The Moff has closed his twitter account because of trolls. Amanda Abbington (Martin's partner) has been having troll problems for defending him.

I really don't understand why all the hate.

Whenever I have seen him interviewed, mainly in the Doctor Who Confidential segments and Sherlock extras, he always seems like a straightforward, intelligent sort of bloke. Some people apparently find his portrayal of women to be misogynist and sexist. Now I grew up in the 1970s when feminism really took off and I have a very finely tuned antennae for sexist (as well as racist and homophobic) language and behaviour, and I certainly do not think that he falls into this category.

I'm not sure which characters he actually wrote in Doctor who but there are some strong women there, e.g. Rose Tyler with her big gun (not an euphemism, she really carried a big gun in some episodes); Martha as a medical doctor, Donna Noble as an ordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances, Amy Pond and River Song, who always manage to kick his arse in one way or another. And Irene Adler managed to outwit Sherlock at just about every turn. I don't think having Sherlock rescue her at the end of SiB makes her into a helpless maiden. Did sorting out Henry's problems in HoB turn Henry into a helpless wimp?

Finally, the main characters of his shows are men. Well, changing one of the main characters to a woman hasn't helped Elementary's credibility. And The Doctor has always been a man since the start of the series. I personally would love a female Doctor, who knows, it may happen one day, but in the meantime, having a female companion redresses any gender imbalance. Do they want a male companion? That would be a serious gender imbalance (but would set the world of fanfic on fire!) Much as I love Rory, he is a bit if a wimp at times. But no-one protests about the way his character is written.

Let me know your thoughts.