Phil Ford has experience in all aspects of the Doctor Who universe, having written episodes of Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and, after recent special The Waters of Mars, Doctor Who. Ford’s latest Who project is Dreamland, an animated serial featuring the vocal talents of David Tennant, which airs in its entirety on 5 December 2009. He talks us through the writing process and reveals his boyhood career dreams…

How does writing for animation differ from writing for live action?

I don’t approach writing for animation any differently than writing for a live action show. In terms of writing for Doctor Who, both have to be exciting from the get-go. The only real difference is that an animation allows us to go places and do things that we probably couldn’t dream of in live action. That’s why Dreamland is set in the Nevada desert with a huge rampaging army of massive, scary creatures.

Did you learn much about animation from your experiences working on Captain Scarlet?

The CG remake of Captain Scarlet was my first brush with animation so I learned a lot there. The main thing being it’s not easy. And the real stars of an animation are the highly talented people who do the animating. It’s a very intensive process.

What age group is Dreamland aimed for? Is it aimed at a younger audience than the TV show?

I never consciously think about age groups when I write anything. I just always write the kind of story I would want to watch. Obviously there are things you might write in Torchwood that you would never include in The Sarah Jane Adventures or Doctor Who.

Having said that, The Waters of Mars can be quite grown-up, but is still accessible to a younger audience. In just the same way, Dreamland is very much an adventure story that kids will love – but so will a lot of adults (I hope).

What’s the secret of writing for David Tennant’s Doctor?

Writing for David Tennant’s Doctor is an absolute joy. The only secret to it is to enjoy it. David is a brilliant actor, who does things that you don’t expect with his lines. He truly is one of those people who could make the phone directory an experience not to be missed.

So he’s been perfect as the Doctor – a man who finds wonder in all aspects of the universe, even its darkest corners. So, I guess the secret is to remember that. Remember this is a man who enjoys life.

Were you aware of which actors would be playing the guest roles before writing?

Dreamland wasn’t cast until the script was completed, although Gary Russell had discussed with me some of his ideas about casting. So the question of who might play which role was never a factor in my writing.

I was just so delighted by the brilliant cast we got. Every one of them was amazing. And David Warner! I’d never have believed it! We just zipped through the recording, that’s how good they all were!

Were you inspired by any other Area 51-themed sci-fi movies or TV shows when writing the story?

Dreamland was inspired mostly by the whole real life (if you like) UFO mythology, which isn’t normally a part of Doctor Who mythology. I thought it would be really cool to bring the Doctor into that world of Roswell and Area 51, Grey aliens and Men in Black.

At the same time I have a big soft spot for 1950s sci-fi movies like Them!. Those movies were, of course, a metaphor for the American paranoia over Communist Russia at the time – and that’s also something that we get into in Dreamland, so it was kind of neat. But most of all I wanted Dreamland to reflect the style and scale of those old monster movies. I wanted it to be drive-in Doctor Who.

Do you think it works better over six-parts or watched in its 45-minute entirety?

Dreamland was always envisaged as a six-parter so that’s the way it’s constructed, with a cliffhanger at the end of every episode. Writing a 45-minute story is also about building up to those big moments, so it should make a very exciting 45-minute film, as well.

Are any more animated adventures planned for the future – perhaps one for Matt Smith? Or for one of the past Doctors?

I’d love to see an animated adventure for one of the past Doctors. Tom Baker, of course, has just returned to the role for BBC Audiobooks. I’d love to do an animated adventure with him and Lis Sladen. That would be fantastic. My boyhood fantasy career would be complete.

But as far as I’m aware there are no plans to do one. Equally, I have no idea about an animated adventure for Matt. I suppose a lot will depend on the success of Dreamland. I’d definitely be up for writing it though, if they asked me – but again, that would probably depend on the success of Dreamland, too!

What other projects have you got lined up?

We’re in the early stages of preparing for what we hope will be another series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Apart from that, I’m being kept pretty busy. But I can’t tell you about any of it! Sorry!

Dreamland airs in its entirety on BBC Two and BBC HD on 5 December 2009.