Neil Gaiman can't imagine not wanting to write Doctor Who stories

The prolific fantasy author, whose previous work includes The Sandman, Good Omens and American Gods, has written two episodes of BBC One's sci-fi drama.

The Doctor's Wife and Nightmare in Silver aired as part of the sixth and seventh series respectively, both of which featured Matt Smith's 11th incarnation of the enigmatic Time Lord.

He spoke to RadioTimes.com about whether he'll be finding time in his packed schedule to pen more episodes of Doctor Who.

Gaiman said: "It’s so weird with Doctor Who, because I keep thinking that I’m done, and that there is no more time for Doctor Who, and that everything is over."

However, during the coronavirus lockdown, the writer has penned a micro episode on YouTube featuring Arthur Darvill's Rory, and couldn't resist contributing to an upcoming anthology of stories for Children in Need.

"I promptly took three days that I didn’t have, and wrote, basically, a piece of Doctor Who fan-fiction, and sent it in," he said. "I just got the illustration this morning, and I am so thrilled with it."

Still, Gaiman is less certain about a return to writing full-length episodes of the series, mainly due to his already heavy workload on Netflix's adaptation of The Sandman and some other secret projects.

He added: "Doctor Who is always going to be in my blood. The big problem right now with the amount of television that I’m having to make... it tends not to leave time for writing a Doctor Who script, and then rewriting a Doctor Who script to get it made.

"But what has been an absolute delight is getting to write a Doctor Who story, and to put an actual Doctor in it, and to have Doctor Who fun and Time Lord shenanigans going on. I can’t imagine, as long as I live, not wanting to write that."

So, it appears we won't be ruling out a Doctor Who return for Neil Gaiman anytime soon, as his passion for the hit series, which currently stars Jodie Whittaker, is quite evident.

In the meantime, fans can get their Gaiman fix via Audible, which recently produced a star-studded audio book adapting the opening chapters of his Sandman saga.

Doctor Who is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.