you are, Granted it was brilliantly brought to life by the Doctor Who team, but what fantastic material they were working with... go on, knock up a few more for next series yer fine man John:)
Hello!
Found you via James Moran, and absolutely had to tell you how much I loved the two episodes. And Father's Day, while I'm at it. Absolutely adored them. Well done!
But mostly I want to mention this: There's a mirror in the corner of my room, and it's freaking me out. I keep thinking I see a red balloon. Thanks for that. :D
I couldn't believe how amazing Human Nature and Family of Blood were. The story was brilliant, and it actually did make a grown man like myself cry. The story had so much feeling and heart, and for once, it made me hate the doctor. For the fact that he created this John Smith entity, not knowing the implications it would cause, and also for causing the chaos in the first place. When Joan told him to leave, I felt her anger. I was sad to see John Smith leave. Being unable to have that family and life that he'd always dreamed of. This is absolutely the best Doctor Who episode I've ever seen, and I thank you for sharing it with us.
Wonderful, beautiful two-part episode. The Doctor made a good human; I don't think he was "thick" at all. But then again, being human... :)
Thanks for your brilliant story; may you pen many more.
A triumph, Paul.
But you knew that.
Thank you again, all. Next blog at the end of the week: I have a few little fun Who things to post. Cheers.
Thank you Paul,
I just wanted to say thank you. I enjoyed the resolution so much.
I love the mythic aspects of Doctor Who - the hero's journey / religious undertones stuff is of real importance to me (its partly why McCoy is my favourite childhood Doctor) - but its so rare to see such themes grounded so well in the everyday life of pain and hope. Thank you for an episode which both magnified the Doctor's otherness and yet explored his likeness to us. I loved that the story connected large-scale meta-aspects of a being at the centre of time and the smallest, most involved details of pain and loss and love. If all that John Smith felt is still inside the Doctor, I wonder just how much the events of this story will have changed him?
I have come to appreciate David Tennant’s performance as The Doctor all the more having now seen it in relief with his time as Smith. The 'cheeky-chappy' facade that hides all this rage and loneliness and pain has never looked so false and speaks masses about how the character tries to cope with the ramifications of who he is. When he first returned the sense of loss was greater for me than the relief of his return. There was real sacrifice there.
Made me think and made me feel.
It was also just kinda cool :) I mean Killer Scarecrows! Woo Hoo!
Paul - bloody well done. Seriously: bloody well done.
Just an unashamed fan letter, really. Your Dr Who was amazingly good on so many levels. My emotions were always engaged, pulled so many ways. I appreciated the courageous, and unexpected, happy ending (for the boy soldiers).
Everyone played a blinder, but, as we should all remember, it starts with the writer.
Tracey Brown
Just finished watching 'The Family of Blood" with my daughter (now why do I get the urge to refer to her as Daughter of Mine?) who was on a school trip to France when it was shown. She jumped and screamed in all the right places and by the end was shouting "Turn back!" at John Smith.
Thanks for writing these fascinating, entertaining and thought provoking episodes. Keep it up!
Penny
Hello!
I just wanted to write and say thanks for the totally amazing two-parter you wrote! I have loved Doctor Who since I was little, and this is my favourite story ever!! I really want to be a screenwriter, and after watching the second part I just went straight back to my computer to write. It was fantastic - thank you!!! :-)
I like the mythic stuff too. It's a New Adventures strain that the new series enjoys playing with. Great stuff from David, to make us miss John. Thanks, Alec! Always good to hear from parents about this stuff. 'Change back!' I love it!
Oh, thank you! Keep writing!
Firstly, just to add my appreciation to a brilliant two-parter, I don't want to go back to runarounds after something as great as that.
Secondly a question, one of the schoolboy characters in Human Nature, according an aside by The Doctor, had ESP. This short line in your script has lead to a rather odd debate with a few people I know about the morality of using such characters in fiction. Considering no case of ESP has never been proved under laboratory conditions, can fictional portrayals of supernatural powers give credence to charlatans that claim to possess those same powers in real life? I'm of the opinion that in clearly designated fiction it doesn't matter, but I'd be interested to know what your thought are on it?
The New Adventures made me want to be a writer more than anything else, but in recent times other concerns have meant I've spent less time writing than I would have liked.
After re-reading the book a couple of weeks ago (my old paper version, none of this e-nonsense!) and watching the episodes I've remembered exactly why I love writing so much. This has given me a kick up the backside to make more time for it, so cheers Paul.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of where we've come from to know where we want to go - watching HN on TV was just what I needed.
One of the best Doctor Who stories ever ever. Reduced us all to tears at the end. Do write some more please!
I will probably regret posting this amidst the avalanche of congratulations, but I have strongly mixed feelings about "Human Nature"/"Family of Blood."
