Doctor Who Series Twelve: Five writers that need to come back

Doctor Who has given us many great writers over the years. Let’s take a look at five writers who need to come back.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Doctor Who has given us many great writers over the years. For next year’s series, here are five different writers that need to come back.

Unfortunately, we’ve got a while to wait for our next installments in the TARDIS. Right now early 2020 feels like a lifetime away. But, there’s one thing we are good at doing here at Doctor Who Watch – and that’s discussion, analysis and speculation to feed our insatiable Doctor Who appetite. The proverbial snack to nourish us this time is on the topic of returning writers.

There have been so many talented writers who have provided their own unique voice and passion to the world of Doctor Who. This topic is sure to garner strong and diverse opinions, which is partly what makes the show an attractive prospect to discuss. This range of voice and tone from writers is quite emblematic of the various tastes and opinions of the fandom.

Last series, we saw Chris Chibnall assemble a slate of guest writers who had never written for the show previously. I’d wager that it’s pretty unlikely this will be the case once again for Series 12. You don’t have to be Nostradamus to assume at least one writer from Series 11 will be given the call to return. But, this postulating will not be limited to writers from last series as I will be looking further into the past for potential returnees.

Pete McTighe might be new to Doctor Who, but he also gave us one of Series 11’s best episodes.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Pete McTighe

Episode(s): Kerblam!

McTighe wrote, it’s fair to say, one of the most universally loved stories of Series 11. The reasons for his success were abundantly clear. He nailed the core elements that make for a traditional episode of Doctor Who.

Containing mystery, stakes, a morbid yet playful tone, unsettling robots; Kerblam! is bread-and-butter Doctor Who. This may sound like a negative interpretation on McTighe’s style, but far from it. The sense of familiarity and fun, in terms of aesthetic value, story and tone is no mean feat.

Yes, it must be said. Kerblam! is never particularly inventive, special or noteworthy in terms of originality. But I don’t think we should too easily dismiss a writer who clearly understands Doctor Who so well. There’s McCoy era eccentricity and RTD era rambunctiousness, which go a long way in eliciting nostalgic smiles and exciting eye-widening moments.

McTighe’s demonstrated affinity for the nature of the show is reason enough to want him for a second outing. However, the main reason I’d like to see a return is because I think he could write a sequel to his first adventure. In Kerblam! he sets up an interesting world that is begging for expansion. To quote my own review:

"[Kerblam!] would have benefitted from more world building too as it feels a little insular. More space to world-build would allow the audience to have a better grasp of the citizens and society that the Kerblam Corporation is a part of. It would layer the characters and setting – giving us an insight into their struggles with greater clarity."

Maybe in a sequel we could actually visit Kandoka and see the other side of events. We saw the business and industry on Kandoka’s moon, but how cool would it be to revisit this corner of the universe by going to the actual planet the Kerblam Corporation is from?

Moreover, it would make for a thematic link to connect Series 11 and Series 12 – which would layer the companions with experience. Kerblam! definitely set some groundwork for future stories and I think there’s a fair bit of potential waiting to be unearthed.

It Takes You Away was one of the stranger yet more original episodes we got from Series 11.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Ed Hime

Episode(s): It Takes You Away

Ed Hime wrote my favourite episode in Series 11 with It Takes You Away. This, obviously, makes me lust for his return to the show. Anyone who knows me and my Doctor Who tastes knows that I am a huge fan of the Pond era, with Series 5 being my favourite of the modern run. Hime taps into this whimsical, more fantastical style and in the context of Series 11, makes for a noticeably different venture from the rest.

The vast bulk of Series 11 was, in my opinion, quite pedestrian in its storytelling approach. It was broadly fun and accessible, yes, but pedestrian all the same. Ed Hime jumps late into the series run with a story that’s far more thought-provoking, intelligent and visually and emotionally arresting. A writer with such rich and bountiful imaginative sparkle should be given another outing with the Doctor.

Another reason why I would like to see Ed Hime return is due to the fact I thought he balanced Team TARDIS pretty well. Many struggled to balance our four person team in the space of fifty minutes. It Takes You Away doesn’t have much issue in this department, with everyone getting some compelling scenes. So I’d like to see what Hime could achieve with a second story – especially with our companions further along the road in their adventures.

I appreciate It Takes You Away wasn’t for everyone, and the anthropomorphic frog didn’t help unify opinion. But, I think everyone can agree that Hime showed originality. The bizarre factor may not be something that sits well with all, but there was an unquestioning attempt to be different and creative – that’s something we should all be clamouring for.

