"I don't know if you've ever tried writing a Doctor Who story, but it's a lot more difficult than it initially appears, especially if you've got more than one assistant"
About this Quote
A sly backstage confession disguised as a fan-friendly quip, Sarah Sutton's line lands because it treats Doctor Who not as prestige mythmaking but as grueling, practical craft. She takes aim at the romantic idea that writing for a long-running franchise is just playing in a toy box. Instead, it is logistics, continuity, and character math. The joke hinges on the phrase "assistant": on the page, the Doctor's companions are narrative engines; in production, they're also literal bodies you have to stage, schedule, and give something to do besides scream down corridors.
Sutton's timing matters. As Nyssa, she belonged to an era when the TARDIS was crowded and the show leaned into ensemble dynamics. More companions meant more mouths to feed, emotionally and structurally. The subtext is a quiet defense of performers and writers alike: if a companion feels thinly written, that isn't always laziness; sometimes it's the physics of a 25-minute episode, a fixed budget, and a narrative that must serve the Doctor, the monster, the set piece, and the cliffhanger. Add a second or third assistant and every scene becomes a negotiation over attention.
As an actress, Sutton isn't posturing as an insider-author; she's gently puncturing fandom's tendency to treat storytelling like a solvable puzzle. The wit is generous, not cruel. It invites audiences to see the show as a collaboration where difficulty isn't failure, it's the price of making something that keeps moving, even when the TARDIS is packed.
Sutton's timing matters. As Nyssa, she belonged to an era when the TARDIS was crowded and the show leaned into ensemble dynamics. More companions meant more mouths to feed, emotionally and structurally. The subtext is a quiet defense of performers and writers alike: if a companion feels thinly written, that isn't always laziness; sometimes it's the physics of a 25-minute episode, a fixed budget, and a narrative that must serve the Doctor, the monster, the set piece, and the cliffhanger. Add a second or third assistant and every scene becomes a negotiation over attention.
As an actress, Sutton isn't posturing as an insider-author; she's gently puncturing fandom's tendency to treat storytelling like a solvable puzzle. The wit is generous, not cruel. It invites audiences to see the show as a collaboration where difficulty isn't failure, it's the price of making something that keeps moving, even when the TARDIS is packed.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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