Tuesday, June 05, 2007

The Mad Queen Raynor

When the history books on Doctor Who come to be written, Helen Raynor will triumph as the hottest script editor in the show's history. I'm sorry to say it, but the likes of Bob Holmes and Douglas Adams are not so much a turn on for me, or the other 99.9% of the 'straight male' Doctor Who community (the other 0.01% are just plain weird). Good news then that in 2008 we can expect a double, double dose of Raynor madness!

The woman, who scripted Torchwood's "Ghost Machine" last year, and this year's "Daleks in Manhatten" two parter, will not only write a two part adventure for Doctor Who's fourth year - but she'll be scripting another episode of Torchwood too. Okay, admitedly that we already knew; but thanks to one eagle eyed reader it looks like Helen may well be scripting a second episode for 2008 as well.

Take a look at her CV here (you'll have to scroll down to page 53; by which point your fingers will ache) and you'll see that she is indeed listed as writing two episodes of Torchwood 2.0 - a mistake surely? Or is the mad (yet strikingly sexy) Helen Raynor getting a bigger slice of the Torchwood pie than we originally thought?

Good news for me, cos I loved "Ghost Machine". It was the first episode of Torchwood to really tick all of the boxes on what a gothic, sexy spin-off should be about. And I still think that Ed Morgan under that bridge is one of television's most dangerous characters ever. Yep, even ahead of Patrick Moore. Have you seen that man's monacle?!

There's no official word on any potential Raynor related return - but fingers crossed it come soon. Just so I can use the onomatopoeic phrase "Raynor related return" all over again, and still get away with it. Oh yes - the power of a Torchwood.tv writer. Given half a brain we'd be dangerous. Well, Kurly mostly. When he's not plotting world domination from his bedroom.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent, I loved Ghost Machine, so two episodes from her would be brilliant, (and she wrote that really cool gun scene)

Anonymous said...

RTD and Paul Cornell are on that list as well. And Helen's writing another two parter for DW series 4. It just gets better and better.

Anonymous said...

hi
does anyone know when and where torchwood will be filming next week??
I will be in Cardiff and it would be unbelievable if i got the chance to see them making it.
Answers most appreciated.
love
michelle

Anonymous said...

Nitpicker comments: That would be a case of alliteration not an onomatopoeia.

'Just so I can use the onomatopoeic phrase "Raynor related return" all over again, and still get away with it.'

Oh and Helen's scripts always have the biggest logical holes.