Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies, has opened a can of worms by explaining that telling writers not to be “preachy” is one of the most boring things you can do.

We’re sure this will go down well and everyone will agree.

Speaking about the core message of spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, Davies said:

“One of the most boring things you can ever say to a writer is, ‘Don’t be preachy’.

“Quite a few religions have been based for thousands of years upon preaching. It’s not bad as a system, it works. The truth is, I don’t have to get on a high horse at all. If I’m writing about the oceans in 2025, then they really are filthy and stinking and half-destroyed. I would be lying if I didn’t mention these things. It’s only politically engaged because it has no choice.”

Where do we begin?

He does have a point about religious teachings being expounded using preaching. I’m personally not sure you should equate faith with a TV show, however. That’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this quote, however.

He does similarly have a very strong point about the oceans being wrecked and that coming across naturally in stories about the sea. The core premises of The War Between the Land and the Sea concern the power of love (between central characters, Salt and Barclay) and environmental damage caused by mankind, so part of the reason for the spin-off is to preach. That’s okay to some extent, and most of the time, it trod that line pretty well.

But there are disagreements over how to be preachy: do you show why something is bad? Do you open up a reasonable conversation? Or do you tell the audience what they should disapprove of during a big rambling speech?

And of course, how effective are each of these methods? Is subtlety key and the main focus be on story and character rather than The Message, or should preaching be the chief purpose of a story?

We’re sure you’ll have something to say about this, DWC readers…