Doctor Who: Writer Phil Ford On Into The Dalek
“It was entertaining but really difficult. I mean, it always is. When you write for any character that is completely new…. Steven had fed me guides, though. When I did the first draft, I think, we were kind of talking more about Tom Baker’s Doctor. So I basically wrote the first draft for Tom Baker! Then we started talking about a raging Billy Connolly, and that was much more of a guide! I think I’m right in saying they were the first scripts to be delivered, so Steven was still getting his head around the Doctor, I think.”
“Obviously Steven had a lot of influence in that script because he’s getting the Doctor right at the time… He did warn me that there would be a lot of drafts, but I was fine with that. In the end there was about four drafts. Then Steven came in and did a polish with the Doctor, then I did a small draft after that, and then Steven came back in and put some new scenes in. It was a very collaborative thing, and obviously Steven was really at that point where he knew how the Doctor was going to be. But I was just thrilled to be part of the second episode.”
“Into the Dalek is more an adrenaline-fuelled story. I’m sure that’s the case throughout the series. Stories are different paces, different tones, because at the end of the day – that’s what makes an exciting, varied series.”