Russell T Davies facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Russell T Davies OBE FRSL
Davies in 2024
Born	Stephen Russell Davies (1963-04-27) 27 April 1963 (age 62) Swansea, Wales
Alma mater	Worcester College, Oxford
Occupation	Screenwriter television producer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Andrew Smith ​ ​ (m. 2012; died 2018)​

Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a famous Welsh writer and producer for television. He is most famous for bringing back the BBC science fiction show Doctor Who in 2005. He was the main writer and producer for Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010, and he returned to that role in 2023.

Davies has also created many other popular TV series. These include Queer as Folk (1999–2000), which told stories about gay people, and Bob & Rose (2001), about a gay man who falls in love with a woman. Other shows he created are The Second Coming (2003), Casanova (2005), and Doctor Who spin-offs Torchwood (2006–2011) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011). More recently, he created Cucumber (2015), A Very English Scandal (2018), Years and Years (2019), It's a Sin (2021), and Nolly (2023).

Davies was born in Swansea, Wales. He first wanted to be a comic artist, but then decided to focus on writing plays and TV shows. After finishing university at Oxford University, he started working part-time for the BBC's children's department, CBBC, in 1985. There, he created two series called Dark Season and Century Falls. He later moved to another TV company, Granada Television, and began writing TV dramas for adults in 1994.

In the 2000s, his work included Bob & Rose, which showed a gay man falling in love with a woman. The Second Coming was about the idea of a second coming of Jesus Christ from a non-religious point of view. Mine All Mine was a comedy about a family who found out they owned the whole city of Swansea. Casanova was a TV show based on the real-life story of the famous Venetian adventurer Giacomo Casanova.

After Doctor Who had been off air for sixteen years, Davies brought it back in 2005. He was the main writer and producer until 2010. During this time, Christopher Eccleston and later David Tennant played the Doctor. Under Davies' leadership, Doctor Who became very popular again. This led to two spin-off shows, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. His success also helped make Saturday night dramas popular and profitable for TV companies again. In 2008, Davies was given an award, the Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for his work in drama. Around the same time, he announced he would be leaving Doctor Who. His last script for the show was "The End of Time" (2009–2010).

Davies moved to Los Angeles in 2009, where he helped make Torchwood: Miracle Day and the last series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. He returned as the main writer and producer for Doctor Who in October 2022. His first new episodes were the show's sixtieth anniversary specials in 2023.

After his partner became ill in late 2011, Davies moved back to the UK. He helped create the CBBC science fantasy drama Wizards vs Aliens. He also created Cucumber, a Channel 4 series about older gay men in Manchester. Its companion shows were Banana, about young LGBTQ+ people in the same world, and Tofu, an online documentary about LGBTQ+ topics. Later in the 2010s, Davies made A Midsummer Night's Dream for BBC One, which was a TV movie based on William Shakespeare's play. He also wrote A Very English Scandal, a miniseries based on a book, and Years and Years, a drama about a Manchester family dealing with big changes in Britain over 15 years. In 2021, Davies returned to Channel 4 with It's a Sin, a drama partly based on his own life, about the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s and 1990s.

Early Life and Education

Stephen Russell Davies was born on 27 April 1963 in Swansea, Wales. His parents, Vivian and Barbara, were both teachers. Russell was the youngest of three children and their only son. As a child, people usually called him by his middle name, Russell. He grew up in a home where the TV was always on, and he loved watching dramas like I, Claudius and Doctor Who. One of his first memories, when he was three, was watching the 1966 Doctor Who episode The Tenth Planet. He also loved drawing cartoons and reading comics like Asterix and Peanuts.

Davies went to Tycoch Primary School and then Olchfa School when he was 11. In his first year at Olchfa, the main school buildings were closed for repairs. Lessons were held in temporary buildings, which sparked Davies' imagination to create mystery, science fiction, and conspiracy stories about the main building. He also read many books, and one, The Crystal Mouse, influenced him greatly. At 14, he joined the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company (WGYTC). The director thought he was very talented and popular. He had a relationship with another young actor, Rhian Morgan. Later, in his teenage years, he realized he was gay.

In 1979, Davies finished his O-Levels. He stayed at Olchfa, hoping to study English literature at University of Oxford. He stopped wanting to be a comic artist after a careers advisor told him his colour-blindness might make it difficult. During his studies, he wrote plays in Welsh for the WGYTC to perform. In 1981, he was accepted into Worcester College, Oxford to study English literature. At Oxford, he discovered how much he loved storytelling, especially in books from the 1800s by writers like Charles Dickens.

