My favourite Doctor Who writers
10. Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is one of the most talented people to ever write for Doctor Who. Of course, talent alone is not enough - Douglas Adams, Alan Moore, and Naomi Alderman all miss out on this list. What makes Gaiman special is his fairytale, fantasy approach to the show. He has big ideas, full of heart, and I am always delighted by them.
Why isnāt Mr Gaiman higher up on the list? Simply because he has only done four stories. One of them, āThe Doctorās Wifeā, is an all-time classic, while the others are at least good. With a couple more stories, Mr Gaiman would surely be higher.
9. Paul Magrs
Coming in at #9 is one of the most important writers of non-televised Who. Paul Magrs has written nine Big Finish Main Range stories (most notably āThe Peterloo Massacreā), three Companion Chronicles, and two Eighth Doctor Adventures, including the exceptional āThe Zygon Who Fell To Earthā, as well as a huge number of spin-off adventures.
Itās in print where Magrs really flourishes, though. Itās quite hard to get across just how influential Paul Magrs has been. Firstly, his three books in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range - The Scarlet Empress, The Blue Angel, and Mad Dogs and Englishmen - are hugely ambitious metatextual delights. These stories introduce Iris Wildthyme and the Smudgelings to the Whoniverse, and have each inspired their own spin-off series, collectively called theĀ āMagrsverseā. Irisās parody of the Doctor is a rip-roaring delight whenever she appears - and as you know, sheās famous for it - and will prove a lasting legacy for Mr Magrs.
I suppose, at this junction, I should mention Lawrence Miles, who has had a similar influence, but I just donāt find to be quite as good a storyteller as Magrs.
8. Rob Shearman
You probably know Rob Shearman for āDalekā, the first good New Who story. What if I told you that āDalekā is Shearmanās worst DW story?
The titles of Shearmanās audio plays are enough to send shivers up the spines of those who have heard them. Thereās āJubileeā, the loose inspiration for āDalekā, which explores the Daleks as fascist iconography. Thereās āThe Holy Terrorā, where the Doctor and Frobisher the Penguin Shape-Shifter have a similarly horrifying experience with a religious cult. Thereās āThe Chimes of Midnightā, possibly the definitive Eighth Doctor story, and āScherzoā, itself perhaps the most experimental story in Doctor Who history, and āDeadlineā, in which the villain is Doctor Who itself.
Like many of the writers on this list, Shearman has an eclectic back catalogue full of obscure oddities. But few people have quite his capacity for knocking it out of the park.
7. Chris Chibnall
Itās true that Chris Chibnallās work before becoming showrunner is inconsistent at best. ā42ā³ is bad and āThe Hungry Earthā is uninspired. āDinosaurs on a Spaceshipā is a fun romp, while āThe Power of Threeā is a great story that is let down by the ending which had to be re-written hastily due to unforeseen production issues. And Chibnallās contributions to Series 11 range from āfineā (āThe Woman Who Fell To Earthā) to ābadā (āThe Battle of Ranskor Av Kolosā). But in āPond Lifeā and āP.S.ā, Chibnall shows that he knows how to write affecting character beats.
Itās in Series 12 that Chibnall really takes things up a step. His stories become sprawling and ambitious: globe-trotting thrillers crammed full of ideas. Heās still occasionally guilty of trying to throw too many ideas in, but his love for the story really shines through. Thereās barely a weak moment in Series 12, and thatās largely because Chibnall himself steps up to write or co-write hit after hit after hit. It all culminates in the epic three-part finale, āThe Haunting of Villa Diodatiā/āAscension of the Cybermenā/āThe Timeless Childrenā, a hugely ambitious story that crosses space and time and pulls together disparate elements from the history of Who. Itās a million miles from āThe Battle of Ranskor Av Kolosā: a fan-pleasing story that is truly epic.
6. Vinay Patel
Why is Vinay so high? Good question. Thinking about it, I canāt really justify this placement. Patel reliably produces great stories - āDemons of the Punjabā alone marks Patel out as a great, and to follow it up with āFugitive of the Judoonā shows that it wasnāt a fluke. But Mr Patel has only got four stories to his name - the aforementioned TV stories plusĀ āLetters from the Frontā andĀ āThe Touristā - so for similar reasons to Mr Gaiman, a high position is difficult to justify.
