Doctor Who: 10 Writers We Want To See Return

10. Neil Cross

After making his mark on BBC One drama with Luther, dyed-in-the-wool Whovian Neil Cross’s strategy to get a gig writing for Doctor Who by mentioning it at every meeting possible paid off. But after contributing The Rings Of Akhaten and Hide to Series 7, Cross dropped off the Doctor Who map.

Contributing two very diverse episodes on his first shot shows great promise for a Doctor Who writer in the long run. And while Cross’s specialty is in more adult-oriented content, he manages to pitch drama very well at a family audience. Elsewhere, he has shown his strength in period works, creating and writing piracy drama Crossbones for NBC. But most of all: he’s a fan.

As someone with a genuine appreciation for Doctor Who, he has his own sense of what it should be, as we saw with The Rings Of Akhaten, a bright and fun large scale space opera with real imagination, and some emotional heft thrown in. Which is exactly what Doctor Who should be shooting for.

And if something like Akhaten (especially that final speech) is what Cross can pull off on his better days, it would only be a good idea to bring him back into the fold for an episode or two.