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!

Doctor Who Interview with Captin Franko

Earlier in the week I conducted an interview with the creator of Christel Doctor Who, Captin Franko, who discussed the success of his first series and also what we can expect to see from the Doctor and Tabitha in his upcoming second series...

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

CF: When Doctor Who returned to the Television in 2005 I was immediately hooked (again) and I had been doing some little bits of writing on and off in my spare time. It really didn’t take long to put my two hobbies together. I began to write a number of short stories about the Ninth Doctor and Rose but when David Tennant came along I stepped up my plans and decided to see if I could put a whole series together. My initial ideas were very grand and completely ‘un-writeable’.

The series that you see today is probably about the 18th version of what I originally started out with. As the series has developed I hope that it has given people the chance to experience Doctor Who in a slightly different way. I wanted to put my own slant on it and so I wrote in my own version of the Eleventh Doctor. This was a Doctor that I could shape and not have to worry about what was happening in the real ‘canon’ of the television series. Obviously I try and stay as close as possible but it gives me more freedom to play about with the Doctor, and more obviously the interior of the TARDIS.

B: The first full series of episodes were released last year, and proved to be a great hit with fans – what do you think was your best achievement when creating the series?

CF: If I had to pick one thing out from the series as a whole it would probably be the plot arc that I managed to weave into the whole 13 episodes. It was subtle, yet it worked, and completely took people by surprise. I had people sure that Davros was coming back... so when Rassilon walked up to the TARDIS doors I would like to think that it took a lot of people by surprise! I must say some of it happened as spur-of-the-moment writing. I knew where I wanted to get to but the way that I did it was changed with pretty much every episode I wrote. In the end it all worked out fine.

B: Your spectacular spin-off series ARNIE is coming towards the end of its first series – what inspired you to create the idea of the mysterious android, and had you always planned to create a whole series about him?

CF: If I’m honest ARNIE was born out of a need for a sixth episode for Series 1 and a considerable amount of luck. I had written 12 stories and still had a space. I also had a number of ideas to choose from. When I eventually chose to tell ARNIE’s story I began fleshing the back story of the character out in my head and decided that it was something that was just not going to fit into a single episode. Thus, the spin-off series was born. The whole idea that he somehow knows the Doctor and the Doctor does not know him plays nicely in hand with the fact that he does not know who created him. Plus I have also been able to use the series to seed certain plot arcs for upcoming stories that will span the entirety of the Christel Doctor Who universe.

B: If you were given the chance to go back and change anything from Christel Doctor Who, would you decide to do anything differently?

CF: I wouldn’t change any of the stories, because I think as a series of stories they play well together. The changes I would make are more aesthetic. I would have uploaded the episodes through YouTube from the start. Yes, it would have meant splitting them in half, but with the quality you get it is more than worth it. ARNIE Series 1 has proved that and indeed I shall be uploading Series 2 of Christel Doctor Who through YouTube. I would also change the subtitles in the first few episodes, as they took a while to get right and I can’t help but worry that it took away a little from the storytelling side of things.

B: What were the challenges you faced when designing the stories for the upcoming second season, and what surprises are in store for the Doctor and Tabitha?

CF: Probably the biggest worry for me at the moment is that Series 2 will be as well received as Series 1. I got some really good reviews for Series 1 for which I was very grateful, and I am working my hardest to make sure that Series 2 is even better. As far as surprises go... that would be telling, but I can tell you that this is the year of the Trojan and that the Doctor’s hearts will be broken. The plot arc is a lot less subtle this time around, but should hopefully smack you clean between the eyes when all is revealed. This is also why the finale to this series runs to 3 parts instead of the traditional 2. Oh, and of course, nobody knows just what those pesky guardians of time are up to yet!

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

Christel Films: ARNIE – An Uncertain Future

The third story in Captin Franko’s Doctor Who spin-off series, ARNIE, has now been released on his blog. ‘An Uncertain Future’ sees Parris trying to rescue ARNIE and the rest of the human race from the sinister Editor, who is rewriting events with the Celestial Diary. This episode includes fantastic animation and ends on a very intriguing cliffhanger!

‘An Uncertain Future’ was created by Captin Franko, and is now available to watch on Christel Films.

"A Renaissance Tale" Script Complete

After a couple of months of hard work, I have finally finished my script for the fifth episode in Jay Burke’s new animated Doctor Who series, which has the title of ‘A Renaissance Tale’. The story sees the Twelfth Doctor and his companions Eve and Wesley Miller visiting the Province of Florence during the Renaissance era, where they meet the legendary Leonardo Da Vinci.

A full synopsis of the story will be released on Burkey’s blog in the next few weeks, and the series is expected to begin in early Spring. More information about the series can be found here, including videos from the actors who are playing the Doctor and Eve Miller.

Doctor Who Back in the USA - Day Three Video

Burkey's Doctor Who Animated Series Videos

Burkey has released two new videos on his blog with introductions from the actors who will be voicing the Twelfth Doctor and Eve Miller in his animated series. Each of the videos features a brief discussion about how the characters will be played in the series, and also gives an insight into the journey they will be taken on.