So instead, letās give this position to Terrance Dicks. Mr Dicks has a bit of a reputation as more of a ājobbingā writer than someone like Chibnall or Shearman, Terrance Dicks was, first and foremost, a script editor. Yes, he co-wrote āThe War Gamesā and was the sole writer for āHorror of Fang Rockā, but heās best remembered for script editing the Third Doctor era (and part of the Second Doctor era), as well as producing an absolute mass of Target novelisations. But thatās not all - Mr Dicks has written original novels (VNAs, EDAs, and PDAs alike), Quick Reads, audio stories, two stage plays, and even the Destiny of the Doctor video game.
Sure, Mr Dicks didnāt burn as bright as Mr Patel. But his contribution to the Whoniverse is unparalleled.
5. Nev Fountain
Comedy writer Nev Fountain has written several of the very best Doctor Who stories. For some reason, these stories tend to centre around Peri (Fountain is married to Nicola Bryant). āPeri and the Piscon Paradoxā is the best Companion Chronicle by far, due to a combination of great acting by Bryant and Colin Baker and Fountainās sizzling script. āThe Kingmakerā is an outrageously funny historical with incredible dialogue and multiple ideas clever enough to carry a whole story.
Frankly, those two alone should be enough to convince anyone of Fountainās brilliance. But there is so much more - āThe Widowās Assassinā, āThe Curious Incident of the Doctor In the Night-timeā, āThe Blood on Santaās Clawā, āOmegaā... if you like Doctor Who, make yourself familiar with Nev Fountain.
4. Robert Holmes
More than anyone else, Robert Holmes is responsible for the esteem which the Fourth Doctor is held in.
Holmes first wrote for the show all the way back in Series 6, with āThe Krotonsā. He wrote the very first Third Doctor story, āSpearhead From Spaceā, in which he also introduced the Autons. They reappeared a year later in āTerror of the Autonsā, which introduced Jo Grant and the Master. InĀ āThe Time Warriorā, Holmes introduced the Sontarans, a pastiche of imperialism.
It was in the Fourth Doctor era that Mr Holmes really made his mark. He took over from Mr Dicks as script editor. In his own right, he wrote āThe Deadly Assassinā and āTalons of Weng-Chiangā, but he also turned āThe Ark In Spaceā, āPyramids of Marsā, and āThe Brain of Morbiusā into usable stories, even appearing in āThe Brain of Morbiusā as the Doctor.
After stepping back from script editing, Holmes returned as a hack to write stories like āThe Caves of Androzaniā (probably the most popular story in Classic Who) and āThe Two Doctorsā, before dying shortly after his 60th birthday.
3. Jamie Mathieson
Putting Mr Mathieson above Mr Holmes really shows my bias towards New Who, but honestly, Iād rather re-watch āMummy on the Orient Expressā, āFlatlineā, or āOxygenā than any of Holmesā stories. Mathieson is very inventive and extremely good at maintaining pace and tension. Iām sure weāll get more stories from him in the future, but the ones we have so far should be used as inspiration by anyone wanting to writing exciting Who.
2. John Dorney
It is hard to exaggerate Mr Dorneyās contributions to audio Who. He may lack the external fanbase of Mr Gaiman, the influence of Mr Magrs, or the legendary status of Messrs Dicks, Chibnall, and Holmes, but make no mistake, Dorney is exceptional. In almost every range he tries his hand at - Lost Stories, Novel Adaptations, Third Doctor Adventures, Fourth Doctor Adventures, Fifth Doctor Adventures, Dark Eyes, Doom Coalition, Ravenous, Time War, Companion Chronicles, Short Trips, Jago and Litefoot, Missy, UNIT, Diary of River Song... Dorney reliably writes the best story in the set.
In particular, Dorneyās stories are notable for the way they focus on character drama. Look at stories likeĀ āA Life In A Dayā orĀ āAbsent Friendsā for particular examples of stories that use sci-fi concepts to draw emotion out of characters, particularly the stoic Liv Chenka. Other highlights of Dorneyās includeĀ āThe Red Ladyā and theĀ āBetter Watch Outā/āFairytale of Salzburgā two-parter.
1. Steven Moffat
What more is there to say? Moffat is truly exceptional, reliably writing the best stories in TV Who for several consecutive years. The classics are too numerous to list, but the stand outs amongst the stand outs are āBlinkā and āHeaven Sentā/āHell Bentā.
Some of Moffatās best work comes away from TV. The minisodesĀ āThe Inforariumā and āNight of the Doctorā, the novelisation of āDay of the Doctorā, the short stories āContinuity Errorsā and āthe Corner of the Eyeā, and lockdown stories like āTerror of the Umpty Umsā are Moffat deep cuts which deserve to be held in the same regard as his great TV stories.
