5 Doctor Who Writers Who Should Return For Series 9 (Plus 5 New Ones)

6. Russell T Davies

Ah, here he is. The man who dared to dream big and defied the odds by resurrecting the remnants of a forgotten science fiction show, becoming wholly responsible for bringing the Doctor slap bang into the 21st century. For Russell T Davies, dedication to the cause was the absolute key. After having his initial pitch to relaunch the series rejected by the BBC in 1999, Russell's vision to reintroduce the iconic Time Lord to a modern audience was finally given the green light some four years later, in 2003. His executive involvement with the BBC's revived series of Doctor Who was initially met with a certain level of scepticism, however, as doubters questioned the Time Lord's presence in the modern televisual market. The naysayers were ultimately proven wrong when it finally hit our screens in March 2005 and by the end of its critically acclaimed first series, Doctor Who had become one of the BBC's highest rated dramas of all time, with a Christmas special and two additional series commissioned on the strength of its series premiere's viewing figures alone. The rest, as they say, is history. Throughout his time at the helm of the Doctor's adventures, Russell introduced us to two iconic Doctors as well as a host of beloved companions and a whole new menagerie of classic monsters. In addition, he took the franchise to a whole new level by creating two successful spin offs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, both of which helped to firmly establish Doctor Who as the BBC's most formidable and, for the first time in its history, internationally viable brands. Russell stepped down as showrunner in 2009 and his absence has left a gaping hole for some fans who feel that the show is now suffering without him at its helm. Although he managed to leave his mark on the Eleventh Doctor (in a 2010 adventure of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Death of the Doctor, in which Matt Smith guest starred), this is his only contribution to the Steven Moffat era thus far. And Steven himself wants that to change, too! "I keep asking him," he revealed in an interview in 2013. "I get really resentful if I hear he's writing anything even remotely related to Doctor Who. I think he's the best writer breathing in television and he's absolutely superb. The offer is continually made, I'm just getting nowhere. It would be brilliant. I'd book a holiday."