"We're already moving [on Series 10]- we've had meetings today with two writers who've never written Doctor Who before. If I told you their names, your brain would explode."
As to their identity, all he would say was that they are "brilliant, prominent and amazing". I love a chance to speculate on this sort of thing so here are a few possible names I could come up with.
Stephen Fry
Fry is better known as an actor and TV presenter but he is also a writer. He was supposed to have written an episode in the early days of the revived series, initially series 2 and then series 3. Details on what went wrong are fairly sketchy but it is though one major problem was the expense of the episode. BBC Wales are far more experienced now and may well be able to make that episode in their budget. Now that Fry has left Qi he potentially has more time to polish that script or write an entirely new one.
J.K. Rowling
Rowling is of course the famous author of the Harry Potter books. She was offered the chance to write an episode of Doctor Who way back in 2004 when the show's comeback was being planned. Back then she was still writing Harry Potter so turned it down. She's since had more experience with writing in different formats, having worked on a Harry Potter play and written the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She's probably more likely to write for Who now than she ever has been.
Joss Whedon
The creator of cult TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly has been very busy over the last few years making the Avenger's films. But he's definitely not working on the third and little is known about his current plans. Given that he has spent so much time writing for TV and has written a lot of science-fiction, it's perfectly plausible that he should write for Doctor Who.
Charlie Higson
Higson is a big fan of Doctor Who and has recently even written an ITV show aimed at a similar audience, Jekyll and Hyde. He's certainly connected with the show, having interviewed Peter Capaldi in a recent issue of the Radio Times. He has written comedy, fantasy and books for teenagers so has lots of potential for a Doctor Who episode.
Charlie Brooker
He is probably best known to many as the presenter of Screenwipe but Brooker is also a writer. He created the popular anthology show Black Mirror and the zombie-infested Big Brother drama Dead Set. He's also written crime comedy A Touch of Cloth. He's a Doctor Who fan and is likely to be on the production team's radar but given the adult nature of his works he might be more of an outsider than others on this list.
Sally Wainwright
Wainwright must be very popular with the BBC at the moment having written hit series Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley. Halifax has come to an end and Happy Valley Series 2 has passed the writing stage so it's possible a Doctor Who episode is next on her list. I can't find any evidence that she is a Doctor Who or sci-fi fan and science-fiction certainly seems to be out of her usual remit. However, she is a big writer and would be ideal for an episode focussing on a new companion as she often writes strong female roles.
Dominic Mitchell
I wouldn't say Mitchell is that prominent but he did write the excellent BBC3 zombie drama In the Flesh. It's certainly of a similar genre and it seems that Mitchell has written science-fiction for the stage. It's unlikely at this early point in his career but it would be great to Mitchell write for Who.
Anthony Horowitz
Creator of popular teenage hero Alex Rider, Horowitz has also written lots for the small screen with show's like Foyle's War and Poirot. He's written several Sherlock Holmes novels which is the sort of thing to do to get attention from Steven Moffat. He's due to have finished his latest novel by the time he would need to start writing a Doctor Who episode so it would certainly fit the schedules.
Noel Clarke
Clarke is of course known as playing Mickey Smith, Rose Tyler's boyfriend. He is also a writer and has written an episode of Torchwood as well as several feature films (Kidulthood and it's sequels, Fast Girls). He's certainly more familiar with the Doctor Who world than most and given that Series 9 saw Torchwood writer Catherine Treganna write for Doctor Who there's a prescient.
I will be quite pleased if at least one of these people end up writing for the show! Do let me know your thoughts on my speculations and if you have anyone else you think might be possible.
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