The writers have been revealed for the first series of Doctor Who to feature Yorkshire actress Jodie Whittaker as the Timelord.
The Broadchurch star, who was brought up in the West Yorkshire village of Skelmanthorpe, will be the 13th Time Lord. She takes over from Peter Capaldi, who made his farewell in the Doctor Who Christmas Special last year.
They are:
- Malorie Blackman: Former Children’s Laureate has written more than 60 books for children and young adults including the Noughts and Crosses series of novels. Her book Pig-Heart Boy was adapted into a BAFTA-winning series. She said: “I’ve always loved Doctor Who. Getting the chance to write for this series has definitely been a dream come true.”
- Ed Hime: Nominated for a Craft BAFTA for his first episode of Skins and won the Prix Italia for his radio play The Incomplete Recorded Works of a Dead Body. He said: “Writing for this series comes down to the adventure really, and telling emotionally engaging stories to bring everyone along with you.”
- Vinay Patel: The playwright and screenwriter’s television debut, Murdered By My Father, won the 2016 Royal Television Society Award for Best Single Drama and was nominated for three BAFTAs. He said: “I grew up watching shows like Star Trek and Quantum Leap on the edge of my dad’s bed, and I loved how they managed to capture the imagination of a kid like me as well as acting as a moral compass. I never imagined that I’d get to write for Doctor Who – I was pretty thrilled.”
- Pete McTighe: The originating writer of Wentworth, the female prison drama that has sold to over 150 countries. Has written more than 100 hours of TV drama and been nominated for five Writers Guild Awards. He said: My entire television career has quite literally been an elaborate plan to get to write Doctor Who – and no one is more shocked than me that it paid off. I’ve been having the time of my life working with Chris, and writing for Jodie and the new team, and can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been up to.”
- Joy Wilkinson: Selected as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and has had two screenplays featured on the Brit List. Her TV scripts include the critically-acclaimed BBC five-parter The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby, while her theatre work has won prizes including the Verity Bargate Award. She said: “I loved the show and felt like it might be a good fit for me, but I knew it was really hard to get onto. So quite frankly I’m still pinching myself to be here!”
The new series of Doctor Who begins on BBC One this autumn, made by BBC Studios in Wales.
