Interview: Sarah Dollard on Face The Raven

This weekend’s episode, “Face the Raven” is written by New-To-Who writer Sarah Dollard. Earlier this month Sarah sat down with Doctor Who TV contributor Connor Johnston to talk all things script writing, Doctor Who and offer some tantalising teasers on her debut episode.

How did you first get into script writing – was it a passion you’d always had since an early age or something that sparked your interests over the years?

I’ve been obsessed with TV and movies ever since I can remember and I’ve always loved writing too, but it didn’t occur to me to put the two together until I was studying film and television – among many other subjects – at university. I didn’t know anyone in the entertainment industry growing up, and in Australia you often feel a long way away from where the magic happens, so I guess it just never seemed like an option. For a while I thought I’d become a critic or an academic, so I could carry on obsessing over TV forever, but thankfully I gave up that idea and started making stuff up instead.

Did your experience working on other Sci-Fi/Fantasy shows such as ‘Merlin’ and ‘Being Human’ aid you in tackling your first Doctor Who episode?

I didn’t write for Merlin – I was an assistant script editor and general dogsbody-to-the-producers. That meant I was on set for every day of the shoot, which provided an invaluable education in producing genre telly. I got to see how every part of the show worked and how it all came together – story, casting, locations, special fx, visual effects, costumes, art department, stunts, post production, you name it, and even publicity and distribution. That education definitely changed the way I write for the better, and made me appreciate what all the different departments of a production bring to a show. Script editing on Primeval then taught me even more about writing for action and CGI-heavy television. And as for Being Human – I don’t think any other show could have prepped me better for Doctor Who. It was a masterclass in writing grounded and heartfelt character-driven genre stories.

Tell me about how you first got the opportunity to write for Doctor Who – how surreal was the moment you’d realised you would forever be a part of the show’s vast history?

I had to go through quite a long pitching and selection process before I finally got the gig, and I’m not ashamed to say I was excited the entire time. I was so over-hyped and nervous for my first “interview” with Script Executive Lindsey Alford that I welled-up while talking about the importance of Doctor/companion relationship. Tragic. This would have been terribly embarrassing in any other professional setting but Lindsey is just as passionate about Doctor Who, even after working on it for years, so I was in good company! I was actually back home in Melbourne for a spell when I got the official thumbs-up, which made the good news seem all the more surreal. I’m still pinching myself.

As a fellow Australian I can assure you that there’s a great sense of pride and excitement from the fanbase down-under at your contribution to the show. You may or may not be aware, but with your inclusion in the Series 9 line-up you’ll have become the second Australian writer to work on the show after Anthony Coburn penned the first episode of Doctor Who in 1963. How important it is it to have contributed to such an historic relationship between Australia and Doctor Who?

That’s so nice to hear, thank you! I feel really honoured to be the latest Australian contributor to Doctor Who. And of course I’m not the only Antipodean on board this year – Aussie director Daniel Nettheim helmed the Zygon two-parter.

Of course Doctor Who isn’t the only television show with an extensive history that you’ve become a part off. Some of your earlier works included working on ‘Neighbours’, which has in the last few years embedded dozens of tongue-in-cheek Doctor Who references. Have you found much difference in the television industries of Australia and the UK?

Those affectionate Doctor Who references in Neighbours are mostly down to wonderful writer Pete McTighe – one of the most passionate and knowledgeable Who fans I know. The most obvious difference between TV in Australia and the UK is the money. There’s a lot more to spend over here. It’s nothing like the budgets they get to play with in the US, but it seems like a hell of a lot after working on Neighbours! The other difference, which I’m sure I don’t need to tell Australian readers of Doctor Who TV, is that sci-fi and fantasy television simply doesn’t get made in Oz outside of children’s television – and I mean proper daytime kids’ TV, rather than a family show like Doctor Who.

A common discussion over recent years regarding the creative structure of Doctor Who is the apparent lack of female writers. Your presence in the Series 9 line up makes you the only the third female writer in over 10 years to write for Doctor Who – do you believe it’s an issue that requires more attention in the future?

I absolutely think it’s important to include a diverse range of voices on a show that has such a wide reach as Doctor Who – as do the producers. I know Steven has asked women writers to pitch for the show in previous years, and I’m thrilled that everything worked out this year to bring two of us on board. As a fan, I’d be thrilled even if I wasn’t one of them!

