Chris Chibnall on becoming Doctor Who boss: "I resisted it for a very long time – the BBC really had to woo me”
The former Broadchurch writer reveals that he required some persuading to take on the Doctor Who job…
For many sci-fi fans it is the greatest job in the galaxy but incoming Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall admits that he had to be “wooed” by the BBC before taking up the role.
The former Broadchurch writer tells the June issue of The Royal Television Society’s magazine Television: “I finally said yes because I love the show to my bones. I resisted it for a very long time, and [the BBC] really had to woo me."
In the interview by Mark Lawson, Chibnall also gives an indication of what promises to be an innovative approach to the show.
“What the BBC was after was risk and boldness,” he says, later adding: “I had ideas about what I wanted to do with it. When I went to them and said, ‘This is what I would do’, I actually expected them to say, ‘Ooh, let’s talk about that’, but they said: ‘Great!’”
The search for a new Doctor will be completed soon and the new Time Lord is likely to appear in an on-screen regeneration when Peter Capaldi leaves the role in the 2017 Christmas special.
Chibnall’s series is due to begin filming early next year with a likely broadcast in the autumn of 2018, according to BBC sources.
These quotes are from an article written by Mark Lawson which features in the June issue of RTS members magazine Television
