Ask STEVEN MOFFAT

Answering the burning questions posed by DWM readers – the man in charge of Doctor Who!

“Sci-fi is notoriously male. But Doctor Who has always felt, to me, rather female.”

ALAN JAMES asks: Tom Baker once said he’d like a talking cabbage as a companion. Do you think this could ever have worked? On a more serious note, do you think a young female companion is always the best choice for the Doctor’s best friend?

Actually, that’s a difficult question. Doctor Who has a tremendous appeal to young girls as well as young boys. They have to have an identification point; someone that they can imagine themselves being. The truth about Doctor Who is the main character has never been the Doctor. He’s the star turn, with the best lines, and the big moments, but it’s always been the story of his companions – and often his companion has been a young woman he has met and befriended. I think it would be damaging to Doctor Who if that voice and viewpoint were not represented. Science-fiction is notoriously male. You can tell that because everyone wears uniforms and marches around talking about rules. But Doctor Who has always felt to me, rather female. It’s full of kindness and compassion and eccentricity and wisdom instead of violence. And from that point of view it is important that the main character, the Doctor’s best friend, should be female. Someone will now pop up and say it’s called Doctor Who, not Clara (or Amy, or Rose, or whatever). Well, listen you, it’s not called The Doctor either, it’s called Doctor Who – it’s about that question and who’s asking it.