For the most part, I agree that it was brilliant. It was ambitious, it stretched the format without breaking it, and it had much to say about (er...) human nature and morality. I loved the Family. I appreciated that Smith had his own persona, and wasn't just the Doctor under another name. I was thrilled that Martha was given a lot to do. (Though I do find it unfortunate that she continues down the same path as Rose in terms of being primarily defined by her romantic attraction to the Doctor.) I was satisfied that the script acknowledged historical racism--which the series had previously and unrealistically tiptoed around--and allowed Martha the chance to slap it down.
All that said, I didn't find the romantic subplot as engaging as many others obviously did. I believe that in a good love story, I should myself fall in love with the lovers, and I just wasn't feeling it with Redfern, or even John Smith. I totally bought into the Doctor's dalliance with Reinette last year, but I couldn't understand what was so special about the Matron.
But what truly bothered me about the story was the "punishment montage." I had originally attributed this out-of-character behavior to the "Dark Doctor" phase during which the original novel was published, but it appears that it was added for the TV adaptation. That worries me because it leads me to believe that this is how the current production team sees the Doctor.
It's very difficult for me to reconcile that the same Doctor (as Smith) who refused to take up arms against animated scarecrows would deliberately devise cruel, unusual and *eternal* punishments for helpless, living creatures, even ones as remorseless as the Family. To be sure, some of the Doctor's previous foes have met similar fates, but typically in last-resort and/or hoist-by-their-own-petard circumstances. (I see the Sycorax satsuma and the drowning of the Racnoss as being justified by circumstances.) Bundling defeated villains into the TARDIS and concocting elaborate, individualized torments for each seems tremendously wrong for a character who, a few weeks ago, was desperate to reach an accord with the last surviving Dalek.
New Who has often hinted at the darker sides of the Doctor's travels, but mostly in the context of the chaos that he brings in his wake. (Redfern's final rebuke of the Doctor drove this home better than anything on the series to date.)
I'm hopeful that this was meant to be aberrant behavior on the part of the Doctor and that he may be called on it before too long. (Perhaps Mr. Saxon has a point?) What I'm afraid of is that when next we see him and Martha in a proper story, no one will mention it. I know that a lot of adult fans get off on all this Dark Doctor stuff, but I don't find a cruel and capricious Doctor admirable.
I'll give the episode this: it gave me a lot to chew over. I'm just not sure that I like the taste it left behind.
Paul,
All in all that was an astonishing peice of television. A beatiful script brought to life with the most amazing attention to detail. The hours of work and cost it must have taken for short 'icing on the cake' scenes like the aged John Smith or the WWI battlegrounds.
The comment on the terribleness (but sometimes necessity) of war... the comment on the deaths caused by the Doctors 'whim'... the cold empty way Joan dismissed him 'you can go now'.
Just outstanding. Many, many thanks.
(Just a shame they couldn't afford to keep the 'crystal school' in isn't it.....)
Paul-
Just listened to the Dr Who podcast and had a few questions. How far in advance did you see the finished episodes? Is the commentary recorded in one take or is it edited if it is deemed too boring? (Not that you'd be boring:)
BTW, you have a great "radio" voice.
Heather
Seriously, the fleshing out of John Smith was fantastic, Martha having such an active role in the plot is entirely overdue and very welcome; even the Matron character was surprisingly deep and provided some striking moments. Tennant outdid himself (again) with the great dialog.
Honestly, I didn't think Father's Day could be topped - I loooved that one - and my only real complaint about this story is that it should have been a three-parter!
Paul, I really hope they've got you on for a story in season 4...
Thank you, all: Simon, I don't think Tim has any special powers one could pin down. He's just a bit sensitive and tuned in. I'm not a fan of charlatanry either, and I think part of what those people do is to pin this stuff down, and treat a wonderfully romantic grey area like it can find the fiver under the sofa. Jon: great, good to hear from you, off you go and write! Dodonna: the first thing I should say is, thank you for being so polite with your criticism. That's much appreciated. I would normally hesitate to try and talk about what's in the gaps: there's nothing more useless than discussing the lines that aren't in the book, it is what it is and I can't add anything to help. But let me just say that to assume that's torture you're making some huge assumptions about the nature of the Family. Creatures who have very short life spans would find stillness and confinement horrifying, certainly, initially, and good, they deserve some horror. But we don't know what their perceptions are like, or what they might become like over time. Myself I love nothing more than mercy. I don't think the Doctor goes back to gloat, but to indicate the possibility of redemption. I think perhaps all the little girl has to do is say the right words and she'd be free, possibly to continuing long life. But at the same time, let's not forget that life imprisonment is what this lot deserve. There, your politeness has lured me into doing something far worse than what those villains did: unpick a bit of a story. Don't you feel that there's something a bit futile and sickening about what I just did? Wouldn't you have preferred the raw original? All this stuff is about the viewer making assumptions, anyway. Sometimes they decide to assume things your way, sometimes against. It's the writer's job to create goodwill that moves the assumptions in the right direction. Ah, you say, but I know so and so a text where everything is explained. No you don't. Not unless it's a Haines car repair manual. You know so and so a text that's great enough to have earned huge benefit of the doubt. Heather: it was a couple of weeks ahead. Me, Murray and Charles did one for episode one after I'd done episode two. I don't know what happened to that one. You do it in one take, then you go back and edit bits, chiefly to give people you've referred to by their first names job titles, and to take out product placement! And ta!
