#Phil Ford

[eyesupchilsy]

id do the same Jude Bellingham

[denimbex1986]

'Doctor Who writer Phil Ford opens up about "The Waters of Mars" fourteen years later and reveals why David Tennant's penultimate Tenth Doctor story remains one of the show's scariest episodes to date. The 2009 special starred Tennant as the Doctor, alongside Eternals' Gemma Chan, Dune's Shanon Duncan-Brewster, and Andor's Joplin Sibtain as member of the crew on the first Human colony on Mars. In "The Waters of Mars," the Doctor arrives at the doomed Bowie Base One, forcing him to question what he can do as a time traveler.

While Tennant's return is imminent for Doctor Who's 60th-anniversary specials, Ford sat down with RadioTimes.com to reflect on his contribution to the actor's initial run and why it features one of the Tenth Doctor's most terrifying moments. When discussing what makes the show scary for audiences young and old, the writer stated that many viewers had spoken to him about their appreciation for "The Waters of Mars" before citing it as a personal favorite and explaining how showrunner Russell T Davies aided him in achieving a perfect level of terror for young audiences. Check out Ford's full explanation below:

"I'm not so sure that it's moved away from that so much, I have no doubt that there will be another Doctor Who story coming down the road that will be every bit as scary, if not more than The Waters of Mars. I think scaring kids is what I've always enjoyed doing! Whether it's in Doctor Who or Sarah Jane [Adventures]... I think Russell put it to me a long time ago that it's OK to scare kids, what you don't want to do is terrify them and scar them!

I've met at conventions an awful lot of kids that admitted they were scared by The Waters of Mars, but not so much to traumatise them! They loved it because it's scary.

The Waters of Mars, from my point of view, was always going to be scary because that's what I like to do. I think the team around Doctor Who then and now is just so good at what it does, I think we all have confidence in each other in knowing just how far we can go.

And certainly, whenever I went too far, I knew Russell was going to pull me up on something... my memory of Russell is not so much hauling me back on The Waters of Mars, but on other episodes, him pushing me harder to make things even scarier and even bleaker in some cases! Which is just wonderful, because he has this amazing opinion – and talent to back it up – that really there is no story you can't tell for kids. It's just a question of how you tell that story."

What Makes "The Waters of Mars" David Tennant's Most Scary Doctor Who Story

Tennant's initial Doctor Who tenure had no shortage of standout terrifying episodes that still rank high among the franchise's darkest moments. These episodes range from the Weeping Angels' terrifying debut in "Blink," the unstoppable mimicking menace of "Midnight"'s still an unseen entity, and the gradually worsening bleak what-if scenarios of Donna's alternate timeline in "Turn Left". Despite these story moments, "The Waters of Mars" stands out as the already-overpowering Flood virus is superseded in scariness towards the end by the Tenth Doctor himself, as the show's main hero loses himself.

After grappling with his role in the universe, the Tenth Doctor casts aside every lesson he learned and changes history by saving them, declaring himself as the sole being who could change the Laws of Time. Left with the knowledge that these events should have never happened and would impact her loved ones' fates, Bowie Base One's captain, Adelaide Brook (Duncan), sacrifices herself despite the Doctor rescuing her, leaving him emotionally shattered. "The Water of Mars" isn't just a scary Doctor Who story because of its monsters, but for how far the Doctor falls, as well as showing the negative impact his actions can have on the universe should he ever give in to his darker sides.

While the following adventure, "The End of Time," may overshadow Tennant's other 2009 Doctor Who specials, "The Waters of Mars" stands out for how far it pushes the show's leading character. Rather than relying on monsters, the Tenth Doctor going too far leaves a greater impact by breaking the hero and twisting him into a barely recognizable figure. As such, it is understandable why Ford and viewers continue to rate the Tenth Doctor's penultimate adventure as one of the character's darkest stories.'

[thedoctorwhocompanion]

Out Now: Doctor Who Magazine #588 Celebrates The Sarah Jane Adventures

Out Now: #DoctorWho Magazine 588 Celebrates The Sarah Jane Adventures

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine celebrates arguably the greatest Doctor Who spin-off of all time, The Sarah Jane Adventures. DWM #588 includes a 28-page retrospective of every story in the much-loved spin-off that ran from 2007 to 2011 and starred Elisabeth Sladen; plus there are new interviews with stars Daniel Anthony, Tommy Knight, and Anjli Mohindra, as well as lead writer Phil…

[downthetubes]

Doctor Who books out in July, writers revealed

Five new Doctor Who novels will be released in July. Here's a guide to the titles and their authors, who include Stephen Gallagher and Peter Harness

[frenchcurious]

Carroll Shelby avec la Ford GT40 Mk II de Phil Hill & Chris Amon du Shelby-American Inc.@ 24 Heures du Mans 1965. - source Moto Vitelloni - Wheels n' wings.

