Doctor Who Writer Juno Dawson Previews "The Interstellar Song Contest"

How did your involvement in Doctor Who come about? I've been courting Doctor Who for a long time, I've been a fan since I was a small child. And then I was a fan when it came back, and I loved how it was re-interpreted for the noughties. BBC Books approached me in 2016 to write a Jodie Whittaker novel, and before that, I had already done some Torchwood audios, and then BBC Sounds approached me to do Doctor Who Redacted.

So, I feel like I've had one foot in the Whoniverse for the best part of a decade. But when it was announced that Russell was coming back, I made it very, very clear to Russell that I would clear my diary, should the call come in. And sure enough, the call did come! In 2022, Russell asked how I would feel about doing "Die Hard meets Eurovision". I couldn't turn that down.

What can you tell us about writing an episode of Doctor Who? Russell initially pitched the bare bones concept of "Eurovision meets Die Hard", which were two things I knew really well. Then, I went away and pitched a plot, and it hasn't really changed all that much. Obviously, there was a lot of discussion between myself, the producers and Russell. But it's still those two things. What would happen if an enemy faction planned an attack on the Eurovision Song Contest in space?

That has remained true throughout. It's been very collaborative, I've so enjoyed working with all the producers and script editors. It's been a real joy. I kept waiting for it to get hard, but it's never been, it's never been disappointing. It's really just been the funnest project.

What can fans expect from the Interstellar Song Contest? It's like a disaster movie. I think people are certainly going to expect it to be … let's just say camp. I mean, of course, it is, it's the Interstellar Song Contest. But also, it's action-packed. It doesn't let up for a second. It's a really high-octane episode.

In places it's quite harrowing. I think the best science fiction and fantasy should always have something to say about the world. While being an absolute romp on a space station, these are characters caught in an extraordinary situation that I hope people will feel on an emotional level as well.

Tell us about writing the relationship between the Doctor and Belinda? I didn't know who would be playing Belinda at the time of writing the script. I knew she was a nurse in her thirties, but that was it, that's all I had to go on. But the good news is, with any companion, he or she is always you. They are the audience. They are the person being swept along into an extraordinary adventure.

If you had to describe this word in one word or phrase, what would it be? Freddie Fox looks good with horns.

Doctor Who is streaming on Disney+ outside the UK.