Former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat reveals his honest answer to the chances of him returning to the series. Moffat began his involvement in the franchise between the classic series’ conclusion and its revival in 2005, and would join the production of Christopher Eccleston’s season as a writer. Once showrunner Russell T Davies exited, Moffat led Doctor Who from 2010 to 2017, overseeing Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor tenure, its 50th anniversary, and Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor era. Now, Davies is back as showrunner and has overseen the upcoming Doctor Who season 14.
Though Davies is back, Moffat has firmly ruled himself out of a return to Doctor Who when speaking to RadioTimes. The writer states that despite the speculation from certain quotes and social media posts, he has no plans to return. Check out Moffat’s response below:
“Look at my ageing face. How can I fit in? And I know, because I’ve seen the feedback, that people think I’m being evasive on the subject. The truth is, if I say anything negative about Doctor Who it goes everywhere, like boom, everywhere, right? It doesn’t exactly bring joy to the world that I just say something negative about Doctor Who. The fact is, it’s fine without me.”
How Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who Redefined The Character
Within his first season of Doctor Who, Moffat set his goals for the series with a fairy tale-esque tone. From the moment the Eleventh Doctor crash-landed into young Amelia Pond’s garden shed, Moffat’s take on the Time Lord shone through, as audiences saw the Doctor as a legendary figure who effortlessly chased the monsters away and could help anyone feel at ease, no matter what. Even when facing death, loss, and self-doubt during Capaldi’s tenure, the Time Lord would always come out of it as the same aspirational figure.
With this reframing, Moffat also developed the character beyond where he began in Doctor Who‘s revival, giving the character a chance to heal from his trauma. During the events of “The Day of the Doctor,” every incarnation of the Time Lord rescues Gallifrey from destruction, righting the Doctor’s actions and giving him the chance to follow his own example to find a better way. Though only the midpoint of his tenure, The Doctor’s rescue of Gallifrey perfectly exemplifies Moffat’s vision of a fairy tale hero who can do anything and amaze viewers of all ages.
While his era faced its own fair share of criticism, Moffat’s Doctor Who contributions still stand out as some of the show’s finest moments. From the one-man in-depth exploration of the character in “Heaven Sent,” the terrifying horrors of “Blink,” and even the self-aware humor of “The Curse of Fatal Death,” the showrunner’s contributions have had a lasting grip on the fandom, with “Heaven Sent” even topping Doctor Who fan polls. As such, while many will be disappointed to hear the writer’s reluctance to return, it is clear that he has the utmost confidence in the series’ future.
Doctor Who
Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
- Release Date
- November 23, 1963
- Cast
- Jenna Coleman , Jodie Whittaker , Alex Kingston , David Tennant , Matt Smith , Peter Capaldi
- Seasons
- 26
- Franchise
- Doctor Who
- Writers
- Mark Gatiss , Toby Whithouse , Neil Cross , Steven Moffat , Chris Chibnall
- Network
- BBC
