If you could pick one of these writers to come back and deliver another tv Who story, who would you choose? I'd plump for Cornell, just. 
Paul Cornell or Robert Shearman?
I know I'm cheating but if they brought back both the overall story quality would be boosted significantly!
Paul Cornell wrote my favorite episode Human Nature/The Famiy of blood. He definitely should write at least one more episode.
Paul Cornell. Robert Shearman strikes me as one of those people who mistakes reality for fiction, and yet he's a writer. Also he said that Bruno Langley was good in Dalek
Originally Posted by Nimonic Seed:
“I know I'm cheating but if they brought back both the overall story quality would be boosted significantly!”
“I know I'm cheating but if they brought back both the overall story quality would be boosted significantly!”
I agree! Particularly if, as I hope, DW is going to go darker.
If I had to choose, I'd go for Cornell. The Human Nature two parter is my favourite DW story, and I love Father's Day too.
Oh my this is tough I love both writers, Human Nature/The Family of Blood is one of the best Who story's of all time and Fathers Day is one of the best of Series 1.
Even though he only wrote one story, Robert Shearman wrote without doubt the best Dalek story of New Who and it's the episode that turned me into the fan.
Really can't choose we need both of them back.
Even though he only wrote one story, Robert Shearman wrote without doubt the best Dalek story of New Who and it's the episode that turned me into the fan.
Really can't choose we need both of them back.
Both fine writers...can I add another name into the mix?
Keith Temple.
I still think Planet of the Ood is one of the finest episodes with a very complex script crammed beautifully into 45 minutes with some outstanding performances to back it up.
Keith Temple.
I still think Planet of the Ood is one of the finest episodes with a very complex script crammed beautifully into 45 minutes with some outstanding performances to back it up.
The fact Moffat has never asked Cornell back - as confirmed by Cornell himself - after the man wrote a bonafide classic (and another very well regarded episode to boot) is very bizarre. So bizarre in fact I can only assume they both had some sort of falling out.
Rob Shearman.
It was 'Dalek' in 2005 that convinced me the new series was worth bothering with - I'd been a bit nonplussed until then.
Also, I've worked with Rob and he's a lovely bloke.
It was 'Dalek' in 2005 that convinced me the new series was worth bothering with - I'd been a bit nonplussed until then.
Also, I've worked with Rob and he's a lovely bloke.
Originally Posted by So 3008:
“The fact Moffat has never asked Cornell back - as confirmed by Cornell himself - after the man wrote a bonafide classic (and another very well regarded episode to boot) is very bizarre. So bizarre in fact I can only assume they both had some sort of falling out.”
“The fact Moffat has never asked Cornell back - as confirmed by Cornell himself - after the man wrote a bonafide classic (and another very well regarded episode to boot) is very bizarre. So bizarre in fact I can only assume they both had some sort of falling out.”
I'm pretty sure that I've read somewhere that RTD had major input when it came to (re)writing Human Nature/Family of Blood. I mean not to take anything from Cornell, but it didn't sound like he wrote the bonafide classic all by himself.
A bit off-topic, but it would be interesting to know how big exactly the impact of the show runners on each of the episodes was. Neil Gaiman mentioned on hi blog on tumblr that the Doctor's Wife was about 20% Moffat (as opposed to Nightmare in Silver which was all Neil), which was pretty surprising for me.
As for the question, I'd pick Shearman because he onl wrote one episode so far and it happens to be my favorite of series 1, so I'd like to see whether he could write more of he same level. Though it's incredibly hard to judge a writer based just on one episode, I mean a person can write the best episode ever if they are writing just the one, but it gives you no guarantee that the next one they write won't be bad or that you're going to enjoy the next one.
Originally Posted by Capnm:
“Both fine writers...can I add another name into the mix?
Keith Temple.
I still think Planet of the Ood is one of the finest episodes with a very complex script crammed beautifully into 45 minutes with some outstanding performances to back it up.”
“Both fine writers...can I add another name into the mix?
Keith Temple.
I still think Planet of the Ood is one of the finest episodes with a very complex script crammed beautifully into 45 minutes with some outstanding performances to back it up.”
Wholeheartedly agree with you about Ood. Easily the best story of Season 4 imo,
