After Catherine Tregenna and Sarah Dollard's critically acclaimed episodes this year I feel that there should be more female writers on Who next year. They've added a different dimension to the show, and I hope that they will both be back next year with a whole host of other women.

Maybe after Moff goes we will have a female showrunner. That will be a real boost for the show.

Why not 'good writers' and a 'good showrunner'? Of course either of these things stands an equal chance at being a woman, and a complete lack of women for so many years was unacceptable. But I'd rather meet a standard of quality than meet a gender quota.

Also, Tregenna's episode was hardly critically acclaimed. It was probably one of the most divisive episodes of the series.

More female writers doesn't neccessarily mean more good writers, nor does it mean more bad ones. I don't care about the writer's gender, as long as they're a good writer.

When will people realise that when Moffat says he has asked plenty of women writers to contribute to the show, and that he has had mostly rejections in reply up until this point, that he was actually telling the truth??

Well, Emmerdale has had Kate Oakes as showrunner, and Coronation Street is to get Kate Oakes in January after Stuart Blackburn leaves in December.

So, a female showrunner does sound like a good idea.

What elements do you think have been added by the female writers? I assume you're not just using soundbites to put over a right-on point of view?

Its great to see more female writers in one series than there have been in the past 50 years! Unfortunately none of the episodes have been inspiring so far this series.....nothing to compare to the audacious brilliance of "Midnight".

Disagree, The whole series has been great

This is silly, someone being female dosen't make them a better writer?

Mathieson, Gaiman, Gattis and Dollard for a Quad-Core of Showrunners!!!!

12 episode season. Each showrunner writes three episodes. Less work for everybody!!

(I sooo hope it's understood just how very much I am kidding.)

Society is healthier with a more diverse range of content producers on major cultural platforms (BBC, ITV, Sky, major newspapers), on grounds of gender, race, ethnicity, class, etc.

We should encourage schemes, training opportunities, pilot episodes and so forth that help this happen organically, however, rather than engage in games of identity-counting and quotas!

So every female writer automatically has the exact same skill level and ideas simply because they're the same gender?

Go figure, lol...

It would be interesting to see what direction a female show-runner would take the series, but really when Moffat steps down the job should go to the best person available. Gender should not be a deciding factor. Likewise with the writers.

I imagine there are far more female writers for Soaps (and probably costume dramas) than there are for Sci-Fi, reflecting the gender split of the audience

It's not so much that the show needs female writers, it's that female writers need more opportunities to work on television. Same as any other demographic. Allow the cream to rise to the top.

Amongst the wider fandom, perhaps. But amongst the critics, it appears to have been well-received:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/doctor-who/s09/e06/

I think Debbie Moon (Wolfblood) has real potential in writing TV fantasy. I would love to see her given a chance to do a DW episode.

However, it was at the lower end of the scale for the series as a whole on there, as was Sarah Dollard's Face the Raven. with 6 episodes making it into the 90s. Only Sleep No More didn't hit 80%. Context is important.

What difference does it make regarding the gender of the writers? Can we stretch this to more good writers please? And keep Mark Gatiss as far away from Who as physically possible?

Absolutely, but whether other episodes are even less divisive doesn't really undermine the point.

The original point was that it was one of the most divisive, which that would seem to be. But nevertheless, we're quibbling semantics, point taken.

Because it's not an exciting answer and some people might prefer to assume the worst in Moffat.

I do agree though that having more female writers would be nice. I think it's almost a safe bet to assume that Sarah Dollard will be back for Series 10. I'm not sure Catherine Tregenna will and I liked her episode but I do think they'll try to get another female writer though.

I would like to see more women writing for Doctor Who. There is a risk that the show is becoming something of an old boys' club.

As an example, someone on the 'Sleep No More' thread questioned why Gattis keeps getting commissioned to write for the show (virtually) season after season, when in 10 years he's failed to deliver anything special - he's never had a 'Blink' moment. Why isn't his spot being offered to someone else?

In a creative setting, I personally think a mix of genders brings greater creativity. I know this may seem like an odd comparison but the only reason Saturday Night Live still exists in the US is because the female cast members broke through the male-domination of the show and took an equal role in the writing. SNL would be dust if that hadn't happened.

I cannot help but think the characterisation of both Amy and Clara would have been much better over the past five years if there had been a much stronger female influence in the writing.

I have to agree. Gatiss is one of those writers like Matthew Graham and Stephen Thompson who is a good writer on other projects but seems to mostly struggle with Doctor Who but as long as Moffat is showrunner, Gatiss will continue to get an episode per series. Maybe the next showrunner will use him less or not at all.