History SoYouWantTo / WriteTheNextDoctorWho

In general, the screwdriver works best when limited to performing small, concrete tasks: opening doors, disabling security cameras, etc. It is essentially an all-purpose answer to the question "Why didn't the bad guys just [lock the doors | ask the guards to keep a lookout for the intruders | imprison the Doctor | take the {{doomsday device}} with them when they left the room | etc.]?"--and, best of all, if you ''need'' (say) a door to keep the Doctor out, there's plenty of room to {{handwave}} an explanation along the lines of "It doesn't work on wood!"

->"Ooo-ee-oooo, ooo-ooo..."

Again, this can be a matter of budget. High or low, however, we're not exactly talking Creator/MichaelBay movie territory here. The traditional cliche of the standard ''Series/DoctorWho'' action sequence involving a lot of running up and down corridors is not without foundation, either in the old series or the new, mainly because it's quite cheap. Extravagant stunts tend to involve the actors struggling against either a special-effects backdrop or a MonsterOfTheWeek, both of which can lead to SpecialEffectsFailure.

* The standard truism for writers is that the Doctor is never cruel or cowardly (''[[TheSoCalledCoward cautious]]'', yes, cowardly, no). You can, however, have a like the Valeyard or the Dream Lord accuse him as part of a BreakingLecture.

Casting the Doctor is one of the hardest jobs. Whoever comes next will have many previous incumbents of the role to follow, all of them generally well thought-of. Your actor will need to be commanding when required, but always remain likeable; have the acting chops to pull off high drama and the timing for high comedy; and something to set him apart from the previous incarnations. Casting rumours surrounding the Eleventh Doctor in 2008 suggested he would be played by a black actor (either Paterson Joseph or Chiwetel Ejiofor), and although the casting was eventually that of white actor MattSmith, it is notable that the prospect of a black Doctor was met with little to no resistance. Furthermore, in Eleven's guest appearance in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', after regenerating since he last met the gang, he states that regeneration isn't always the same skin tone, and it can be anything. In the episode "The Doctor's Wife", the Eleventh Doctor mentions the Corsair, a Time Lord who had some incarnations in the form of a woman as well as a man.

* He usually obeys a sort of temporal [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]], in that he doesn't trust a society -- or even an individual person -- to have and use technology too far ahead of its time (or, more generally, that they didn't develop themselves). (This is the primary reason why he doesn't like the Torchwood Institute, whose whole purpose is to get hold of alien technologies and develop them for human users.) However, unlike most, this Directive does allow for him to intervene in history in order to combat a particular injustice or wrong. It does mean that he finds himself faced with the problem of certain events he can change and others he cannot; the new series usually phrases this as the Doctor being 'part of events', meaning he cannot go back and change something which he is already involved in.

In general, the screwdriver works best when limited to performing small, concrete tasks: opening doors, disabling security cameras, etc. It is essentially an all-purpose answer to the question "Why didn't the bad guys just [lock the doors | ask the guards to keep a lookout for the intruders | imprison the Doctor | take the {{doomsday device}} with them when they left the room | etc.]?"--and, best of all, if you *need* (say) a door to keep the Doctor out, there's plenty of room to {{handwave}} an explanation along the lines of "It doesn't work on wood!"

In general, the screwdriver works best when limited to performing small, concrete tasks: opening doors, disabling security cameras, etc. It is essentially an all-purpose answer to the question "Why didn't the bad guys just [lock the doors|ask the guards to keep a lookout for the intruders|imprison the Doctor|take the doomsday device with them when they left the room|etc.]?"--and, best of all, if you *need* (say) a door to keep the Doctor out, there's plenty of room to handwave an explanation along the lines of "It doesn't work on wood!"

In general, the screwdriver works best when limited to performing small, concrete tasks: opening doors ([[WeaksauceWeakness unless they're made of wood!]]), disabling security cameras, etc.

* In the past, the companion's relationship with the Doctor has tended be more a close friendship or a teacher / student-style connection, with little overt romantic tension. The new series companions have generally introduced more romantic subtext between the Doctor and the companion. This also impacts on the male companion / female companion dynamic as well; the male companions in these cases are often the female companion's 'everyman' boyfriend, and is less than pleased at both the female companion's obvious interest in the daring, charismatic and heroic Doctor, which often expresses itself in hostility towards the Doctor.

Despite the differences, certain fashion motifs tend to appear; a jacket with distinct lapels, something worn over the shirt (a waistcoat or sweater of some kind), a distinctive form of cravat or tie, the occasional NiceHat. Although the costuming of the new series made a distinct effort to get away from the more period styles of the classic series Doctors by clothing the Doctor in something more modern, some of these motifs still bled through, and the Eleventh Doctor's tweed jacket and bow-tie look -- rather like an {{Oxbridge}} don on holiday -- perhaps indicate something of a return to the classic series template of AwesomeAnachronisticApparel.

