Neil Gaiman is a noted British comic book/graphic novel writer and novelist. He wrote the Doctor Who episodes The Doctor's Wife and Nightmare in Silver and the Puffin eshort Nothing O'Clock.
Gaiman is a longtime fan of the series. He was asked to write for the spinoff novel lines while the show was off the air. He declined on the basis that he'd much rather write an episode of the TV series, hoping there would someday again be a TV series for him to write.[1] Nevertheless, his first work for the franchise was his foreword for the Telos novella, The Eye of the Tyger.
Gaiman guest-hosted Bigger on the Inside, the Doctor Who Confidential episode broadcast with The Doctor's Wife. He also took over Steven Moffat's production notes for one issue of Doctor Who Magazine. (DWM 427)
He also contributed to the charity reference book Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who. He is married to Amanda Palmer.
Work prior to Doctor Who
Gaiman was already one of the preeminent names in the fantasy literature and comic book fields before submitting his script for Doctor Who. Among his many works are: The Sandman, Coraline, Stardust, Death: The High Cost of Living, and MirrorMask. Several of his works have been adapted for film. Gaiman has also written several screenplays, including the English-language version of the anime Princess Mononoke and the 2007 film Beowulf.
Gaiman's TV work includes creating the BBC miniseries Neverwhere. He has also written an episode of Babylon 5.
Gaiman is one of only four Doctor Who scriptwriters to have also won the coveted Hugo Award. The others are Steven Moffat, Russell T Davies, and Phil Ford. Gaiman is unique in that his first Hugo came for work outside of Doctor Who.
