Doctor Who: 8 Shockingly Predictable Habits Of Specific Writers

3. Mark Gatiss Will Focus On Nerdy Details And The Power Of People

BBC's Sherlock was born from the train journeys that Moffat and his co-conspirator Mark Gatiss had on the way to Cardiff, the pair of them discussing what it would be like to pluck the Conan Doyle legend and place him in the thick of modern society. How fantastic it is, that the show was developed simply by two superfans' conversations, to and from work. It's basically fan-fiction. There's something very fan-fiction about Mark Gatiss as a writer, but there's something a lot more "historian". Gatiss sets most of his episodes in the past, and there's an unbelievable attention to detail with him; his Churchill was finely realised in real-life quotations and motives, his Victorian depiction in 'The Crimson Horror' far more believable than Moffat's in 'The Snowmen'. Regardless of whether he's actually better than the Moff or not, Gatiss is clearly a man who studies before he writes. He crafts a world before he drops the characters into it. But in the end, there's nearly always the affirmation that the characters are the strength of the piece. Bracewell defeated the Daleks by being human (well, sorta). The Paternoster Gang saved the Doctor from Mrs Gillyflower. Gwyneth sacrificed herself against the Gelth. Apparently Gatiss will be developing the Ice Warriors again this year; don't be surprised if the supporting, ordinary guy saves the day.