Some of the things seen by casual viewers as Necessary Tropes are actually not. The companion doesn't ''need'' to be a young, attractive human female from contemporary Britain: it's true that that's often the case, but the Doctor's had several male companions, and one of the longest-running companions ever was a man. Similarly, the {{UST}} between Doctor and companion is largely an invention of the 2005 ReTool.

** Capable. Although they are usually still not as competent as the Doctor, the companion is expected to look after herself. You don't have to make the companion [[{{Alien}} Ellen Ripley]] (although you could do worse), but modern audiences will find the timid, screaming, near-useless cliche of the ''Series/DoctorWho'' companion unacceptable these days.

Since 1963, entire generations have grown up with ''Series/DoctorWho'', and have been thrilled - and terrified - by the Doctor's adventures against some of the greatest evils in the galaxy, including the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Doctor's arch-nemesis, the Master. The show has been brought back to TV twice since its cancellation in 1989 (the first time, in 1996, being something of a non-starter; the second time in 2005 proving more durable) and has seen [[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse a complex and intertwining expanded universe]] of [[Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures novels]], [[Radio/BigFinishDoctorWho audio plays]], [[Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine comics]] and even a set of AlternateContinuity movies. So ''someone'' obviously did ''something'' right.

* A BusmansHoliday is another frequently used device to get the Doctor and his companions planetside. Basically, if the Doctor steps out of the TARDIS promising "Nothing bad ''ever'' happens on Halcyon VII!", [[TemptingFate then the Daleks are on their way.]] [[note]]It's suggested that the Doctor does often has nice, relaxing visits to planets where he ''doesn't'' end up risking death and/or dismemberment, but obviously that doesn't make for interesting television[[/note]]

** Human. The Doctor seems to like having humans around, often vocally considering them his favourite species. This is obviously a matter of practicality (it saves on make-up costs for a start, budget considerations being something the ''Series/DoctorWho'' production team cannot afford to sniff at). This also enables the audience to engage with what's happening easily. He has travelled with non-humans before, to great success . Romana, a fellow Gallifreyan, was quite popular with the audience, as was the robot dog K9 (although due to his tendency to break down, K9 was ''not'' popular with the production team. But they're outnumbered by humans.

* In the past, the companion's relationship with the Doctor has tended be more a close friendship or a teacher / student-style connection, with little over romantic tension. The new series companions have generally introduced more romantic subtext between the Doctor and the companion. This also impacts on the male companion / female companion dynamic as well; the male companions in these cases are often the female companion's 'everyman' boyfriend, and is less than pleased at both the female companion's obvious interest in the daring, charismatic and heroic Doctor, which often expresses itself in hostility towards the Doctor.

* The season finales to the past few series notwithstanding, not ''every'' plot that puts the Doctor and his companions in danger, and makes for intriguing viewing, has to imperil a planet (or an entire race, or the universe...) Smaller stories were done plenty of times within the original run of the series: take "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E6TheCavesOfAndrozani The Caves of Androzani]]", mentioned below. The Doctor and his companion find themselves caught in the middle of a drug war and spend the entire story just trying to get back to the TARDIS - it's widely regarded as one of the best stories in the show's history.

Similarly, the new series has taken criticism for the prevalence of the HeroicSacrifice as a means of resolving a plot.

!!Using the screwdriver
"Less is more" goes for the sonic screwdriver, too. Yes, it is essentially a MagicWand: it can do whatever you, the writer, need it to. But it shouldn't solve ''all'' the Doctor's problems--and it is emphatically ''not'' a gun. Beware of InvincibleHero.

* Although not exclusively, the companion is generally female. The Doctor has travelled with male companions before, but male companions are greatly outnumbered by female ones, and the Doctor has rarely travelled with ''just'' a male companion (and not for long at that); the few occasions there has been a male companion on board, there's usually been a female companion as well (even Jamie, the male companion who travelled longest with the Doctor, also travelled along with two women -- Victoria and Zoe). This has the effect of establishing a clear male-female dynamic to the Doctor-companion relationship which, while not exclusive, provides a handy template to work from.
* The Doctor also usually travels with one or two people at a time; certainly no more than three. Having more than one companion around tends to be tricky for writers to handle, in terms of giving everyone enough to do story-wise; two companions on as well as the Doctor seems manageable, but having three or more seems to be a bit of a struggle. Something to keep in mind.