Davies kept sending scripts to the WGYT while at Oxford. These included plays about TV's influence and office politics. In 1984, he performed for the last time with the WGYT. After graduating from Oxford, he took a course in Theatre Studies at Cardiff University. He also worked part-time for the Sherman Theatre's publicity team. In 1985, he started his professional TV career when a friend suggested he talk to a TV producer who needed a temporary graphic artist for the children's show Why Don't You?

Children's TV Career (1985–1993)

Davies joined the BBC Wales children's department (CBBC) in 1985. He worked on short contracts, like drawing for Why Don't You?. Since he only worked a few days a month for the BBC, he also did freelance work and volunteered for the Sherman Theatre. In 1986, he was asked to draw a football comic strip for a new newspaper, but he said no. He also sent a script for the soap opera Crossroads, but it wasn't used because the show was cancelled. He eventually stopped drawing professionally in his early twenties, realizing he enjoyed writing the words for comics more than creating the pictures.

On 1 June 1987, Davies appeared on TV for the first and only time as a presenter on Play School. A producer on Why Don't You? thought he would be good on camera. Davies had a few chances to appear over six months, but he only hosted one episode as a storytelling illustrator before deciding he wouldn't do it again. This appearance is still a running joke in the TV industry.

On Why Don't You?, Davies had many different jobs, including researcher, director, and illustrator. In 1986, he got his first professional scriptwriting job when a producer offered him extra money to write a replacement script. The BBC liked his script, which led to bigger roles. He eventually got a six-month contract to write for the show when it moved to Manchester in 1988. He worked on the show for two more years and became its producer. He made the show more dramatic, which tripled its audience. His last episode was a drama where the characters were trapped in a cafe by a supercomputer trying to harm them.

While producing Why Don't You?, Davies also worked on other CBBC shows in Manchester. He wrote for older audiences on shows like DEF II. The head of CBBC offered him the chance to produce Breakfast Serials, a new show for early mornings. Breakfast Serials had silly comedy and pop culture references for older kids. Davies decided to leave CBBC during this show's production. He realized he was writing for the wrong audience. He worked as a writer on three more children's series while starting his career in adult drama: Dark Season, Century Falls, and Children's Ward.

Dark Season and Century Falls

Dark Season was an important early role for actress Kate Winslet.

While working on Why Don't You?, Davies developed a story set in Loch Ness. This idea led to his first freelance children's project: Dark Season. The show was originally called The Adventuresome Three and would feature the Why Don't You? characters in a drama inspired by his childhood. He sent the script to the head of CBBC, Anna Home, and also to Granada Television. Both companies were interested. Davies accepted Home's offer, which meant using a new cast of characters. The show was given the budget and time slot of another popular show, Maid Marian and her Merry Men.

The first three episodes of Dark Season follow three teenagers, Reet (Kate Winslet), Marcie, and Tom, at a secondary school. They discover a plan by a villain, Mr Eldritch, to take over the world using school computers. Marcie and a computer expert, Professor Polzinsky, defeat him. The next three episodes introduce a new villain, Miss Pendragon, an archaeologist. She becomes part of an ancient supercomputer called Behemoth. The two villains meet in the fifth episode.

Dark Season used ideas that Davies would later use in Doctor Who. For example, the episode "School Reunion" has a similar idea of an enemy using school computers. Also, the way the two villains come together at the end is like how two major villains meet in "Army of Ghosts". The characters of Marcie and her friends are similar to the Doctor and their companions. Dark Season was the first series where he was credited as "Russell T Davies". He added the "T" to stand out from another BBC Radio 4 presenter named Russell Davies. He also wrote a book version of the show, which hinted at a sequel.

Davies started planning a second series for Dark Season, but the ideas were moved to its next show, Century Falls, which was made in 1993. This series used the idea of "psychic twins" and was set in a lonely village.

The story of Century Falls is about a legend that no children had been born in the village for over forty years. The main character, Tess Hunter, is a teenager who moves to the village. She quickly becomes friends with psychic twins, Ben and Carey. The three teenagers investigate a waterfall that gave Ben his powers and a disaster that caused the infertility. The show ends with Tess confronting a powerful being called Century.

Century Falls was much darker than Dark Season and Davies' later work. The head of CBBC, Anna Home, later said she almost got into trouble because the show pushed boundaries. The series also had a very realistic main character, Tess, who wasn't a typical hero and had poor social skills. Century Falls was the last script Davies wrote for CBBC for fourteen years.