Moffatās imagination lead to him creating multiple iconic monsters - foremost amongst them, the Weeping Angels and the Silence. Moffat emphasised the use of time travel within the stories themselves; other themes in his work include memory, perception, paradoxes, identity, sexuality, and responsibility. He is, without a doubt, the greatest Doctor Who writer, and I am so lucky to have lived through the period where he was active.
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The Woman Who Fell To Earth - Doctor Who blog (Change, my dear. And it seems not a moment too soon)
(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you havenāt seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)
Never before have I gone into a Doctor Who episode with such a mixture of excitement and dread as I did with The Woman Who Fell To Earth. On the one hand weāve finally got a female Doctor, something most Whovians have been waiting decades for, but on the other hand sheās being written by Chris Chibnall, a writer who (and letās be generous here) has never exactly managed to win me over in the past. His past Doctor Who episodes were often derivative, stupid and poorly written and while yes he did create Broadchurch (a show that people assure me is good, but I still have little to no interest in watching), he was also the showrunner of the god awful spinoff Torchwood, which was essentially Doctor Whoās Suicide Squad.Ā
So yeah, the thought of him sitting in the driverās seat and at such a crucial moment in Doctor Whoās long history didnāt exactly get me hyped for the new series and if Iām honest, come Sunday 7th October, I was bracing myself for the worst.
Then the most pleasant of surprises. The Woman Who Fell To Earth turned out to be really, really good. Iām actually gobsmacked by how much I enjoyed this episode. I never thought Iād see the day where Iād be praising a Chibnall episode, but here we are.
I think one of the reasons why I enjoyed this episode so much is because it feels like all the aspects that annoyed me about RTD and Moffatās respective eras have been sheared away. Thereās no convoluted plots. No dangling arcs. No forced whimsy. No smart arse dialogue or pretentious speeches. In fact this had a lot more in common with a classic series story in terms of its pacing and scale. Itās not some global threat where everyone is dashing about like headless chickens on speed. The threat is contained to one town in Northern England where only a handful of people are in danger. Even the music has mercifully been restrained. While I do have a fondness for Murray Goldās work on Doctor Who, his music often had a tendency to go too overboard, bombarding the senses and drowning the audience in slush. New composer Segun Akinola offers a much more subtle and moving score. It enhances the action and certain emotional moments without bashing you over the head and, crucially, Akinola knows when to shut up and let the actors carry the scene.
I must say itās such a relief to see some humanity injected back into Doctor Who again. After years of convoluted, timey wimey Moffat nonsense, Chibnall has had the good sense to bring everything back to basics. Itās not about the aliens, the special effects, the exotic locations or the overly pretentious plots that require a fucking flow chart in order to make sense of them. Itās all about the characters. And what wonderful characters they are. Ensemble casts rarely work on Doctor Who, but I have to say I really like this cast. Out of all the new companions, Ryan is probably my favourite. Tosin Cole gives a really good performance and I really like how heās written. In particular I like how the episode portrays his dyspraxia. The way New Who has handled things like disability and mental health in the past has left a lot to be desired, but here Chibnall gets it just right. He never makes a big thing out of it and the episode never comes across as patronising or condescending. Itās treated like any other character trait, which is exactly how it should be.
Mandip Gill is also good as Yasmin Khan, a police officer who feels like sheās not getting the most out of her life or career. She reminds me slightly of Rose Tyler, but unlike Rose, Yasmin is more proactive. She doesnāt sit around waiting for something to happen. She pursues new opportunities when they come up and gets frustrated when someone puts a wall in front of her. Itāll be interesting to see how sheāll adapt to time travel over the course of the series.
And then thereās Graham, played by Bradley Walsh. To all my non-British readers, let me give you a quick education on the wonders that is Mr. Walsh. Heās one of our most versatile performers. Heās been a footballer, a comedian, an actor and a gameshow host. Heās an incredibly funny man as well as a great dramatic performer. Having seen him in Law & Order UK, I knew heād be perfect and he didnāt disappoint. Thereās a weariness to him thatās incredibly charming and likeable, but then heās able to go from comedic to emotional at the drop of a hat. The eulogy he gives at Graceās funeral was incredibly powerful and moving, as are the moments where he tries to bond with Ryan, whoās clearly sceptical of any kind of father figure in his life due to how unreliable his dad is. Both Graham and Ryan are the ones to keep a close eye on I think. Ryan in particular will be carrying a lot of baggage as the series progresses. His determination to ride a bike shows not only the pain he feels toward losing his Nan, but also the guilt. If he hadnāt lost his temper, chucked his bike down a cliff and then pressed the weird glowing shapes, none of this would have happened. He clearly feels heās responsible for her death and Iām looking forward to seeing not only how he grows and moves on from that, but also how Graham will step up and help him, being the grandfather Ryan needs if not necessarily the one he wants.