Don't you feel that there's something a bit futile and sickening about what I just did? Wouldn't you have preferred the raw original?
At the risk of being glib (oh, what the heck, I'll go ahead and be glib), you're making some huge assumptions about my nature. ;^}
Honestly, if I wasn't interested in getting the writer's perspective on a script, I wouldn't have posted a long, tedious review to the author's own website! In the days of commentary tracks and DVD special features, unpicking a bit of story isn't unusual.
It's true that I'm lacking the perspective of a gaseous being with a three-month lifespan (unless I've had beans for dinner), but I can only go by the what the story gives me. In this case, it's that the Doctor was being "kind" by hiding away rather than confronting the Family, and that, rather than life imprisonment (which would presumably be a few months), he curses them with eternal imprisonment of the "He who wins shall lose" variety. I can only bring my own human perspective to the table, and in my view that seems uncharacteristically sadistic coming from the Doctor. If I were Martha, I'd be very concerned about the creature with whom I was sharing a TARDIS.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. Who says the Internet can't be a place for polite discussion?
Hurrah! Neil Gaiman has seen the first episode so far and likes it:
http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/
(Catching up, June 06 entry)
Regarding the punishment of the Family, the Doctor is alien and doesn't always share human values. As a viewer, I don't have to approve of all his actions. In terms of retribution it didn't seem to me any worse than the punishment of the Racnoss and its innocent children -- but I found it beautifully written and truly awe-inspiring. In many stories, the Doctor's hands stay clean because another character conveniently carries out an act of self-sacrifice. For me it's far more involving if the Doctor takes charge.
You made me cry with the Memorial Scene at the end. Haven't done that since MOTHER'S DAY. I'm sensing a theme. Wonderful job as always!
Looking forward to your episode of PRIMEVAL where Hannah runs around in her underwear. Wait, isn't that EVERY episode?
-Erik Engman
By the way:
If you keep these kinds of stories up, you're the next Malcolm Hulke, as far as I'm concerned.
I mean that very much as a compliment, too. Accuracy of Silurian titles notwithstanding.
Hi Paul. I'm a member of Ship of Fools (which you joined after Father's Day, as I remember). Take a look at the Doctor Who thread in Heaven, where we are all singing your praises once again. (Oh, and do please feel free to post there if you wish - we are proud to have you as a shipmate!)
Congratulations on a fine story.
Gill H
Thank you, all. Neil's also been in touch, which is very lovely of him. I shall pop along to see the Ship, thanks for reminding me. And, Erik, did you mean 'Father's Day', or was that day just very emotional for you? (Sorry!)
I meant your Season One "Father's Day". I teared up something awful at that episode.
Just went through a huge custody battle for my kids (My French Ex wanted to take them to France and I live in Los Angeles) and I won custody. Very emotional, trying couple of years. So, anything having to do with love and sacrifice between Father/Daughter just gets to me. I can only hope to be that devoted to my kids. It was a great episode. Just saw it again with the commentary a couple of weeks ago. It was great listening to Billie Piper reacting to the monsters who she never actually saw in the episode.
But I meant to ask - what happened to the Sea Devils? I didn't see them anywhere! ;0)
Well, that's all good to hear. The Sea Devils are in there. They're just in hiding. It's like 'Where's Wally?' but with Sea Devils.
Every time you're looking in a mirror and you see something out of the corner of your eye - that's where the Sea Devils were.
A philosophy I've always lived by.
Great story and my favourite of the season so far. Stephen Moffat coming a close 2nd with "Blink".
Will have to reacquaint myself with the original version now. I deeply regret reading my friends' New Adventures books instead of buying my own.
Thank you!
Sorry to come along so long after the fact, but while I loved the 2-parter, something about the end has been bothering me since I saw it. That being that everyone in the Family's punishment would seem to be to be afflicted by a "cursed" version of immortality. One gets placed in a frozen instant of time, another is perpetually trapped in mirrors, and a third gets forced into a singularity's event horizon (where time nearly stands still to an observer). But FatherofMine just gets put in unbreakable (well, superdense) chains? Was he given immortality and then imprisoned? Or is there something I'm missing?
This is only a niggle, though. Thank you for that great piece of work.
But maybe those chains do more than bind. And ta.