Children's Ward

While writing Dark Season and Century Falls, Davies looked for other freelance jobs. He wrote three scripts for the BBC children's comedy ChuckleVision. In 1991, he started editing scripts for the ITV children's medical drama Children's Ward at Granada Television. By 1992, he was promoted to producer and helped the show discuss bigger, more current issues.

Davies left his producer role in 1994, but he still wrote for the series sometimes. He was asked to write the 100th episode of the show, then called The Ward, which aired in October 1996. This episode won Davies his first Children's BAFTA award for Best Drama.

Adult TV Career (1994–2004)

While producing Children's Ward, Davies kept looking for other writing jobs, especially for soap operas. He wanted to work on the popular Granada soap Coronation Street. To achieve this, he helped plan stories for soaps like Families and wrote scripts for shows like Cluedo, a game show based on the board game. One of his writing jobs, for The House of Windsor, a soap opera about staff at Buckingham Palace, was not well received. So, his other scripts for that show were written under a fake name, Leo Vaughn.

In 1994, Davies stopped all his producing jobs and was offered a scriptwriting role on the late-night soap opera Revelations. He co-created this series, which made fun of organized religion. It featured his first openly gay character: a lesbian vicar.

Davies said that the idea for the lesbian vicar came from the intense nature of the show and the recent ordination of women as vicars in the Church of England. He let his contract with Granada end and pitched a new early-evening soap opera to Channel 4 called RU. Although another show, Hollyoaks, got the time slot, Davies benefited from the pitch. He met Steven Moffat, who would later become a key writer for Doctor Who.

Davies continued to suggest dramas to Channel 4. The next show to be made was Springhill, a drama about the end of the world. It aired at the same time on Sky One and Channel 4 in 1996–97. Set in Liverpool, it focused on the very Catholic Freeman family and their conflict with a mysterious woman, Eva Morrigan. He helped plan the story for the second series but wrote fewer scripts because Granada had asked him to write for their soap The Grand and a special for Coronation Street. The second series of Springhill continued his use of symbolism, showing characters as good and evil, and ended with a future where different kinds of love were accepted by the Church.

The Grand

Davies' next project was The Grand, a drama set in a Manchester hotel during the time between the two World Wars. It was meant to be a big show for ITV. After the first writer left, Granada asked Davies to write the whole show. His scripts for the first series showed the sadness of that time, with each episode adding more emotional problems for the staff. The show was renewed for a second series, even though the first one was quite dark.

The second series was lighter and focused more on how the characters grew. Davies said this was because a friend told him his show was too bleak. He felt he matured as a writer during this series, using flashbacks and adding funny moments.

Even though the show was well-liked, its ratings weren't high enough for a third series. After it was cancelled in September 1997, Davies felt a bit lost.

Queer as Folk

Manchester's gay district on Canal Street was a major source of inspiration for Queer as Folk and, later, Bob & Rose.

Davies started to create a series for Channel 4 that showed the life in the gay area of Manchester, which he was leaving.

By February 1998, when he finished the first draft, the series was called Queer as Folk. The show focused on the party scene on Canal Street.

After writing the pilot, he looked for actors. Christopher Eccleston was his first choice for Stuart Jones, but Eccleston felt he was too old and suggested his friend Aidan Gillen. The roles of Vince Tyler and Nathan Maloney went to Craig Kelly and Charlie Hunnam. The series had a budget of £3 million and was filmed in Manchester.

The series aired in early 1999, when the UK Parliament was discussing rights for gay people. The first episode was controversial, but the show got 3.5 million viewers per episode and was generally liked by fans. It was renewed for a two-episode special the next year.

Queer as Folk 2 was shown in 2000 and focused on Vince's half-sister's wedding. The show ended on 22 February 2000. After this, Davies suggested a spin-off called Misfits and The Second Coming, a series about the Second Coming of Christ in modern Manchester. Misfits was rejected, and The Second Coming was first approved by Channel 4 but then rejected. Davies left Channel 4 after this.

Bob & Rose

While Davies looked for other projects, his friend Nicola Shindler kept trying to get The Second Coming made. Davies' next series was based on a gay friend who married a woman and had a child. He saw this as a great idea for an unusual love story. He talked to the couple about their relationship to develop the show. He decided to tell a traditional love story and gave the couple the British names Bob Gossage and Rose Cooper.

To make it a classic love story, the plot needed challenges, which came from Bob's best friend Holly Vance and Rose's boyfriend Andy Lewis. Andy was a smaller character, but Holly was in the whole series.