“Face the Raven” is set to see a number of returning characters re-join the Doctor and Clara, one of whom being Joivan Wade’s ‘Rigsy’. What drew you to the character initially – and was his inclusion an independent choice?

There were a few reasons to bring Rigsy back. In my episode, I knew I had to jump straight into the meat of the adventure with very little set-up time for a guest character. I needed someone that both the Doctor and Clara knew and trusted, and also someone the audience already had affection for. Viewers had to care about this person right off the bat. We discussed a couple of options, but when someone suggested Rigsy I jumped at it immediately – Joivan was immensely warm and likeable in Flatline, and the character had proven really popular. Perfect for the story I wanted to tell.

It’s also been announced that Maisie Williams’ ‘Ashildr’ would also be returning in “Face the Raven”. Being such an accomplished young actress both internally and externally to Doctor Who, was there any sense of excitement of having Maisie on board to aid translate your script onto the screen?

I was absolutely thrilled when I was asked to include her in my story. Maisie is a hugely talented and intelligent actor, so it was an honour to write for her. Also, I was just really excited by the character of Ashildr and by the scripts for episodes five and six, which I got to read quite early on. She’s a fascinating addition to the world of Doctor Who.

Speaking of Ashildr… any clues as to her illustriously ambiguous role in the episode?

Well, it has been well over 300 years since the Doctor last crossed paths with Ashildr. A person can change a lot in that time! A big part of the episode is getting to know Ashildr again, so I won’t spoil that. However, I will tease that there has been one significant physical change to Ashildr since we last met her, and it has big consequences for everyone.

How closely have you worked with the production team, specifically Director Justin Molotnikov, in watching your work be realised onto the screen?

The writer attends what’s called a Tone Meeting, which involves people from every production department sitting down with the director and doing a page-turn of the script. The heads-of-department discuss in detail how everything will look and be achieved, from costumes to locations to CGI, to casting guest characters and achieving make-up effects. As the writer you might get called upon to clarify how you imagined something, and discussion can lead to making production-friendly changes to the script. I chatted again with Justin about the episode at the readthrough, and got to see him in action when I visited the set.

Obviously there’s excitement that most writers would have being granted the opportunity to write for a show as iconic as Doctor Who… however one can’t help noticing in past interviews you’ve shown a level of enthusiasm that hints at something more. How deep exactly are your roots as a fan of the show?

I watched Doctor Who as a kid on the ABC in the 80s, which meant I saw the stories all wildly out of order and had huge gaps in my viewing, but was lucky enough to get a hit of the Doctor almost every weekday. I was definitely too young to properly take all the details on board – I didn’t watch it with my parents, which I’m sure made a difference – but Tom Baker and Peter Davison left the biggest impression me. Then I became a proper mad fan when the show returned in 2005. It was actually a huge part of what brought me to the UK. Not because I ever imagined I might work on the show – that seemed totally outside the realms of possibility – but simply because I wanted to work in the country where a show like that could be made. In recent years I’ve made friends who are true anoraks for classic Who, and they’ve been giving me an education and showing me all the best stuff I missed as a kid.

Taking a look through you’re extensive portfolio of writing credits, one can’t help but notice a name very familiar to the Whoniverse: That of accomplished revived series writer Toby Whithouse. Could you tell us more about your experiences working with him?

Toby’s great. He read and liked a spec script of mine when they were putting together a team for series five of Being Human. That experience went well, so he brought me on board his BBC spy series, The Game. I’ve learned loads about writing while working with Toby, and I really appreciate his showrunning style. He’s an absolute glutton for compliments though, so you should probably delete everything up to and including this sentence. Whatever. He’s okay I guess.

Granted your first episode doesn’t air until later this week – but would you ever consider returning to pen future episodes?

If it goes down well of course I would!

Neighbours, Merlin, Being Human, The Game, your own Welsh miniseries and now Doctor Who – it’s no secret that your career has expanded dramatically in the last few years. Have you any advice for budding scriptwriters that may seek to follow in a similar direction?

Be passionate. Work hard. When you find smart people you can learn from, stick to them like glue, and don’t ever stop learning. Be nice – making TV is teamwork, even when you’re writing in a room all by yourself.

And finally: the excitement and speculation over “Face the Raven” has almost reached an unbearable level in the last few weeks. In the broadest and most frustrating fashion possibly… can you give us 3 words to describe the episode?

Should I go with adjectives or teasers? I’m going to go with teasers, because that’s what I’d want! ….. Tattoo….. Tears… and… Two-Faced.