Itās the characterisation that is The Woman Who Fell To Earthās greatest strength. Not just the from the main cast, but the supporting characters too. Little moments like the old man telling his granddaughter he loves her before getting killed by the Stenza or the crane operator listening to self motivation tapes is what gives this episode more depth and soul. And then of course thereās Grace, played wonderfully by Sharon D. Clarke. Iām hard pressed to think of a single character from the Moffat era that I gave anything resembling a shit about, which is why itās so remarkable that Iām able to care this much about Grace despite the short time we get to know her. Sheās caring, supportive and energetic. She feels like the perfect companion for the Doctor and I would have loved to have seen her in the TARDIS with everyone else, which is what makes her death so heartbreaking. Sheās not some random redshirt getting axed because the script requires more tension. Sheās a three dimensional character we really like coming to a tragic end.
Okay. Okay. Letās get to the main topic of conversation. Howās the new Doctor? Have the āfeminazisā ruined it? Is she swapping makeup tips with the Cybermen? Is she struggling to parallel park the TARDIS? Did she accidentally kill a whole species because it was her time of the month? (these are all things Iāve seriously heard butthurt fanboys say since Jodie Whittaker was cast and I think we can all agree itās beyond pathetic). Well, quelle surprise, turns out the Doctorās sex change didnāt jumpstart the SJW apocalypse after all. Whoād have thought women could be Doctors too? What a novel concept.
The minute she fell into the train, I was sold. Whereas Peter Capaldi took three whole series to finally come into his own (not that Capaldi is necessarily to blame for that. Blame the monkey at the fucking typewriter for that one), with Jodie Whittaker itās instantaneous. She is the Doctor.
It helps that Chibnall largely dispenses with all the usual post-regeneration bullshit. With the fainting and gurning kept to a minimum, we can get on with actually learning about this new Doctor and I love what Iām seeing so far. Sheās quick-witted, compassionate and quirky, but not to the point where it becomes annoying like Matt Smithās often did (in my opinion. Tastes differ, obviously. I personally found Eleven to be unbearable at times). After the Twelfth Doctor, with his borderline misanthropy and his inability to even so much as blow his nose without a companion to hold his hand, Thirteen comes like a breath of fresh air.Ā
One thing I especially like about her is her complete lack of arrogance and boring machismo that previous New Who Doctors were sometimes guilty of. Rather than having her boast about how clever she is, like Ten or Eleven would have, she just shows us by building a new sonic screwdriver out of spoons. And she never tries to lord her moral superiority over others. Quite the opposite in fact. This is a Doctor who clearly values teamwork and can recognise strength in others. There are flashes of darkness too, like when she manipulates the Stenza into killing himself with his own DNA bombs, but sheās not driven by some inherent belief that she is right and they are wrong. Sheās driven by the fact that she has gotten to know these people and doesnāt want anything to happen to them. Thirteen is quite possibly one of the most down to earth Doctors Iāve ever seen and Iām extremely excited to see more.
As I said, The Woman Who Fell To Earth is largely about its characters, which is just as well because the plot is... I wouldnāt say itās bad, but itās definitely the least interesting thing about the episode. I liked the look of the Stenza, with the teeth embedded in his face, and the gathering coil. I liked that it was a small scale threat and largely self contained, and I liked the way the plot slowly unfolds over the course of the story. However it is a bit derivative. The Stenza is pretty much a PG-13 version of the Predator and he is a bit one note. That being said, it doesnāt detract from the enjoyment factor of the episode. By keeping the plot simple for the most part, it allows Chibnall to fully explore the characters, who are clearly supposed to be the main focus.
In short, Iām pleased to say that I really liked Chris Chibnallās first offering as showrunner (never thought Iād ever type this). The Woman Who Fell To Earth is without a doubt one of the most confident starts to a new Doctor Iāve ever seen and Iām very much anticipating where the series goes from here. For the first time, in a long time, Iām excited for the next Doctor Who adventure :D
(Oh, btw, all those idiots who were saying that Doctor Whoās ratings have been falling and that a female Doctor would kill the show off, so far this series the ratings have been at its highest since the show came back in 2005. Guess the reason why the ratings were low during the Moffat era wasnāt because of the World Cup, warm weather, streaming television or SJW propoganda. It was because Steven Moffat is a really shit writer. Go figure)
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