After successfully pitching the show to ITV, they started casting. They first asked Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies to play Bob. Even though he wasn't gay, Davies accepted the role. The part of Rose went to Lesley Sharp, and Jessica Stevenson was cast as Holly.

The series was filmed in Manchester between March and June 2001, often using Davies' own home as a place for actors to relax. It aired on Monday nights in September and October 2001. Critics loved it, and the series won two British Comedy Awards. However, it had fewer viewers than expected and was moved to a later time slot for the last two episodes. Even though the series wasn't as successful as he hoped, the show helped Davies improve his relationship with his mother shortly before she passed away. He sees the fourth episode, which aired just after her death, as "possibly the best thing [he has] ever written."

The Second Coming

In 2002, Davies met with the BBC to talk about bringing back Doctor Who and making The Second Coming. The BBC couldn't commit to either at the time. After the BBC rejected The Second Coming, Nicola Shindler suggested pitching it to ITV. Because Bob & Rose was so successful with critics, ITV decided to make the series.

The Second Coming had been in the works for several years and had many changes from its first draft in 2000. But it kept its main idea: showing the Second Coming of Christ with a focus on humanity.

They needed an experienced actor to play the main character, Stephen Baxter, a shop assistant who discovers he has a divine connection. Davies asked Christopher Eccleston, who had been considered for a role in Queer as Folk, because of his performance in the drama Our Friends in the North. Eccleston accepted and helped Davies make the character more human. The role of Judith, who would represent the fall of God, was given to Lesley Sharp after her work in Bob & Rose.

The series aired on 9–10 February 2003 and was watched by 6.3 million and 5.4 million viewers. It received mixed reactions from the audience. Davies was criticized for its ending, but the show also received two nominations for Television Awards.

Mine All Mine

Around the time his mother passed away, Davies visited Swansea many times and thought about the importance of family. During one visit, he realized he hadn't written a series set in Wales yet. So, he created a series about a family who discovers they own the entire city of Swansea. The Vivaldi Inheritance, later called Mine All Mine, was based on the story of the Welsh pirate Robert Edwards and his family's claim to land in New York City. This series was different from his usual experimental social commentary; it was a mainstream comedy that used Welsh actors. Davies and Red Productions even planned for Swansea-born Catherine Zeta-Jones to make a small appearance.

Because the series was about a whole family, Red Productions had to cast eleven main characters. The role of the family father, Max Vivaldi, went to Griff Rhys Jones. Rhian Morgan, Davies' ex-girlfriend from the WGYT, was cast as Max's wife Val. The series, especially the family's makeup of two daughters and a gay son, was very similar to Davies' own upbringing. He and his boyfriend even called the show "The Private Joke."

The series was filmed in late 2003 and used many areas of Swansea that Davies knew from his childhood. It aired as four hour-long episodes and a ninety-minute finale before Christmas 2003. Mine All Mine ended up being his least successful series, with just over two million viewers.

Casanova

Soon after Mine All Mine aired, the BBC asked Davies to produce the return of Doctor Who. This was the end of his ten-year effort to bring the series back to TV. At the time, he was working on two other scripts. One, a movie about the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? scandal, was cancelled after he took the Doctor Who job. The second, a TV show about the life of the Venetian adventurer Giacomo Casanova, became his next show with Red Productions.

Davies became involved with Casanova when producers asked him to write a modern version of Casanova's life story. He agreed because he thought it was "the best subject in the world" and wanted to show a realistic picture of Casanova after reading his memoirs.

Davies' script took place in two different time periods and needed two different actors to play Casanova. The older Casanova was played by Peter O'Toole, and the younger Casanova by David Tennant. The series mainly focused on Casanova's early adult life. Davies' version focused on Casanova's kindness and respect for women.

Casanova was filmed at the same time as the first few episodes of the new Doctor Who series. This meant that producers working on both shows, including Davies, traveled daily between filming locations in Lancashire and Cardiff. Red Productions also filmed in Dubrovnik and Venice. When it first aired on BBC Three in March 2005, the first episode attracted 940,000 viewers, a record for a new drama on that channel. However, it was overshadowed on BBC One by the return of Doctor Who in the same month.

Doctor Who (2005–2010)

Since watching the First Doctor (William Hartnell) change into the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) in 1966, Davies had "fallen in love" with Doctor Who. By the mid-1970s, he regularly wrote reviews of episodes in his diary. His favorite writer was Robert Holmes. Davies admired how Holmes used BBC studios to create "terror and claustrophobia" in his 1975 script The Ark in Space, which is Davies' favorite episode from the original series. Davies' own writing career began with a Doctor Who script submission in 1987, which was rejected. That script was later rewritten and used as "The Long Game" in 2005.

