Russell T Davies Talks About His Female Companions

[DWF]

"I suppose there's a basic characteristic that I bear in mind. An essence. Rose is open, honest, heartfelt, to the point of being selfish, wonderfully selfish. Martha is clever, calm, but rarely says what she's thinking. Donna is blunt, precise, unfiltered, but with a big heart underneath all the banter. But we come back to what I was saying ages ago about turning characters. If Rose can be selfish, then her finest moments will come when she's selfless. If Martha keeps quiet, then her moments of revelation--like her goodbye to the Doctor in "Last of the Time Lords", or stuck with Milo and Cheen in "Gridlock"-- make her fly. Donna is magnificently self-centred--not selfish, but she pivots everything around herself, as we all do--so when she opens up and hears the Ood song, or begs for Caecilius' family to be saved, then she's wonderful."

Someone quoted this from his book which I can't want to get someday. But I agree that Martha was calm and quiet and that might've hurt her as a character because Freema in real life isn't like that. And I think Donna's bluntness is her greatest appeal she said what she felt and more importantly what she thought. Rose was certainly selfish and it showed even at the end of Journey's End.

 

[Sci]

"I suppose there's a basic characteristic that I bear in mind. An essence. Rose is open, honest, heartfelt, to the point of being selfish, wonderfully selfish. Martha is clever, calm, but rarely says what she's thinking. Donna is blunt, precise, unfiltered, but with a big heart underneath all the banter. But we come back to what I was saying ages ago about turning characters. If Rose can be selfish, then her finest moments will come when she's selfless. If Martha keeps quiet, then her moments of revelation--like her goodbye to the Doctor in "Last of the Time Lords", or stuck with Milo and Cheen in "Gridlock"-- make her fly. Donna is magnificently self-centred--not selfish, but she pivots everything around herself, as we all do--so when she opens up and hears the Ood song, or begs for Caecilius' family to be saved, then she's wonderful."

Someone quoted this from his book which I can't want to get someday. But I agree that Martha was calm and quiet and that might've hurt her as a character because Freema in real life isn't like that. And I think Donna's bluntness is her greatest appeal she said what she felt and more importantly what she thought. Rose was certainly selfish and it showed even at the end of Journey's End.

Of course, as Davies points out, what that means is that they all have important points when they're the opposite of their worst traits, too -- their worst aspects do not define or limit any of those characters, nor do they negate the good that they do.

 

[bigdaddy]

I love Donna, I HATED here in the Christmas special she was on because she grew to be a wonderful character and will be missed.

 

[Starkers]

"I suppose there's a basic characteristic that I bear in mind. An essence. Rose is open, honest, heartfelt, to the point of being selfish, wonderfully selfish. Martha is clever, calm, but rarely says what she's thinking. Donna is blunt, precise, unfiltered, but with a big heart underneath all the banter. But we come back to what I was saying ages ago about turning characters. If Rose can be selfish, then her finest moments will come when she's selfless. If Martha keeps quiet, then her moments of revelation--like her goodbye to the Doctor in "Last of the Time Lords", or stuck with Milo and Cheen in "Gridlock"-- make her fly. Donna is magnificently self-centred--not selfish, but she pivots everything around herself, as we all do--so when she opens up and hears the Ood song, or begs for Caecilius' family to be saved, then she's wonderful."

Someone quoted this from his book which I can't want to get someday. But I agree that Martha was calm and quiet and that might've hurt her as a character because Freema in real life isn't like that. And I think Donna's bluntness is her greatest appeal she said what she felt and more importantly what she thought. Rose was certainly selfish and it showed even at the end of Journey's End.

Of course, as Davies points out, what that means is that they all have important points when they're the opposite of their worst traits, too -- their worst aspects do not define or limit any of those characters, nor do they negate the good that they do.

I agree, and I understand what RTD was doing, for me though at times he goes a shade too far. Playing up Rose's arrogance that she and the Doctor would always be together may have intensified the emotional impact of Doomsday, but it also served to make me dislike Rose--a character I'd loved in season 1) which I'm sure wasn't the intention. Similarly no matter how poweful Martha Jones was in LATTL, it didn't make up for her being a timid, lovesick and somewhat bland character for most of the preceeding season.

Oddly I think he kinda pulled the trick in reverse with Donna.

 

[Tulin]

I find the thread title amusing, given the way RTD swings!