Doctor Who Hires Its First Female Writer in Six Years

Catherine Tregenna is the fifth woman to write for Doctor Who out of the 92 people hired to write for the show in its history.

According to an updated CV, Catherine Tregenna will write a Doctor Who episode in the upcoming ninth season. Tregenna has previously worked on Torchwood, EastEnders, and Law & Order: UK, and she is the fifth woman to write for Doctor Who. She’s also the first woman hired to pen an episode since 2008 for the long-running show.

Writer Neil Gaiman, who wrote the Doctor Who episodes “Nightmare in Silver” and “The Doctor’s Wife,” spoke out on the lack of women writing for Doctor Who earlier this year when he noted no women had written for the show since 2008. Showrunner Steven Moffat has faced a lot of criticism over how he writes women who are tied to the men around them, such as River Song, Amy Pond, and Clara Oswald.

Before Tregenna’s hiring, the last woman to write for the show was Helen Raynor, who wrote “Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks” in 2008, “The Sontaran Stratagem,” and “The Poison Sky” in 2007.

Gaiman said Moffat and many of the producers and script editors have attempted to get women involved in writing the show, but scheduling problems have allegedly stood in the way, and some women have declined offers.

Doctor Who now has had 92 different writers in its history, and only five have been women.

Source: doctorwhotv.co.uk