In the late 1990s, Davies pushed the BBC to bring the show back. He had discussions about it in late 1998 and early 2002. His ideas for updating the show for the 21st century included filming it on film instead of videotape, making episodes 50 minutes long instead of 25, and having most episodes take place on Earth. Davies also wanted to remove "extra baggage" from the show's history, like the Doctor's home planet Gallifrey and the Time Lords. Davies also took ideas from American fantasy TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially the idea of story arcs that run through an entire series.

In August 2003, the BBC decided to bring Doctor Who back. The head of BBC One, Lorraine Heggessey, and the head of Drama, Jane Tranter, asked Julie Gardner and Davies to create a new version of the series to air on Saturday nights. By mid-September, they agreed to produce the series alongside Casanova.

Davies' idea for Doctor Who was the first one he wrote down fully. He usually just outlined ideas. His fifteen-page pitch described the Doctor as "your best friend," and the 19-year-old Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) as a "perfect match" for the new Doctor. He wanted to avoid the show's 40-year history "except for the good bits," and keep the TARDIS, sonic screwdriver, and Daleks, but remove the Time Lords and focus more on humanity. His idea was approved in December 2003, and a series of thirteen episodes was planned.

The first new series of Doctor Who included eight scripts by Davies. The rest were written by experienced writers like Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Robert Shearman, and Paul Cornell. Davies also asked his old friend Paul Abbott and Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling to write for the series, but they couldn't due to other commitments. Davies said he didn't plan to ask writers from the old series, except for Robert Holmes, who had passed away.

By early 2004, the show was in a regular production cycle. Davies, Gardner, and Mal Young became executive producers, and Phil Collinson became the producer. Davies' role as showrunner meant he was both the main writer and executive producer. He planned the main story for the whole series, held meetings to decide the mood of each episode, and oversaw all parts of the production.

The production team also had to find an actor to play the Doctor. They considered film actor Hugh Grant and comedian Rowan Atkinson. Eventually, Christopher Eccleston was chosen.

Filming for the first episode, "Rose", began in July 2004 in Cardiff. The start of filming was stressful because of unexpected problems. Some scenes had to be re-shot, and the costumes for the Slitheen aliens looked different from their computer-generated versions. Also, the BBC had trouble getting permission to use the Daleks for the sixth episode. Davies and the episode writer had to change the script to feature another alien race until the rights were secured a month later. After the first part of filming, which Davies called "hitting a brick wall," production became easier as the crew got used to it.

The first episode of the revived Doctor Who, "Rose", aired on 26 March 2005. It was watched by 10.8 million viewers and received good reviews. Four days later, a Christmas special and a second series were approved. The news was overshadowed by a leaked announcement that Christopher Eccleston would leave after one series. In response, David Tennant was announced as his replacement.

Tennant was offered the role while watching an early copy of Doctor Who with Davies and Gardner. Tennant first thought it was a joke, but he accepted when he realized they were serious. He first appeared at the end of "The Parting of the Ways", the final episode of the first series. Doctor Who continued to be one of BBC's most important shows during Davies' time. It led to record sales of the show's magazine, more spin-off novels, and the launch of a children's magazine and toy sonic screwdrivers and Daleks. The show's popularity also led to more family-friendly Saturday night dramas. Davies was also asked by the BBC to produce several spin-off series, and he created two: Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures

In October 2005, a BBC Three boss asked Davies to create a Doctor Who spin-off for older audiences, after the main show became popular. Torchwood was named after a secret word used to prevent leaks of Doctor Who's first series. It featured the time-traveler Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and a team of alien hunters in Cardiff. The show started production in April 2006 and was hinted at in Doctor Who's second series, where Torchwood was shown as a secret group that watched and controlled alien life and technology. When it aired, Torchwood was very popular on BBC Three. However, it received some criticism for its violent themes. This led the production team to make the adult themes less obvious.

At the same time, Davies was asked to produce a CBBC show that was described as Young Doctor Who. Davies didn't want to reveal too much about the Doctor's character. Instead, he suggested a show with Elisabeth Sladen as the popular former companion Sarah Jane Smith. This became The Sarah Jane Adventures, which follows Sarah Jane and local schoolchildren as they investigate alien events in London. The show had a special preview episode in Doctor Who called "School Reunion" and premiered on its own with "Invasion of the Bane" on 1 January 2007. The show was very successful and received good reviews.

