You act as if having women writers is some sort of extraordinary effort that unduly burdens the production team. It is a notable exclusion and any claim that they have made efforts and just can't find any is a special level of bullshit.
Ooh, don't think Neil Gaiman will be back any time soon...
- Thread starter StCoop
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Part of the charm of the series comes from the "Britishness" it exudes. I'd rather it was genuine rather than simulated.
I love Moffat's writing, but the dude has a reputation for being an ass so I wouldn't be shocked if he thought less of women writing, but I doubt it's true. He's had a number of women directors for episodes, and it's actually rarer to have a woman direct than write in television, some of whom have directed episodes he's written.
A quick glance at the writing credits for Torchwood, Merlin, Primeval, and (especially) Being Human shows that British women who can write telefantasy definitely do exist. Because why the heck wouldn't they?
Not to mention that plenty of Doctor Who's male writers didn't have any previous telefantasy experience (e.g., Toby Whithouse, Tom MacRae, Stephen Greenhorn, Keith Temple, Simon Nye, Richard Curtis!), so why should the women have?
And I can't imagine many television writers in contemporary Britain wouldn't want to write for Doctor Who.
Jenny Colgan? I've had the distinct impression from interviews and a brief Twitter conversation I had with her two and a half years ago that she wants to write for the television series. Based on her Who prose, she knows how to tell a story, but like I explained about Rowling above, she lacks the scripting background and would be learning on the job. Unlike Rowling, I think she would put up with the aggravation of writing a script if she were offered s slot.
I think it's less Moffat having a problem with women writers and more that he's gotten attached to a handful of male writers who already know the style and technique of writing for DW.
And as others have pointed out, Moffat has certainly had no problem with women producing and directing the show. So it seems highly unlikely he would suddenly have a problem with women writing an episode as well.
And as others have pointed out, Moffat has certainly had no problem with women producing and directing the show. So it seems highly unlikely he would suddenly have a problem with women writing an episode as well.
I don't doubt it, I was asking for names.
I always imagine Rayner getting the Dalek 2 parter was a bit of a poisoned chalice, like Gatiss with Victory, here's a big shopping list of things you need to fit into this story so go and make it work!
I do find it amusing that RTD is held up as some kind of paragon of equality when he basically hired one female writer and in my head certain posters just sit at home in a darkened room a bit like Michael Keaton in Batman Returns, waiting for the Bat signal...sorry I mean the Negative News Story about Moffat signal! It's probably a giant perm in the sky or something...
That said there shouldn't be an excuse for not having female writers, hell Who and Blakes 7 both used female writers in the 70s/80s (Tanith Lee is still writing isn't she?)
Of course I wouldn't ever want them to hire someone just for the sake of ticking a box.
As for Gaiman, I wouldn't say his style was incompatable with Who. He's written two episodes, one of which was one of the best eps the new series has had, the other of which was poor and felt like a (bad) episode of Next Gen or Voyager. To be honest that's still a better hit ratio than a lot of Who writers.
Except that each series, he's brought on new male writers who haven't written for the show before: Stephen Thompson, Neil Cross, Peter Harness, James Mathieson.
If it is sexism, I suspect it's unconscious, or just symptomatic of a larger bias in the industry. I don't think anyone reasonable is accusing Moffat of having a NO GIRLS ALLOWED sign in Cardiff.
Okay.
Moffat era Who has only had three female directors:
Catherine Morshead (Amy's Choice, The Lodger)
Sheree Folkson (In the Forest of the Night)
Rachel Talalay (Dark Water/Death in Heaven)
And it should be noted, of those three, only one of them has had episodes which have already aired.
RTD Who only had two female directors:
Hettie MacDonald (Blink)
Alice Troughton (The Doctor's Daughter, Midnight)
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For some weird reason I always assume Jamie is a woman's name and every time get confused that it is not only unisex, but predominantly male. So until I read this thread I was thinking the great episode from last week was actually done by a woman.
nBSG must have been hell for you. "Wait, Apollo is female, too?! Oh, wait, the character is male. Man, that's some great make-up they put on the actress, so convincing."
I'll repeat what I always say: bring back Hettie MacDonald!
Did you grow up watching The Bionic Woman?
Or "Mad About You"?
^ Now you're making me feel old... where'd I put my cane?
Yes I'm surprised she's never come back given her direction is part of why Blink is so amazing.
But then you don't know what goes on behind the scenes. Maybe she's been asked back and the scheduling has never been right, or maybe like Joe Aherne Who wasn't a pleasant experience, or she might have wanted to move on. I know we all love Doctor Who, but for a lot of those involved it is just a job at the end of the day, and some people do have a "Been there, done that," kind of attitude.
Oh yeah, I don't doubt there are legit reasons Hettie MacDonald hasn't been back, because on the face of it you'd be mad not to get her. From IMDb, it looks like she's still working. She fascinates me, though-- I'm not sure I've ever seen an interview with her about Doctor Who.
I think you may have a point there with him sticking with an established pool of writers. Another sign that he's over extending himself?
