Radio Free Skaro #531 – A Chib Off The Old Block

Moffat actually said word for word some of the same things about diversity in that salon interview pre series 9 (http://www.salon.com/2015/08/09/steven_moffat_on_why_he_hasnt_cast_a_female_doctor_yet_i_think_it_would_have_been_a_disaster/). The salon interview suffers from being shorter and some pretty obvious bias in the framing (you can tell moffat is uncomfortable by the number of times he asks not to be quoted out of context, which of course salon promptly did with the original title of the interview as seen in the URL) but I think it would be incorrect to frame moffat’s remarks in dwm as him “having seen the light.” It’s a pretty in character evolution from a man who back in 2011 talked openly of being apalled when it was pointed out he didn’t have any gay characters in series 5 and working to fix that or who has, if you’ve actually paid attention, been talking about trying to get more women writing and directing doctor who since 2012 or 2013. I think it’s clear that these are all issues he does care about, see how upset he is in the salon interview by the suggestion that he doesn’t, but that he has gotten better and stronger over the years at actually figuring out how to realize them within the limits of a discriminatory industry and of the necessities of doctor who (i.e. the type and level of experience needed to write or direct it, budget and time constraints, etc.).