Bridging the gap between Doctor Who and other BBC dramas meanwhile, is it's own spin-off Torchwood; a show that was more than happy for women to add their own influence as much as the men. Well, maybe not 'as' much, but despite delivering less than half the number of episodes of it's predecessor, eleven Torchwood episodes were written (with another two co-written) by five women. In fact women made up a quarter of Torchwood's writers, and penned over a third of the show's episodes. That said however, Jane Espenson's entries came as part of the show's underwhelming US co-produced fourth season, Miracle Day. Not that this should be taken against Espenson personally, as she has also made contributions to beloved shows such as A Town Called Eureka, Deep Space Nine, Battlestar Galactica, and, of course, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Buffy was a classic series that changed the face of television as we know it, heralding the era of season long, and even series long story arcs. As well as her role of producer, she was also personally responsible for episodes such as Conversations With Dead People. Despite the plaudits that were given to the show as a whole, this one episode still stands out as a high quality television episode. Doctor Who has more similarities with Buffy than many realise, from themes to dialogue (Anthony Head's "shooty dog thing", anyone), and considering the amount of Americanisation that has creeped into the show in order to woo US viewers, it is surprising such a talent hasn't already been snapped up.
