Russell T Davies: Doctor Who Was There From the Very Start
About this episode
James O'Brien interviews Russell T Davies about his influential career in British television and the impact of his storytelling.
Russell T Davies has spent a career changing what British television can be, moving from children’s drama to fearless queer storytelling and one of the nation’s most enduring cultural institutions, Doctor Who. Whether reinventing Saturday night television, capturing the emotional truth of the AIDS crisis in It’s a Sin, or turning the anxieties of modern Britain into gripping drama in Years and Years and his new series Tip Toe, his work has consistently shaped the conversation as well as entertained millions. In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Russell to explore the childhood in Swansea that first formed him: a home full of books, teachers and respect for television, a huge comprehensive school where he learned to keep his head down, and the youth theatre that gave him both his tribe and his future. Russell reflects on the early obsession with Doctor Who, the long road into writing, and the Manchester years that changed everything, professionally and personally. He talks about finding his voice through queer characters, the shock of Queer as Folk becoming a cultural flashpoint, and why television has always felt like the natural home for the stories…
People in this episode
Host: James O'Brien
Guest: Russell T Davies
Topics covered
- British television
- queer storytelling
- Doctor Who
- AIDS crisis
- modern Britain
- storytelling
- identity
Keywords
- Russell T Davies
- Doctor Who
- queer identity
- television
- AIDS crisis
- It’s a Sin
- Years and Years
- Tip Toe
- Queer as Folk
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Doctor Who, It’s a Sin, Years and Years, Tip Toe, Queer as Folk
Places: Swansea, Manchester
More episodes of Full Disclosure with James O'Brien
- Nina Conti: The Ventriloquist Who Found Her Voice
- Fern Britton: “I Never Wanted to Be Famous”
- Russell Kane: “Today’s the Day I Change My Life”
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