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Russell T Davies interview - Radio Times, September 2007 |
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The Doctor Who supremo tells Gareth McLean why he's a champion of kids' TV that's simply out of this world…
"It was the likes of 70s children's
dramas Children of the Stones
(supernatural goings-on in
an English village) and The
Tomorrow People (ordinary teenagers
developing superpowers) that
inspired a young Russell T Davies
to become a television scriptwriter.
"I loved the sort of dramas that
were set in this world, but had an
otherworldliness to them," he says.
When he became a writer, working
on ITV's groundbreaking Children's
Ward and creating Dark Season
for the BBC in
the 90s, Davies's fascination with
children's TV continued. "From my
time on Children's Ward, I learnt an
enormous amount from [its creators]
Paul Abbott and Kay Mellor. It dealt
with tough issues such as rape and
anorexia, but it also did stories for
younger viewers exquisitely."
Despite his success on such shows,
Davies knew that his heart wasn't in
children's drama.
But now, after hits such as Queer
as Folk (1999), Bob and Rose (2001)
plus, of course, the reinvention
of Doctor Who,
Davies has
returned to
CBBC as
executive
producer of
the ten-part
Who spin-off
The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The series features
former companion Elisabeth Sladen
as Sarah Jane, her adopted teen son
Luke, neighbour Maria and their new
friend Clyde. But 21st-century kids'
TV is a vastly different landscape
from the one Davies left.
"I fancied
the challenge of writing something
for children based on Doctor Who
at the same time as CBBC were keen
on something. There was talk of the
adventures of the young Doctor
on Gallifrey, but I said absolutely
not. When we brought back Sarah
for [2006 Who episode] School
Reunion, she worked wonderfully
and the idea blossomed from there.
"I think it's important to make
children's drama as strong as any
other sort, but it's changed a lot.
Now, children's TV is for kids
between six and 12, so the more
adult stuff has migrated to the likes
of Hollyoaks.
With The
Sarah Jane
Adventures,
I had to be
aware of the
audience
being young."
With the presence of aliens with
sinister plans, does "strong" equal
"scary"? "I wouldn't want children to
be left in a state of dread. Fear is fine,
but I do have a problem with terror."
So what of the state of children's
TV today? Does he feel, as author
Philip Pullman does, that a lot of it is
"social poison" with children treated
as marketing opportunities? "It's
a profound mistake just to look at
the toy on the shelf and ignore the
programme, which has got to be good
in the first place for kids to watch.
"And just because something's
American and there are 22 episodes,
people assume it's rubbish. That's So
Raven, for example, is a decent little
sitcom and very well acted. And the
main character isn't stick-thin, so
that's magnificent, too. High School
Musical could have been so much
cleverer, but with the likes of
Disney investing so much money in
children's TV, I do feel optimistic
about its future."
**
Now take a look at our full guide to The Sarah Jane Adventures.
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