Richard Curtis, best known for writing Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Blackadder and the Vicar of Dibley is writing an episode for the next series.
Info here.
Info here.
Richard Curtis to write an episode...
- Thread starter TV Lowdown
- Start date
Eh, he used to be good, but Blackadder was the last good TV show he wrote, and the Tall Guy was the last good movie he wrote.
On balance, he's done more shite than he has good stuff. My god, he should be hung, drawn and quartered for Mr Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. And that is being overly generous.
On balance, he's done more shite than he has good stuff. My god, he should be hung, drawn and quartered for Mr Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. And that is being overly generous.
I can just see it now, Blackadder meets the Doctor.
Hopefully working within someone else's world, and to their rules, will ensure he does a good job. I can't help but feel that his later weaker work may be because he got a little too much power and control over the material.
Richard Curtis wrote some excellent stuff, including some better than average romantic comedies. There's really nothing to be ashamed of. He's more than qualified to write for Doctor Who.
I heard that it was the Sun tabloid reporting this. So I'd wait till the BBC actually announces it. The tabloids have a tendency to post garbage like Kylie Minogue playing a Cyberqueen and "insert random actor" being cast as the Doctor. Grain of salt time.
As for Curtis, if true I think he'll be great. First off, Blackadder was a comedy, yes, but it got REALLY REALLY dark near the end, as anyone who saw the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth will remember. Also, having a sitcom background is meaningless. Remember Steven Moffat created Coupling. And while it wasn't a sitcom, RTD's only major credit pre-Who was creating Queer as Folk. And if Rose Tyler hadn't left at the end of Season 2 we'd have had a Stephen Fry-written episode as well.
I hope it's true because I think it'll be cool to see how Curtis approaches the subject matter. I hope the often-rumored Neil Gaiman involvement also comes to pass, though I doubt it'll happen. I have nothing but praise for the people who wrote the series from 2005 to 2009, but I like the possibility of Moffat bringing in some new blood. That's one of the reasons why the original series lasted for 26 years.
Alex
As for Curtis, if true I think he'll be great. First off, Blackadder was a comedy, yes, but it got REALLY REALLY dark near the end, as anyone who saw the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth will remember. Also, having a sitcom background is meaningless. Remember Steven Moffat created Coupling. And while it wasn't a sitcom, RTD's only major credit pre-Who was creating Queer as Folk. And if Rose Tyler hadn't left at the end of Season 2 we'd have had a Stephen Fry-written episode as well.
I hope it's true because I think it'll be cool to see how Curtis approaches the subject matter. I hope the often-rumored Neil Gaiman involvement also comes to pass, though I doubt it'll happen. I have nothing but praise for the people who wrote the series from 2005 to 2009, but I like the possibility of Moffat bringing in some new blood. That's one of the reasons why the original series lasted for 26 years.
Alex
Unlikely, as Fry would have had to have written his script. According to Fry, he didn't even get off page one.
The BBC are now saying that Curtis' agent has confirmed it, so it looks like The Sun had their facts straight (for a change!)
Ruchard Curtis said last month in an interview in either the Observer or the Independent on Sunday (which are both quality Sunday newspapers, not tabloids) that he was talking about writing an episode of Doctor Who (as he wanted to write something his children that would impress his children, and by the time a film script got made they'd be adults).
The Sun piece seems to have a few extra quotes, about it involving a historical figure and a monster, but...
1) It's not necessarily for the next season, it might be being lined up for the one after (or as a swap-in for this one).
2) The Sun's suggestion that Blackadder's the historical figure has got to be nothing more than an excuse to run a photo of Rowan Atkinson.
Still... if we ended up with Richard Curtis taking over Steve Moffat's 'role' as the one who writes the really quirky brilliant episode once a year now Moffat's the boss... how could you object to that?
The Sun piece seems to have a few extra quotes, about it involving a historical figure and a monster, but...
1) It's not necessarily for the next season, it might be being lined up for the one after (or as a swap-in for this one).
2) The Sun's suggestion that Blackadder's the historical figure has got to be nothing more than an excuse to run a photo of Rowan Atkinson.
Still... if we ended up with Richard Curtis taking over Steve Moffat's 'role' as the one who writes the really quirky brilliant episode once a year now Moffat's the boss... how could you object to that?
If it's the Richard Curtis of Blackadder, then great. If the Curtis of Love, Actually ... not so much (though I don't hate that movie. Just wouldnt want to see a DW episode in that vein).
Funny how he's worked with so many actors who've been on DW wishlists - Bill Nighy (Love Actually, The Boat That Rocked), Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder, 4 Weddings, Mr Bean) and Hugh Grant (4 Weddings, Love Actually). The last 2 even played the Doctor in Curse of the Fatal Death.
Did Curtis have anything to do with COTFD? I know he's heavily involved in Comic Relief.
Funny how he's worked with so many actors who've been on DW wishlists - Bill Nighy (Love Actually, The Boat That Rocked), Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder, 4 Weddings, Mr Bean) and Hugh Grant (4 Weddings, Love Actually). The last 2 even played the Doctor in Curse of the Fatal Death.
Did Curtis have anything to do with COTFD? I know he's heavily involved in Comic Relief.
On the BBC's own website now:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8244450.stm
So what are the chances that Rhys Ifans WON'T be in this episode?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8244450.stm
So what are the chances that Rhys Ifans WON'T be in this episode?
Well and Second Coming, Casanova amongst other things. RTD was quite well respected which is the reason he got/pushed for the Who gig really.
I love the idea of Curtis becoming the new Moffat, although I think in truth I'd always kinda hoped we might get one RTD a season...
Pretty cool news. I love Love, Actually and Blackadder. He also did the Bridget Jones movies (I've only seen the first one, but I enjoyed it). So what if he's done a lot of romances and comedies? As already pointed out, so has Moffat and he's brilliant.
I can only imagine how GallifreyOne is reacting to this news.
I can only imagine how GallifreyOne is reacting to this news.
Sounds like great news to me! Fresh perspectives from talented writers is always a good thing.