** Human. The Doctor seems to like having humans around, often vocally considering them his favourite species. This is obviously a matter of practicality (it saves on make-up costs for a start, budget considerations being something the ''Series/DoctorWho'' production team cannot afford to sniff at). This also enables the audience to engage with what's happening easily. He has travelled with non-humans before, to great success -- Romana, a fellow Gallifreyan, was quite popular with the audience, as was the robot dog K9 (although due to his tendency to break down, K9 was ''not'' popular with the production team) -- but they're outnumbered.
** From the twentieth / twenty-first century. Again, the companion is usually intended as an audience identification figure, and it's often easier to do this if the companion comes from a time which roughly coincides with that of the viewer. This tends to mean the recent past or the near future at most. Of course, there are exceptions.

** Moral and ethical. The companion generally supports the Doctor in his battles against evil. However, particularly in the new series, the companion has often acted as the Doctor's moral guide; even when he's not being an AntiHero, the Doctor is still an alien, and therefore does not often operate according to human morality. The companion has often acted to guide the Doctor into doing what is right, express outrage when he does go too far and steer in him the right direction once again. Much has been made in the new series about how the Doctor needs someone around him to 'stop him' from going too far. (It may be that his new status as LastOfHisKind has something to do with this.)

** ''Also'' note that fierce individuality has been shown to be the [[PlanetOfHats hat]] of both humans, and, more importantly, ''Time Lords''. A single Time Lord being involved in a plot is usually a very big deal while in groups they are usually ObstructiveBureaucrats, or even {{Complete Monster}}s.

** if someone's been taken over by an outside force and there's absolutely ''no way'' of getting the real personality back, then the Doctor views him as already dead;
** the Doctor will treat androids, monsters, members of a race that is shunned or stigmatized, etc., as he would any fellow sentient beings.
** Note also how many of the Doctor's more notable enemies (Daleks, Cybermen, etc) fall within a race which has become homogenized to the point of the almost-complete obliteration of individuality; a sense of the individual is clearly important to the Doctor's conception of 'life'.
** ''Also'' note that fierce individuality has been shown to be the [[PlanetOfHats hat]] of both humans, and, more importantly, ''Time Lords''. A single Time Lord being involved in a plot is usually a very big deal while in groups they are usually overbearing bureaucrats, or even {{Complete Monster}}s.

* The Doctor honors his word, and usually expects (sometimes naively) everyone else to honor theirs. (The Seventh Doctor broke with this principle in a big way, accounting in large part for his reputation as the "Dark Doctor".)

* The Doctor honors his word, and expects (sometimes naively) everyone else to honor theirs.

* The Doctor ''himself'' often gives a BreakingLecture or full-on HannibalLecture to his enemies, particularly in some incarnations. This began with the very first Doctor. Only the Second and Fifth Doctors have shied away from giving them.

* The Doctor ''himself'' often gives a BreakingLecture or full-on HannibalLecture to his enemies, particularly in some incarnations. This began with the very first Doctor. Only the Second Doctor, Fifth and Ninth Doctors have shied away from giving them.

* The Doctor ''himself'' often gives a BreakingLecture to his enemies, particularly in some incarnations. This began with the very first Doctor. Only the Second Doctor, Fifth and Ninth Doctors have shied away from giving them.

* The Doctor feels some responsibility for the people travelling with him, and will always save them if he can -- even at the cost of his own life. If they or any of the other people he meets are really ''determined'' to make {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s to save the day, though, he will applaud their courage and perhaps look mournful, but not stop them.
* The Doctor can and will lie when it suits his purposes, even to his companions. He will not, generally, lie about having lied.

* The standard truism for writers is that the Doctor is never cruel or cowardly (''[[TheSoCalledCoward cautious]]'', yes, cowardly, no). You can, however, have a like the Valeyard or the Dream Lord accuse him as part of a HannibalLecture.
* The Doctor ''himself'' often gives a HannibalLecture to his enemies, particularly in some incarnations. This began with the very first Doctor. Only the Second Doctor, Fifth and Ninth Doctors have shied away from giving them.

* The standard truism for writers is that the Doctor is never cruel or cowardly (''[[TheSoCalledCoward cautious]]'', yes, cowardly, no). You can, however, have a like the Valeyard or the Dream Lord accuse him as part of a NotSoDifferent speech.

* He prefers to incapacitate -- or, better yet, [[TheChessmaster outmanoeuver]] -- his enemies rather than kill them. He does have a weakness for [[LaserGuidedKarma poetic justice]], though, and especially likes to catch enemies [[HoistByHisOwnPetard in their own traps]].

->"You wouldn't believe it, but every writer who comes in to write their first script has the TARDIS answering a distress call! You just sit there going, 'No, just have him land, why can't he just land, walk out the door and go, "Where am I?"'''Then'' he can hear a distress call. But it's the most boring way to start a story."

->"You wouldn't believe it, but every writer who comes in to write their first script has the TARDIS answering a distress call! You just sit there going, "No, just have him land, why can't he just land, walk out the door and go 'Where am I?' ''Then'' he can hear a distress call. But it's the most boring way to start a story."