Saturday 19 February 2011

Doctor Who Interview with Jay Burke

Earlier in the week I also conducted an interview with the creator of The Writer’s Blog, Jay Burke, who discussed his love of Doctor Who and what inspired him to create his own new animated series with the Doctor and his companion Eve Miller…

B: When did you first watch Doctor Who, and what makes it special to you?

JB: Well, I first began watching Doctor Who when it returned to our screens in 2005, and ever since then my love for the show really has grown. I think what makes it such a great programme to me is the whole concept of Time Travel and how your stories can be set anywhere in space and time; it really does add variety. I’m also a fan of the writing on the show. They get some fantastic writers and they really do make each adventure its own. I love it!

B: What inspired you to initially create your own animated Doctor Who series, and what do you hope your series can offer fans?

JB: Captin Franko has been a huge inspiration to me! His series really did spark my enthusiasm in creating my own series and hopefully the positive influence from his series will spark some enthusiasm for others in my own series. As for what I hope I can offer fans, well, its more Doctor Who for a start! Its gonna give you an entirely new take on the Doctor and his companions and I think that adding voice actors to the series will really enhance the story-telling and your connection with the characters.

B: As well as scripting your own animated series, you have worked on other projects such as Captin Franko’s series – how does writing for your own series compare with writing for other peoples’ series?

JB: It’s quite funny, but I think I prefer writing for another’s series! I really enjoyed working on the ‘Picnic at Asgard’ script (not saying I don’t enjoy writing my own!) and I think having Captin Franko there to look over what I’d written and point me in the right direction really enhanced the script. It’s very different to writing for your own series because for me now there’s so many variables to take into account and the story-telling is pretty limitless, whereas writing for someone else you’re slightly more restricted and refined.

B: James Hall has said that his interpretation of the Doctor will be more serious than the recent Doctors on television – had you always planned to show a more serious Doctor, or were you simply impressed with James’ portrayal?

JB: I’m not too sure about this question, to be honest. It was Captin Franko’s script idea that really got me thinking about a darker Doctor, and I think James managed to tap into this and see where he was coming from. James’ portrayal is going to be more serious in some aspects but he will still have a light hearted side when it comes to his companions. I say this, but I’m pretty much in the dark about what James specifically wants to do with the character! I’m just waiting to hear what he makes of the lines on the page; I’m as excited to hear him as you!

B: What were the challenges you faced when designing the stories for this upcoming series, and what surprises are in store for the Twelfth Doctor and Eve Miller?

JB: The most difficult thing in designing the series has got to be the episode scheduling! You’ve got to account for so many things; making sure the two-parters are distanced enough, making sure you haven’t got two episodes set in the past, present, or future next to each other. I’ve found that to be the most difficult thing.
Surprises… well I can leak a few I suppose! The Doctor and Eve will be facing a variety of enemies, both new and old. We can expect to see Daleks stranded in the Wild West, Cybermen planning their next invasion in Devon, and the Oblivion drawing closer!

B: Thank you for taking the time to complete this interview Burkey, and I wish you all the best with the release of your first series!

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