Adapting the script

Editor: Nick Scovell · Last update: 10 February 2007

I have made a bit of a speciality in adapting scripts. Having worked on and created productions from novels, like The Hound of the Baskervilles and Frankenstein, and from scripts such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Dad’s Army.

It is a challenging and rewarding process and when one is working from a script to a script, there is already a dramatic, rather than prosaic, structure to work from.

The first stage was to do a straight transfer from the TV script to a workable stage script. That meant transposing what was seen on screen from a seven-part TV story, to a two-part stage story. This was mostly a process of cutting material, removing overtly visual references and reorganising the scenes so they would work smoothly on stage. This was relatively straightforward. There is very little padding in Evil of the Daleks. But, practically all of part one and half of part two is build-up to the main storyline. Then there were the cliff-hangers and the material that led towards and then resolved them. Once all that was sorted, I had something virtually the right length. Seven twenty-five minute parts down to two fifty minute parts. I now had a framework on which to work on the business of pure adaptation. What I was left with after the framework was completed was something that could have worked on stage from the word go, but this production, as every theatrical production, needed an identity of its own. This was when the real hard work began.

It is always my intention, when adapting a script and creating a theatrical production, to remain as close as possible to the original. This does not mean that every word, moment and emotion is recreated from the original work; it means that the dramatisation must reflect the feel of the original in order to earn the description of faithful. The audience must experience a dramatised version of the novel, not the novel played out word for word with a few actors, music and scenery, nor a complete revamp which only takes the title, characters and then does what it likes! This is what I knew I had to achieve for the show, whilst, at the same time, making it work in a theatrical sense and have an identity of its own. It had to be enjoyed, and created, for everyone who came, not just the fans. I began work with this in mind, and then the day dawned in March last year, when Doctor Who returned, in triumph. I suddenly had another factor to consider…

We all hoped the programme would be a success again. But, no one anticipated it being such a hit. With an average of eight million viewers for the 2005 series, it meant that about one in seven people in the UK had watched it! This now meant that our show had to reflect the new series as much as the original. A whole new swathe of Whovians would be ringing the New Theatre Royal box office. It had to be recognisable to them, as well as the old guard like us.

The current Doctor Who seems to have two fundamental differences from the original series. It allows a much grater emphasis on characters and their inter-relation, and is played at a much faster and exciting pace. Both those elements, which I had to address, worked in our favour. The theatre is the best medium for character-based drama, and you must keep the pace up in any production, or it falls flat.  The new series had actually come to help our production – not to threaten it!

So, it became a question of adding layers to the characters, structure and storyline – not altering it. I looked at the characters first, for out of them comes the storyline and the whole feel of the show. They had to be real, believable and have solid relationships between them. All this already existed in David Whitaker’s originals, so it was merely a question of focusing and highlighting them all. Waterfield is the perfect example to explain this process. He is the tortured soul. Tortured souls are crying out to be religious, so he became the Reverend Waterfield! A man of God, struggling with his faith, an alien race and the torture of having your daughter taken away from you. Being a father of two myself, I can easily imagine what a trauma it would be not knowing if your child were safe. I could not ignore that. So I built it into his character more. Making him a vicar also gave him an extra layer of characterisation that only enhanced his potential from the original. It also gave an extra layer to the relationship between him and Maxtible. This process applied to all the characters, and Victoria is one I attempted to give more weight to. She is the ultimate ‘screaming girl’ companion, something that is now totally alien to the series. I wrote her to be a little older, and she has suffered more at the hands of the Daleks. She is bruised and bandaged. Her dress torn. She has been kept a prisoner for a long time. She has suffered! I also decided to cut the character of Kemel. Mute characters are difficult to believe in, and he got in the way of the relationship that needed to be quickly established between Jamie and Victoria.

The Doctor and Jamie were the most challenging. The Doctor is, oddly enough, easy to write for. You can write him blank, allowing the actor to fill in what is needed. His relationship with Jamie was the challenge. In this story, they almost come to blows at one point when Jamie believes the Doctor has betrayed him. I had to establish their good relationship very quickly, in order to make Jamie’s concerns really matter. Thankfully, Jamie is played by John Paul McCrohon. This will be his third time in the role. He is perfect for the part. Confident, talented and sexy – all you need for Mr McCrimmon! He makes Jamie a very solid character, plus we have known each other for years so our personal rapport is strong and real.

Lastly, the Daleks. I firmly believe that David Whitaker was the best writer they ever had. His choice of storyline for their plans stresses the real cunning and cleverness of the beasts. Someone once wrote that in Evil they “radiate evil in their best ever vehicle.” I can wholeheartedly agree with that. The only layer I added to them was to give them a real need for their plans. This gave them an extra edge, and an added impetus and desperation which races towards the show’s climax…

At some point during the script writing process, Ghost Light was released on DVD. I love this story’s atmosphere and sense of gothic menace. It got me thinking about the Victorian aspects of Evil and how I could expand and use them to enhance the drama of the show and the characters. This I have explored and used to great effect. I do not wish to spoil anything, so I shall say no more about that! 

Of course, what everyone will be anticipating is the pyrotechnic-ridden climax! Needless to say, this required much thought. Without the benefits of editing filmed images together, the original structure and flow of the famous Civil War was not possible on stage. It was a matter of finding a way to bring the Daleks to the point of their own destruction that would match the drama and excitement of the original, whilst, at the same time, giving a climax that fitted the style of the rest of the play. What you will witness will be pure drama and building tension, until an echoing voice bellows, “Do not fight in here..!” amid a scene of sudden, violent carnage…
 
The final draft of the script was finished in around August of 2005. I am currently working on a final rewrite now that the set, tone, music and staging of the show have been decided. Another factor was the look of the Daleks. However, that is for next time… 

Nick Scovell – 30 March 2006