We caught up with Emily Cook a Kent graduate from the Language Centre and author of their debut novel Fear Death by Water, an original Doctor Who adventure. In this blog, Emily shares their career journey navigating the writing, television, and radio industry and how they achieved fantastic success and published their debut novel. Take a look at Emily’s inspirational story below:
I wouldn’t be where I am today without my time at the University of Kent.
I started as an English Language and Linguistics undergraduate, with a long-held ambition to become a teacher. But there was one particular module that completely changed the course of my career. ‘Writing in the Media’ gave me a small taste of what life as a journalist might be like – and I loved it. One of the assignments was to write a (hypothetical) pitch to a magazine editor. I decided to take a chance and send mine off for real – to Doctor Who Magazine. I’d been an avid reader and fan of the show since childhood, so it was a huge thrill when they replied and offered me some work experience.
That week turned out to be the start of a career beyond my wildest dreams. After completing a Master’s in Linguistics (also at Kent), I was offered a job. Before I’d even officially graduated, I started freelancing as an editorial assistant for both Doctor Who: The Complete History partwork and Doctor Who Magazine.
Bit by bit, I began writing for the magazine: researching features, interviewing cast and crew, writing reports from the sets in Cardiff. This gave me a front-row opportunity to glimpse what it was like to make television – and, again, I loved it. But I’m getting ahead of myself… because before TV, I worked in radio.
As any freelancer will tell you, it’s wise to spread your wings. Around five years into my time working with Doctor Who Magazine, I also began freelancing for BBC Radio as a producer and broadcast journalist. I honed many valuable skills here, and started to spot a pattern in all the roles I’d taken on so far: I was always editing, organising (whether that be people, ideas, information), or storytelling.
Then came lockdown. Like everyone else, I was stuck at home – hungry for the next career step, though I wasn’t exactly sure what this would be. So while waiting for the world to reopen, I focused on a passion project of my own: Doctor Who Lockdown.
Well, it didn’t begin as a full-blown project. It all started when I posted a single tweet, suggesting that fans could virtually get together to watch an old-favourite episode at a set time. The idea took off, the tweet went viral, and the first ‘tweetalong’ became the top global Twitter trend that night. From there, the initiative grew rapidly. More tweetalongs followed, and pretty soon, stars of the show, as well as writers and directors, were joining in with us too. Each event connected everyone with an episode-specific hashtag – which is academically significant as my Kent MA dissertation was on hashtag usage and language on social media.
With no budget (this wasn’t a paid job, though it kept me busy throughout the pandemic), just for fun, I started producing mini Doctor Who episodes to accompany each tweetalong – prequels and sequels to the stories we were revisiting. These ‘minisodes’ became increasingly ambitious and drew in some big names. One even starred David Tennant, was written by Russell T Davies, and featured a brand-new score by Doctor Who composer Murray Gold.
But that wasn’t all: the infectious joy of the Doctor Who Lockdown tweetalongs ultimately paved the way for David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Russell T Davies to reunite for the show’s 60th Anniversary Specials in 2023. This butterfly effect even inspired one fan’s university dissertation, which was titled: ‘Examine how Twitter lockdown watch parties of Doctor Who lead to the emergence of a new era for the franchise in relation to convergence culture, nostalgia and media practice.’
For me, Doctor Who Lockdown led to producing a short film (featuring Sir Derek Jacobi) and more Doctor Who-inspired freelance work. I produced some Doctor Who audio drama series for Big Finish Productions, including one episode I wrote myself (featuring Billie Piper’s character Rose Tyler). I also worked with BBC Studios, presenting some documentaries and special features for Doctor Who Blu-rays.
After eight incredible years and over 100 issues, I finally stepped away from Doctor Who Magazine and scaled down my freelance work to take on a full-time job in television. I started as a script editor on the Apple TV+ sci-fi psychological thriller Constellation, created and written by Peter Harness. Now, I work as Development Executive for Peter Harness’s wonderful new production company Haunted Barn, helping to shape an exciting slate of TV and film projects.
Doctor Who is still in my orbit, though. Earlier this year, my debut novel, Fear Death By Water, was published. It’s a historical adventure which pairs the Fifteenth Doctor with real-world Victorian heroine Grace Darling – a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who famously rescued nine survivors from a shipwreck in 1838. Grace’s life – her bravery and humility – is compelling. Yet it’s surprising how little people know about her today. I think her story aligns well with the heart of Doctor Who storytelling – it entertains, educates, inspires – and I wanted to bring her courageous spirit to a whole new audience. (Also: Grace just so happens to be in my family tree!)
I don’t know what the future holds (who does?!), but I’m excited for whatever’s next, because University of Kent gave me a lifelong love of language and learning, and opened my eyes to career possibilities younger-me thought would be impossible.
If I could give any advice to students or new graduates, it’d be this: identify your passions, invest in your skills. Find a mentor in your field. Ask for opportunities – and don’t be afraid create your own. Put yourself out there. You might be surprised by how much people are willing to help. Work hard, stay curious, and never stop learning!