The random witterings of Jonathan Morris, writer.

Wednesday 13 May 2009

The Robots

Coming up on Saturday, available online at about the same time as Primeval on ITV (which, after a wobbly start this year, has really come into its own) and Eurovision 2009 (Graham Norton better not talk over the songs or there’ll be trouble)... is another Doctor Who story by me, available from Big Finish!

It’s called The Cannibalists. It stars Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith, and guest stars Phill Jupitius, Phil Davis, Nigel Lambert, Teddy Kempner, Oliver Senton, Charlotte Fields and Beth Chalmers. I’ll witter in other blogs about the writing process – if I remember – instead I’ll just say that I’m greatly looking forward to hearing it. Unusually – and excitingly - I’m in exactly the same predicament as Big Finish subscribers; not having attended the recording, all I’ve heard of it has been the trailer. Though I have read the script, I’ve no idea what people will make of it; I think it might be one of those stories that people either love or hate, or are indifferent to, or quite like or quite dislike.

Reading back the script, my only regret is that I didn’t write more female parts. I’m always moaning about other writers doing this... then I go and do it too.

Phil Davis, you’ll remember, has been in loads of things; BBC 4’s recent The Curse Of Steptoe, Whitechapel, Quadrophenia, Vera Drake and of course Doctor Who And The Fires Of Pompeii. Although for some reason I’d mis-read the pre-publicity for this story (writtenby the talented James Moran) and spent the whole episode waiting for Phil Daniels to turn up. That’s Phil ‘Kevin Wicks out of EastEnders’ Daniels, famous for appearing alongside Phil Davis in Quadrophenia and as Terry in Time Gentlemen Please. And doing the narration to Blur’s Parklife... so, by way of a tribute...