Doctor Who: 4 Writers That Should Be Banished Immediately

By Cailin Coane /

To start off, let me just say this: Doctor Who has some of the most brilliant writing I've ever witnessed in television. Say what you will about him as a show-runner, but Steven Moffat as a writer is incredible €“ "Blink" will forever be my favorite Doctor Who episode, and one of my absolute favorite pieces of television. And who can forget "The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances" in the 9th Doctor's series? With the rest of the season filled with farting aliens and poorly-rendered attacking mannequins, those two episodes could quite possibly be the 9th Doctor's finest hour (and a half). And what about Neil Gaiman? Like "Blink," "The Doctor's Wife" can go down in Who history as one of the best episodes ever written, and let's not forget "Nightmare in Silver," which while not equal to its illustrious forebear. was one of the few bright spots in the awful mess that was Season 7. And yet €“ speaking of awful messes €“ even a show as brilliant as Doctor Who can have some bad episodes. Sometimes budget issues or mediocre special effects are to blame ("Love and Monsters," anyone?) but more often than not it's the writing that's at fault. Certain writers have a habit of churning out sub-par episodes season after season, which is frustrating and boring for the audience and detrimental to the show as a whole. Quite why they are allowed to keep writing bad televisio is utterly baffling, but here are the four Doctor Who writers I think should have their pens/laptops taken away for good before they do any more damage to the show. But firstly, the runners-up, who each deserve an Honourable Mention...