Managing three separate shows meant Davies had to let other writers handle most of the writing for Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures so he could focus on Doctor Who. After Billie Piper left as Rose Tyler in the second series finale "Doomsday", he suggested a third spin-off, Rose Tyler: Earth Defence, which would be annual specials following Rose. He later changed his mind, believing Rose should stay off screen.

The Writer's Tale and Writing the Fourth Series

Davies at a book signing for The Writers Tale in Waterstone's, the Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester, on 9 October 2008

In September 2008, BBC Books published The Writer's Tale, a collection of emails between Davies and journalist Benjamin Cook. This book, called the "Great Correspondence," covers the period from February 2007 to March 2008. It shows Davies' writing process and how he developed scripts for the fourth series of Doctor Who, including episodes like "Voyage of the Damned", "Partners in Crime", and "Journey's End". The book's first chapter answers Cook's "big questions" about Davies' writing style, how he creates characters, and where he gets ideas for stories. After several weeks, Cook started giving advice on the scripts. The book's ending includes a short conversation where Cook strongly suggests changing the ending of "Journey's End" from a cliffhanger to a sad ending showing the Doctor alone. After thinking about it for three days, Davies accepted Cook's idea and thanked him for improving both episodes.

After the book was released, Davies and Cook went on a five-city tour to sign copies in October 2008. The book received good reviews. A second edition, The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter, was released in January 2010. This edition added 350 pages of emails and covered Davies' final months as executive producer of Doctor Who, as he co-wrote the Torchwood miniseries Children of Earth, planned David Tennant's departure and Matt Smith's arrival as the Doctor, and moved to the United States.

Post–Doctor Who Career (2010–2021)

Davies left his role on Doctor Who in 2009, along with Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson. He finished his time with four special-length episodes. His departure was announced in May 2008, and Steven Moffat was named as his replacement. In late 2008, Davies focused on writing the 2009 specials and preparing for the changeover to Moffat's team. His final full script for Doctor Who was finished on 4 March 2009, and filming for the episode ended on 20 May 2009.

Davies moved to Los Angeles, California, in June 2009. He continued to oversee the production of Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. He wrote one story for the 2010 series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Death of the Doctor, which featured Matt Smith as the Doctor. He was also the executive producer and writer for the first and last episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day, the fourth series of Torchwood. Davies had planned to return to art by writing a graphic novel and was asked by Lucasfilm to write for a proposed Star Wars TV series, but he declined.

In August 2011, Davies' partner, Andrew Smith, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. This led Davies to put current projects on hold and move back to the UK so his partner could receive treatment closer to their families. Davies' return allowed him to develop a new series for CBBC called Wizards vs Aliens with writer Phil Ford, after The Sarah Jane Adventures ended due to Elisabeth Sladen's death. Wizards vs Aliens was a drama about a teenage wizard and his scientist friend who fight alien invaders. Davies also wrote two scripts for Old Jack's Boat, a show for younger children, which starred Doctor Who actors Bernard Cribbins and Freema Agyeman.

Cucumber, Banana, and Tofu

Davies' next project after Doctor Who, secretly called More Gay Men, was meant to be a follow-up to Queer as Folk. It would have focused on older gay men in the Manchester gay scene. The show was supposed to start production in 2006 but was put on hold because Doctor Who was so successful.

In 2011, the series began to be developed, with the American TV network Showtime planning to air it. However, when Davies moved back to Manchester, Channel 4 picked up the series. This marked Davies' first time working with Channel 4 since Queer as Folk and with Nicola Shindler and Red Production Company since Casanova.

Cucumber focuses on the life of Henry Best, a middle-aged man, and the problems that follow a bad date with his boyfriend of nine years. It was accompanied by Banana, a series for E4 about younger LGBTQ+ characters who are connected to the Cucumber story. There was also Tofu, an online documentary series that discussed LGBTQ+ issues. While Cucumber was a complete story about one man's life, Davies imagined Banana could continue after its sister series ended.

Second Return to the BBC

After Cucumber, Davies returned to the BBC in 2016 to produce A Midsummer Night's Dream, a TV version of William Shakespeare's play. Davies said the play "opened his eyes to drama" after he acted in a school version of it.

In 2018, Davies produced and wrote the script for A Very English Scandal, based on a book of the same name. It starred Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. For his writing on this series, Davies was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2019.

Davies then created the miniseries Years and Years for BBC One. It starred Emma Thompson and Rory Kinnear. The show followed an ordinary family in Manchester as they experienced huge political, economic, and technological changes over fifteen years.