Neil Cross didn’t just write episodes of Doctor Who that were original and different. He also helped to flesh out Clara’s character considerably.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Neil Cross

Episode(s): The Rings of Akhaten, Hide

Series 7B was a highly flawed era in terms of Clara Oswald’s character development. But, there was one man who stood out above all the rest: Neil Cross. Both of his episodes breathed life and dynamism into Clara. He attempted to flesh her out further, to make her more than just a plot point, the mystery of the ‘Impossible Girl.’

I greatly admire Cross for this point alone. For me, and many others, Clara wasn’t the greatest companion in her debut run of stories. His grasp and development of relatable characters is a huge reason why I’d like him to return – to see what he could do with our current Team TARDIS. Yasmin Khan (a character who I do like by the way) was objectively underserved in the character development department. Perhaps a script from Cross could go some way in remedying this.

Furthermore, on the topic of character. Cross, in both his stories, gave us some memorable and well-defined supporting characters. Merry Gejelh in The Rings of Akhaten and Professor Alec Palmer and his assistant Emma Grayling in Hide. All were well-written, compelling characters in their own right, but all had great interplay with the Doctor and Clara.

Through Cross’s supporting characters interactions, we discover more about themselves and our heroes in an organic way. For example, the shared war-guilt between Professor Palmer and the Doctor or Clara’s childhood experience that helps Merry Gejelh. I want his calibre of character writing to return.

Cross has also shown talent in developing atmospheric settings. Akhaten and Caliburn House in his respective stories jump out at the viewer with enthusiasm.

Whilst The Rings of Akhaten is a flawed story, the creative direction, in terms of the world, helps with immersion. With a believable and riotous alien community Star Wars Cantina style, it’s one of the more memorable planets in Doctor Who. Caliburn House is suitably unsettling and regal in Hide too. Neil Cross’s skills should be deployed again.

Thin Ice wasn’t perfect, but it still had enough strong points to show that Sarah Dollard was a great fit for Doctor Who.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Sarah Dollard

Episode(s): Face The Raven, Thin Ice

Sarah Dollard created an undisputed fan favourite in the form of Series 9’s Face The Raven. Her return, with Series 10’s Thin Ice wasn’t, ironically, as warmly received but it was still a solid adventure. The key word I ascribe to Dollard’s work is ‘richness’. Even in the case of Thin Ice, which in my view is an above average story, Dollard weaves a richness in dialogue, character and world that really elevates the episode.

In Thin Ice, Bill Potts is developed well as a companion. Dollard utilises her story to further expand Bill as a time-traveller. They briefly talk about the Butterfly Effect, they discuss race and her place in old English society and Bill and the Doctor have a punchy back-and-forth about letting go of death.

All of these elements aren’t large, but they pepper the story to add the previously mentioned richness. Dollard brings weight and maturity to her scripts with dialogue and beats that draw you in by exhibiting character in simple, but smart ways.

Regency England, like Trap Streets in Face the Raven has a charm about it. I want Sarah Dollard to come back and re-introduce her charm. Better yet, why not revisit Trap Streets? Her idea of a hidden network of streets within London is a concept teeming with potential. With an alien refugee community to boot, it would fit in with the modern social themes shown in Chris Chibnall’s version of Doctor Who.

Jamie Mathieson wrote two of the strongest stories from Series 8, and needs to come back at some point.

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Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Jamie Mathieson

Episode(s): Mummy On The Orient Express, Flatline, The Girl Who Died, Oxygen

More from Winter is Coming

During the Capaldi era, there was one guest writer that stood out amongst all the rest and that was Jamie Mathieson. His episodes were consistently original and imaginative, giving Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor some of his most memorable moments. In fact, I loved Mathieson’s stories so much and thought they were so creative and varied – that I was a huge proponent of Mathieson becoming the next Doctor Who show runner.

To be clear, I don’t think every one of his episodes were perfect. Mathieson showed, however, that he’s a writer with fresh ideas. This is what you want from a Doctor Who writer and he achieved consistently good scripts with his ideas. He’s shown range and a love for the show in ways other guest writers haven’t accomplished in recent years.

Just take his two contributions to Series 8 for example: Mummy On The Orient Express and Flatline. Both wildly different stories, but both scripts that brilliantly portray Twelve and Clara’s relationship. They have various supporting characters that feel authentic. They have formidable and really cool looking villains. They both have clever sci-fi concepts. Jamie Mathieson is a man bubbling with ideas; it would be criminal if he wasn’t brought back to produce more of them.

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Which writers would you like to see return to Doctor Who? Who do you think would be a great fit for the next series? Let us know in the comments below.

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