Gatiss reveals the surprising origins of one of his episodes, and why he has mixed feelings about ‘Vincent and the Doctor’.

Mark Gatiss is a busy man. In his day job, you might find him cursing Sherlock’s name as Mycroft Holmes, running the Iron Bank of Braavos, or wearing grotesque prosthetics as one of the League Of Gentlemen.

But by night? He’s become one of the most reliable writers of Doctor Who since the TARDIS rematerialised on our screens ten years ago.

And so, with his eighth episode ‘Sleep No More’ going out on BBC One last Saturday, Digital Spy sat down with Gatiss to reflect on a decade of involvement with the world’s greatest science-fiction series.

‘Sleep No More’ just aired on Saturday night. When an episode of yours goes out, do you monitor the reaction online?

“No, I step away – you’ll scroll through the ones that liked it, weirdly in search of the one that hated it. But I loyally tweet about the show each week, even when it’s not my episode.
“I always do that, and I’m amazed how many people go, ‘Oh Christ, I’d forgotten!’ So that’s done some service! But no, I don’t read the reactions – I don’t read reviews for things I’m in either. It keeps you sane.”

You’ve mentioned the possibility of a sequel to ‘Sleep No More’ – is that happening?

“I’ve got an idea, which I’ve talked to Steven [Moffat, Doctor Who showrunner] about. The thing about this stage of planning a new season is there’s all kinds of things being thrown at the wall, so we’ll see. I’d love to do a sequel though, I really would.”

The end of the episode does very much tee up a follow-up…

“Yes, well, the Doctor gets it wrong – and that’s something worth having fun with…”

You’ve written eight episodes for Doctor Who since 2005. Which would you say has changed the most from conception to realisation?

“Ooh, that’s a good question! Probably [2007 episode] ‘The Idiot’s Lantern’, the second one, I would say. It wasn’t always about the Coronation, it was about music – and I remember writing a kind of pitch document which was like [1986 rock musical] Absolute Beginners!
“It was about a really hip ’50s, and the central kid was a bit older and Mr. Magpie ran a record shop. I’d forgotten all about that!

“But weirdly it ties into ‘Sleep No More’, because that’s when Russell T Davies and I – 10 years ago – had this discussion about how creepy this song ‘Mr. Sandman’ was. ‘Mr. Sandman’ was in the original draft of that, so it’s waited all this time.

“That’s where it comes from – that chat about how this weirdly optimistic song is nevertheless really creepy! So it’s finally borne fruit.”

Has there been one episode that stands out as the toughest to write?

“I don’t know… I’ve not got stuck. ‘Victory of the Daleks’ – what was tough about that was the tone, because I wanted it to be a war movie in 45 minutes, but I was very conscious of the taste issues. It seems like maybe a slightly silly thing to say with a children’s programme, but I’m aware that Churchill was a controversial figure.

“I find it interesting when people start up petitions saying the Doctor should meet Anne Frank or Martin Luther King. On paper, it sounds great, but you’ve got to remember what the show is. And whilst it can brilliantly obey its original remit to educate and broaden children’s minds, at the same time it’s difficult.

“If you’re dealing with such dark stuff, then you should consider what would actually be gained. For instance, the Van Gogh one [2010’s ‘Vincent and the Doctor’] doesn’t shy away from the fact he was mentally ill, and actually that’s very bold, but it’s not necessarily what the show does.

“I don’t know. It seems laudable but I think you also have to remember that fundamentally it’s an entertainment show and maybe those sort of arguments should be had somewhere else.”

Tom Riley told us that he would love to return to the show as Robin Hood – would you be up for it?

“Yeah, I would love it, of course. But the one thing I did find writing that one was that there are aren’t as many tropes of Robin Hood-ness than you think. There are things like the battle over the water and rescuing Marian, but there aren’t that many…
“So for a sequel, I think it would have to be something different. It would have to be Robin Hood in space, or something.”

Does revealing Robin to be real open the fictional floodgates for Doctor Who – could the Doctor now meet Frankenstein or…?

“Yeah. The thing is, the format is so wonderfully elastic. It’s about the story, isn’t it? There’s an in-built fun factor in meeting big historical figures, and finding out they’re not quite what you think.
“As for fictional characters, why not? The point is made with Robin Hood. But I think you’d have to be careful. You’d have to make sure you weren’t just repeating the same joke, I suppose.”

Tom Riley told us that he would love to return to the show as Robin Hood – would you be up for it?
“Yeah, I would love it, of course. But the one thing I did find writing that one was that there are aren’t as many tropes of Robin Hood-ness than you think. There are things like the battle over the water and rescuing Marian, but there aren’t that many…

“So for a sequel, I think it would have to be something different. It would have to be Robin Hood in space, or something.”
Does revealing Robin to be real open the fictional floodgates for Doctor Who – could the Doctor now meet Frankenstein or…?

“Yeah. The thing is, the format is so wonderfully elastic. It’s about the story, isn’t it? There’s an in-built fun factor in meeting big historical figures, and finding out they’re not quite what you think.
“As for fictional characters, why not? The point is made with Robin Hood. But I think you’d have to be careful. You’d have to make sure you weren’t just repeating the same joke, I suppose.”

With The Master having become Missy, and the sonic screwdriver being swapped for sonic sunglasses, is there anything about Doctor Who that’s sacrosanct and should never be changed, or is everything up for grabs? Could you, say, ditch the police box?

“You could do it for a bit, which is what is happening with the sunglasses, I’m sure – and all the petitions in the world, it’s all just more coverage, isn’t it?
“But I would say the TARDIS. It’s now an iconic thing and it’s known universally. Obviously the Doctor changes, but the police box, I think, maybe is the thing.

“You’d struggle to find anything as good, and weirdly so much of it feels right now. Although he’s not a policeman, he is policing the universe. I suppose the only other thing would be if it was a doctor’s surgery – but they’re not as interesting to look at! ”

Doctor Who – Series 9, Part 1 is available now on DVD and Blu-ray. New episodes are also available to purchase via the new BBC Store.