It's a Sin

It's a Sin began filming on 7 October 2019 and finished on 31 January 2020.

The show starred Years & Years singer Olly Alexander as Richie Tozer. Lydia West played a character based on Davies' childhood friend, Jill Nalder, who also appeared in the show as the fictional Jill's mother.

It's a Sin was Davies' first script to focus mainly on AIDS since Children's Ward. Although the series was filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic, its airing in early 2021 led to comparisons between the two pandemics.

Future Projects

Davies plans to adapt Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop for television. He is also involved in an ITV project, Three Little Birds, which is a fictional story based on Lenny Henry's mother's experiences arriving in Britain as part of the Windrush generation. Davies is a script consultant and executive producer for this show.

Return to Doctor Who (2021–Present)

After leaving Doctor Who the first time, Davies stayed in touch with the show's team and contributed to its wider universe. In 2013, he made a small appearance in Peter Davison's spoof special The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. In 2015, his Virgin New Adventures novel Damaged Goods was turned into an audio play. In 2017, he drew illustrations for a Doctor Who poetry book. In 2018, he wrote a book version of his 2005 Doctor Who episode "Rose".

During the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Davies interacted with Doctor Who fans online by writing short stories and drawing sketches. For a "Rose" watch party, he released a short story he had written in 2013 for the show's fiftieth anniversary. For another watch party, he wrote the script for an animated sequel called "The Secret of Novice Hame". For "The Runaway Bride" watch party, Davies shared parts of a 1986 script he had written, Mind of the Hodiac, which was later made into an audio play in 2022.

On 24 September 2021, the BBC announced that Davies would return as the Doctor Who showrunner, taking over from Chris Chibnall for the show's 60th anniversary in 2023 and beyond. He is joined by the Bad Wolf production company, which was started by Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter. In May 2022, the BBC announced that Rwandan–Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa was cast as the Doctor, making him the first black actor to play the main role. A week later, the BBC also announced that David Tennant and Catherine Tate would return as the Doctor and Donna Noble in the 2023 specials. Yasmin Finney would appear as Donna's daughter, Rose Noble. In November 2022, it was announced that Millie Gibson would join the cast as Ruby Sunday, the companion of Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor.

Writing Style

Davies admits he often puts off writing and waits for ideas to form before he starts.

Davies explained his writing process in detail in The Writer's Tale. When he creates characters, he first gives them a name and then builds their traits around it. For example, he chose the name Rose Tyler for Billie Piper's character in Doctor Who because he thought it was a "good luck charm" and "the most British name in the world." He also wanted to choose a feminine name to go against the trend of female companions having more "boyish" names at the time. He uses the surname "Harkness" (for Captain Jack Harkness) and "Tyler" in a similar way, as they are names he likes.

Davies also uses music to inspire his writing. He typically listens to action-adventure film scores when writing Doctor Who. For Queer as Folk, he listened to upbeat dance music to capture the club scene. He listened to Moby's album Play while writing Bob & Rose, and Radiohead albums for The Second Coming to match its dark and experimental themes.

When he writes new scripts, Davies thinks about the ending of a story very early on. He often plans the final scene and its emotional impact at the beginning, but he writes these scenes last. Davies strongly believes in using cliffhanger endings and dislikes advertising that spoils the story. He tells editors to remove cliffhangers from review copies of his episodes.

Davies tries to create vivid images and offer social commentary in his scripts. He uses camera directions more often than newer screenwriters to make sure anyone reading the script, especially the director, can "feel... the pace, the speed, the atmosphere, the mood, the gags, [and] the dread." His stage directions also create a mood through their format. Although some of his scripts use ideas that have been used before, he tries to tell a new and entertaining story. For example, the Doctor Who episode "Turn Left" shares a concept with the 1998 film Sliding Doors. Just as Sliding Doors explores two different timelines based on a simple choice, Davies uses the companion's choice to turn left or right to show a world with the Doctor versus an alternate world without him. The world without the Doctor becomes a very strict society, which he uses to comment on fascism. Davies generally tries to make his scripts "quite detailed, but very succinct," avoiding long character and set descriptions. Instead, he uses only a few adjectives for characters and a couple of lines for sets, letting the dialogue tell the story.

