Neil Gaiman

Representation of women both in and behind the screens has become an increasingly hot-button issue these days, and it’s been touching some of our most beloved authors. Neil Gaiman (‘American Gods’,’Stardust’) was asked on his Tumblr the following question:

If you could hug any Doctor Who writer, which one would you hug?

I think personally I would go for Robert Shearman. He looks cuddly and that beard would probably feel nice rubbing on your head. Russell T. Davies also looks quite huggable but his propensity towards suits and lack of facial hair might not make it as pleasurable as Mr Shearman.

Strange question as this may be, it’s Neil Gaiman’s answer that has got the internet talking. To who Gaiman would like to hug the most, he responds:

“I would like to hug all the women who have written for Doctor Who since 2008. All of them! I would start with…

What, nobody?  That can’t be right…. (goes off, puzzled).”

What’s telling about the year 2008 was that it was the final year under the tenure of Russell T. Davies, and right before Steven Moffat took over the reigns (2009 being the year of the David Tennant Specials, and the Eleventh Doctor starting in series 11).

For some, this will come as no surprise. Steven Moffat has been making appearances in social justice and feminism blogs for years now.

His tone deafness to his fans come across ‘Doctor Who Confidential.’ when he remarked on casting Amy Pond: “And I thought, ‘well she’s really good. It’s just a shame she’s so wee and dumpy’…When she was about to come through to the auditions I nipped out for a minute and I saw Karen walking on the corridor towards me and I realized she was 5’11, slim and gorgeous and I thought ‘Oh, oh that’ll probably work’.”

This naturally raised a great deal of alarm bells in the community, and he has often been cited with creating one-dimensional female characters, being insensitive when insisting they cast a man to play the queen in response to Helen Mirren wishing there was a female Doctor, or claiming that women only watch ‘Sherlock’ because they are attracted to a main character and want to melt his “glacier.”

Despite this lack of female writers, Neil Gaiman has worked on two episodes (“The Doctor’s Wife” and ” Nightmare in Silver”) for Steven Moffat’s run of ‘Doctor Who’.

Source: Neil Gaiman’s Tumblr