Favourite Doctor Who Writer?

[Barry Aldridge]

I like many writers within Doctor Who, I know a lot of people will be saying Stephen Moffat as their favourite and I think he is good but not the best.

 

I really like Robert Holmes from the 1970s and 1980s as he came out with stories that were really scary to watch at times and made you jump. Stories that had some brilliant characters. He created the Autons and Sontraons. He wrote the very first story with the Master back in 1971. He wrote stories including Spearhead from Space, Talons Of Weng-Chaing, Ark In Space, Caves Of Andranozi and a few more.

 

I also like Malcolm Hulke as he came out with complex storylines that made you think of real life situations that could be similar to what we see. The original story with the Silurians back in 1970 had themes that could be there in todays times as well. He wrote some great stuff for Pertwee's Doctor.

 

I also like Paul Cornell from the new series, he knows how to write character development really well and how things can go wrong if you dont know the consequences of their actions. I felt he wrote a strong story with Fathers Day with Rose meeting her dad and he did a brilliant Job with the Human Nature 2 parter which had everything. It was a different doctor who story to see.

 

I will write more if I remember.

[Arodhwen]

I haven't seen any episodes of Doctors 3-8, so my experience is limited to 1, 2, and 9 through 11.

That said, my heart belongs to Gareth Roberts because he did The Shakespeare Code, Unicorn and the Wasp, and The Lodger. I would like him to do more. History episodes are usually my favorite because they are clever. Working story lines into real events and all. Future/alien ones are just creative. Both are good. But clever things make you go, "oh, how clever!" Well... I guess creative ones make you go, "Oh, how nifty." But still.

[Maria J.]

I agree. Even though the premis in The Unicorn and The Wasp is a bit ridiculous, it was one of the stories in series 4 that I enjoyed the most. And both The Lodger and The Shakespeare Code were absolutely brilliant.

He is clever, and I agree, it's very nice how he incorporates actual events and give them an alien explanation, BUT: I think my main reason for loving his episodes is that they're so brilliantly comedic/funny. They genuinely make me smile and laugh and squee with joy! I really hope he'll be writing more stories.

[Arodhwen]

That detox might be the main thing that sold me on him. Well... Also "Fifty-seven academics just punched the air." Oh... And Eleven looking for the on switch on a screwdriver.

[Trick]

The Unicorn and the Wasp was utterly ridiculous as far as the giant wasp thing went, but it remains one of my favourite episodes for the overarching Christie theme. To me it feels like David Tennant is having one hell of a time swanning around acting like Poirot and that sense of fun, combined with the elements of classic crime novels (illegitimate child as murderer, for example), makes it very watchable and a great laugh, in my opinion.

[Maria J.]

@Arodhwen - YES!! The detox had me in stiches! And "fifty-seven academics just punched the air" is just the best line... I have to admit, I didn't get it the first time I watched it, but when I got it... Just perfect!

@Trick - Exactly, couldn't have expressed it any better than you just did! I'm trying to add something, but your post pretty much sums up how I feel about that episode. Oh, one thing I could add (even though it *probably* has nothing to do with Gareth Roberts) is the music - I love how Murray Gold twisted the music to follow the Poirot/Agatha Christie theme of the episode - a lot of the time it sounded like it had been taken straight out of the classic Poirot series with David Suchet! That was just the cherry on top! 

[Lauren Smith]

Although Davies is my favourite writer for Doctor Who, Roberts does make me filled with glee. The Shakespeare Code <3

[Steve Mann]

I am not sure if he actually wrote an episode or was just a script editor. If he did write one then it has to be Douglas Adams.

[Maria J.]

I seem to remember that Douglas Adams wrote at least two stories in season 17, or something... And then he was the script editor of an entire season, but I don't remember which one... It was in the Tom Baker era anyway.

[paddy]

I go with Moffat because i liked his writing even before The Empty Child. Your choices however are impeccable.

I love your reviews, by the way.

P.S. I have this theory that the whole Doctor/River, timesplit/missunderstanding can be traced back to The Girl with Two Breasts. Moffats most amazing Coupling episode.

[Rachel Kadushin]

I like your review of Robert Holmes. 

Due to the fact that the head writer/exec producer tends to plot out the series or helm the series story creation it is often easier and more accurate to point out a Doctor Who writer that you didn't like, rather than one who you did.

 

Honestly, I don't like the writing of Paul Cornell in Doctor Who due to his science fiction and plotting being weak.

I will give you that he comes up with with character moments and emotions, but I can't overlook the big gaping holes in his plot logic and science fiction.  In both of the stories that you mention, the set up and follow through of the creatures and adversaries just doesn't make enough sense. Yes, they are scary, but I lose my sense of disbelief.

 

It would be interesting to find out if it was Rusty who came up with the idea of the chameleon arch, as the set-up for Simms Master and his interaction with both Doctor Who and Torchwood can be seen almost two years before the Master shows up.

[Lauren Smith]

I really like Steven Moffat, but I think my favourite was Russel T. Davies. I just seem to like a lot of his episodes. I also like the episodes other writers have given us, but I have more favourites from Davies.