Davies also uses his scripts to explore big topics like religion, especially from a non-religious point of view. He avoids simple, easy lines that don't offer deeper meaning. His most notable discussions of religion and atheism are in The Second Coming and his 2007 Doctor Who episode "Gridlock". The Second Coming shows a modern and realistic Second Coming of Jesus Christ without using traditional religious symbols, focusing instead on a love story. In contrast, "Gridlock" actively discusses religion: it shows the unity of the characters singing Christian hymns as a positive side of faith, but also shows the Doctor as a non-religious hero, suggesting that faith can be misguided because "there is no higher authority." He also includes these ideas subtly in other stories, like the conflict between the Doctor's rational views and Queen Victoria's religious beliefs in "Tooth and Claw".

Like other scriptwriters for Doctor Who, Davies' scripts are influenced by his personal political views. He often expresses a "left-leaning" perspective through his stories. Beyond religion, Davies often makes fun of the United States under George W. Bush in Doctor Who. For example, the Slitheen aliens and Henry van Statten were shown as greedy capitalists. The Daleks in his episodes reflected American conservatives, from religious extremists to imperialists. Other targets of his satire in Doctor Who include news channels, plastic surgery, and consumer culture.

Awards and Recognition

Davies has received many awards for his work since he started writing for children's television. His first BAFTA award nominations came in 1993 for his work on Children's Ward. Children's Ward won the Children's Drama award in 1997. His next successful series was Bob & Rose; it was nominated for a Television Award for Best Drama Serial and won two British Comedy Awards. The Second Coming was nominated for the same Television Award in 2004.

Most of Davies' recognition came from his work on Doctor Who. In 2005, Doctor Who won two Television Awards, and he received an honorary Dennis Potter Award for writing. He also won the BAFTA Cymru Siân Phillips Award for Outstanding Contribution to Network Television that year. At the Edinburgh International Television Festival, he was named "Industry Player of the Year" in 2006 and received the Outstanding Achievement Award in 2017. In 2007, Davies was nominated for a Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for his work on the third series of Doctor Who. He was nominated for two more BAFTA Awards in 2009 for Doctor Who, including Best Writer for the episode "Midnight". Davies won two competitive BAFTA Cymru awards for Best Screenwriter for Doctor Who: in 2007 for "Doomsday" and in 2009 for "Midnight".

Under his leadership, Doctor Who won five National Television Awards in a row between 2005 and 2010. He has also been nominated for three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. In 2010, his episode "The Waters of Mars" won the Hugo Award. His last nominations for the Doctor Who franchise came in 2010 for Torchwood: Children of Earth and in 2011 for The Sarah Jane Adventures.

During Davies' time as executive producer, Doctor Who had consistently high viewing figures. Two of his scripts, "Voyage of the Damned" and "The Stolen Earth", broke audience records. "Journey's End" was the first episode to be the most-watched broadcast of its week. The show also had consistently high Appreciation Index ratings, which measure how much viewers enjoyed an episode. "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End" share the highest rating Doctor Who has ever received, at 91.

Among Doctor Who fans, his contribution to the show is considered as important as the show's co-creator Verity Lambert. In a 2009 poll, he won the "Greatest Contribution" award. Fans praised his range of writing styles and his ability to make the show appeal to a wide audience.

Davies' work on Doctor Who has also brought him recognition outside of television. He is included in the Pinc List of leading Welsh LGBTQ+ figures. Between 2005 and 2008, he was listed in The Guardian's "Media 100" as one of the most influential people in media. In 2008, The Telegraph ranked him as the 42nd most influential person in British culture. The Independent on Sunday included him on seven consecutive Pink Lists, which celebrate the achievements of gay and lesbian people. In 2007, he was named the most influential gay person on the list. Davies was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2008 for his services to drama, and he received an honorary fellowship from Cardiff University in July 2008.

Since he first left Doctor Who, Davies has continued to receive awards. In 2016, he won a British Academy Craft Award for "Best Writer: Drama" for Cucumber. In 2019, A Very English Scandal was nominated for four awards and won a British Academy Cymru Award. In 2020, Years and Years was nominated for the British Academy Cymru Award for "Best Writer". In July 2022, Davies was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature for his contributions to television.

Personal Life

Davies was in a relationship with Andrew Smith, a customs officer, from 1999 until Smith's death in 2018. They entered into a civil partnership on 1 December 2012, after Smith was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Smith passed away on 29 September 2018. The series Years and Years ends with a message dedicating the series to Smith.

In an interview in 2019, Davies described himself as "absolutely happily left wing" in his political views. When asked about Welsh independence in 2021, he said he wasn't sure the current Welsh government was ready for full power yet. However, he also felt that the government in London didn't care about Welsh issues and that Wales should start looking into managing itself.

Production Credits

Doctor Who Franchise Writing Credits

See also

In Spanish: Russell T Davies para niños