[cherocarofficial]

1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

[stopandimagineloveforever]

What a fxxxing night! It does not get any less surreal to be at the Emmys. Saw friends, met heroes, got to present with my girl Juno Temple and got to celebrate my boy Phil Dunster. Turns out not winning is also fun! THANK YOU Television Academy.

(via Brett Goldstein on Instagram)

[balladofsallyrose]

"One of the most exciting things about the twentieth century, and one of the most lyrical forms you'd find now, is movies in varying stages. I was a, I was always a John Wayne fan when I was very young. I think uh- that's one of the dilemmas we have. One of the dilemmas that America presents is that many of America's greatest, truly greatest artists are very right-wing and reactionary and not particularly intelligent, but they're still great, they're truly great in their own mediums. I think John Wayne is one of the greatest men ever to step in front of a screen. The John Wayne / John Ford combination was really very lyrical. They made a lot, all the calvary movies and they also made some O'Neill stuff, some Irish, Eugene O'Neill plays. They made a movie called The Long Voyage Home which I saw when I was about three or something. This song came from that movie, ultimately, subconsciously. It's called "Pleasures of the Harbor" which I'll dedicate to John Ford and John Wayne. Nobody takes, nobody can take you seriously these days."

Phil Ochs introduction to his song 'Pleasures of the Harbor' Live in Vancouver, 1968

[korixae]

going FERAL over this line in the sarah jane adventures!!!!!! it’s a direct reference to tooth and claw in season 2 of doctor who and omdhaiebskdng i was not expecting it

[trentcrimmisgay]

Just remembered that Shrinking is going to go up against Ted Lasso at the Emmys no doubt. Which means a Jason versus Jason showdown (my pick is Sudeikis after Ted S3E11) but it also means that Harrison Ford will be nominated against all our footballers. And he killed it in that show.

Funny that Brett who worked on both will also likely be nominated against Harrison Ford. What I really would love to see is a Phil Dunster nom and win though, I can’t lie

[gatutor]

Inger Stevens-Glenn Ford "La cabalgada de los malditos" (A time for killing) 1967, de Phil Karlson, Roger Corman.

[denimbex1986]

'...Iconic episode Blink, helmed by Steven Moffat, The Waters of Mars, written by Phil Ford, and Midnight, written by returning showrunner Russell T Davies, are just some of the times Doctor Who has turned a little terrifying. While fans love the show all the more for how those stories are handled, it seems the writers are no different...

Phil Ford, who wrote the terrifying David Tennant episode The Waters of Mars, recalled: "I remember, I grew up with Jon Pertwee predominantly and, looking back, I remember stories like The Green Death being really quite scary for me as a kid.

"I'm not so sure that it's moved away from that so much, I have no doubt that there will be another Doctor Who story coming down the road that will be every bit as scary, if not more than The Waters of Mars..."

Ford went on to say: "The Waters of Mars, from my point of view, was always going to be scary because that's what I like to do. I think the team around Doctor Who then and now is just so good at what it does, I think we all have confidence in each other in knowing just how far we can go.

"And certainly, whenever I went too far, I knew Russell was going to pull me up on something... my memory of Russell is not so much hauling me back on The Waters of Mars, but on other episodes, him pushing me harder to make things even scarier and even bleaker in some cases! Which is just wonderful, because he has this amazing opinion – and talent to back it up – that really there is no story you can't tell for kids. It's just a question of how you tell that story."

Meanwhile, Keith Temple, who wrote the David Tennant story Planet of the Ood, said: "Thank goodness we're past the days of Mary Whitehouse! There are other sorts of censorship restrictions we have to take into account but I don't think there are any topics that Doctor Who can't handle, as long as it's done well. Really, Doctor Who, if you look at every story, there's so much death and mayhem in it!

"People maybe don't realise how much there is in the way of death. Doctor Who is a family show, there are a lot of young people who watch it, and children - you have to be careful as a writer and a programme maker that you address all those ages within the episode and that makes it quite a difficult show but as long as you don't patronise children, you can do anything, I think. There are no barriers to what you can do."'

[thedoctorwhocompanion]

Phil Ford: "There's Every Chance Doctor Who Spin-Off Torchwood Could Return"

Phil Ford: "There's Every Chance #DoctorWho Spin-Off #Torchwood Could Return"

Torchwood writer, Phil Ford, has said there’s every chance that the Doctor Who spin-off could return to TV following Russell T Davies’ comeback as showrunner of the franchise. Ford, who wrote the Series 2 episode, Something Borrowed, speculated about which spin-offs could be in the pipeline: “I’ve always wanted to see more done with UNIT. I’ve always thought there’s stuff we could do with UNIT…

[oldshowbiz]

"Billllll-koe!"

[frenchcurious]

Phil Hill et Bruce McLaren (Ford GT40 #GT/102) 24 Heures du Mans 1964. © Dave Friedman. - source Carros e Pilotos.

[lemonxbeat]

Happy Valentine's Day! 💌💋💘