GUIDING LIGHT
Russell T Davies talks passionate fans, playful gods and the nature of reality with Paul Kirkley.
Hi Russell. Tell us about the inspiration behind
Lux
’s ‘fan scene’…
I love Galaxy Quest [the 1999 sci-fi comedy, namechecked in the script, in which the cast of a cult sci-fi TV show are drawn into a real interstellar conflict], and the most joyous moment is when they discover it’s all real. I wanted to find that level of joy for Doctor Who fans – of people actually discovering that the Doctor is real. And also to show how much they’re prepared to give for him.
I hope the fans will love it.
Having floated the idea of the Doctor and Belinda being fictional constructs, there’s a neat rug-pull, in which it’s revealed they’re the real ones – and it’s the
fans
who are fictional….
It’s like Plato’s Cave [complicated allegory about reality and perception]. We’re the shadows on the wall, and the Doctor is real. I think that’s very probably true, don’t you?