I am currently writing a script for the sixth episode in the series, which has the title of ‘March of the Assassins’, and will see the Doctor and Eve meeting up with a very famous historical figure. I will reveal more information about the story nearer to the time of release on Burkey’s blog.

Christel Films: ARNIE – Times of Change

The second story in Captin Franko’s Doctor Who spin-off series, ‘ARNIE’, has now been released on his blog. ‘Times of Change’ sees the robotic ARNIE and Parris investigate an alien invasion when a huge spaceship flies over the city. This second episode introduces the sinister character of the Editor, and builds up to an exciting cliffhanger which will leave you begging for more!

‘Times of Change’ was created by Captin Franko, and is now available to watch on Christel Films.

Christel Films – How the Doctor Stole Christmas

Captin Franko has released his exclusive Christmas Special story on his blog, which is titled ‘How the Doctor Stole Christmas’, and features his own incarnation of the Doctor travelling with his companion Tabitha. This story is very festive and a perfect way to celebrate the Christmas season whilst enjoying a brand new episode of Doctor Who, complete with incredible animation and a great storyline.

‘How the Doctor Stole Christmas’ was created by Captin Franko, and is now available to watch on Christel Films.

Burkey's Doctor Who Animated Series

A brand new series of animated Doctor Who adventures will be released next year by Jay Burke, who has created his own Twelfth Doctor and companion Eve Miller. The series will see the relationship between the Doctor and his companion develop in new and exciting ways over thirteen weeks, with scripts from Jay Burke and Captin Franko and myself.

Burkey has released a brand new clip from his opening episode, ‘The Chase is On’, which will be released in the new year. This exclusive clip is available to view below, and also reveals the names of the people who provide the voices of the Twelfth Doctor and Eve Miller’s brother, Wesley Miller.

The blog of the new series is available to view here, and is updated with information and hints about what we can expect from the stories.

Doctor Who S1 E1 Preview from Jay Burke on Vimeo.

Doctor Who ‘Death on the Line’ Animations

Captin Franko has released images of two animated characters that will be appearing in my story for his second series, which has the title of ‘Death on the Line’. The character seen here is Arthur Renton, an upper class Austrian businessman, who plays an important role in the story along with his daughter Sheila.

Arthur and Sheila are father and daughter, and they have a very argumentative relationship. The animation of Sheila Renton can be seen on Captin Franko’s blog.

Christel Films: ARNIE – The Hunt Begins

The first story in Captin Franko’s Doctor Who spin-off series, ‘ARNIE’, has now been released on his blog. ‘The Hunt Begins’ sees the robotic ARNIE team up with an investigator known as Parris, who both appeared in the first series of Christel Doctor Who. This first episode is an excellent start to the series, with incredible animation and a great storyline.

‘The Hunt Begins’ was created by Captin Franko, and is now available to watch on Christel Films.

Script Completed for Christel Films Series 2

Over the last few months I have been working hard on a script for the second season of Captin Franko’s animated Doctor Who series, Christel Films, and yesterday evening my work on the first draft was completed. Captin Franko has given his approval on the script, and now I am moving onto the editing stage so that the story is as good as it possibly can be.

At the present time the details of the story have to be kept secret to avoid spoiling the plotline, however I can exclusively reveal that the title of the story is ‘Death on the Line’, and the script features the words ‘train’, ‘rain’ and ‘pain’.

More news about this story will be posted nearer to the time of release in early 2011, and in the meantime you can relive the amazing first series of animated Doctor Who adventures on Christel Films.

Christel Films: Legends of a Time Lord

The series finale of the animated Doctor Who series, ‘Legends of a Time Lord’, sees the Doctor trapped in a void between realities, and desperately fighting for his life. With Rassilon set on ruling Gallifrey for eternity, and Tabitha thrown out of all existence, the universe has never seen a darker day. The Doctor’s only hope lies with a curious Time Lord called Azmael…

‘Legends of a Time Lord’ was created by Captin Franko. The animated story is now available to watch on Christel Films.

Christel Films: The Game of Rassilon

The twelfth story of the animated Doctor Who series, ‘The Game of Rassilon’, begins when the Doctor is set on a quest by the legendary Rassilon, who returned after the Doctor collected pieces of his consciousness. With the Doctor trapped in a void and Tabitha thrown out of existence, the Time Lords are returning…

‘The Game of Rassilon’ was created by Captin Franko. The animated story is now available to watch on Christel Films.

Christel Films: Where the Dark Things Play

The eleventh story of the animated Doctor Who series, ‘Where the Dark Things Play’, sees the Doctor and Tabitha arrive on the tranquil world of the Eye of Orion. However, their peaceful vacation soon turns into a battle for their lives, when Tabitha encounters the sinister Diane Malsaint, and the Doctor is reunited with an old enemy…

‘Where the Dark Things Play’ was created by Captin Franko. The animated story is now available to watch on Christel Films.