Russell T Davies' return proves "vibrancy" of Doctor Who, says Steven Moffat
Exclusive: The former showrunner says he knows “a certain number of things” about the next era of Who, while Mark Gatiss expects "big, ambitious stuff".
When former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies announced his surprise return to the BBC sci-fi series last autumn, it wasn’t just the fans that were reeling – former collaborator and fellow Who showrunner Steven Moffat was also wrong-footed, only learning the news the night before the rest of us.
Now, a few months on, he says the move proves the "vibrancy" of Doctor Who, sharing his thoughts on Davies’ return with RadioTimes.com at the Radio Times Covers Party.
"Ach, they're dragging him out of the archives!" Moffat joked. "My first thought, 'Well it's brilliant news for Doctor Who.' He's the finest writer working in television. And he's coming back to what is, I suppose, still his biggest hit.
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"So that's just wonderful, wonderful news for Doctor Who. And sort of proof of the vibrancy of that show that he would do that – he'd come back to it.
"He's got every offer under the sun. And what he's choosing to do is to come back to what all us right-thinking people know is the best show in the history of television."
"" mean really if anyone can do it twice, it's Russell," added regular Who contributor Mark Gatiss, who wrote several episodes for both Davies and Moffat during their time in charge. "I don't know a thing about it, which is brilliant.
"I know it'll be very big, ambitious stuff. And that's exactly what Russell has always brought to it. Yeah, I think it's delightful. I saw him quite recently, and he looked really, really happy. And I think that's a lovely thing to see. You know, he's bursting with enthusiasm. So that's great."
And apparently, Davies has teased a few of his plans to his former Who colleagues, with Moffat hinting that he’s been privy to a few secrets about the revamped series.
"I'm going to give you no hints. I know a certain number of things," he told us.
"But I don't remember which bits are secret. So I'm terrified to say anything. I know some stuff, but not everything. And I don't have the briefing sheet I used to have – I used to create – which was to tell me what to shut up about. So I'm saying nothing at all."
Hopefully, we’ll find out a few of these secrets ourselves when Davies takes over next year – and when we do, it sounds like fans are in for a treat.
Enjoy more chats with the stars at the Radio Times Covers Party 2022 in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale Tuesday 5th April – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Sunday 17th April. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
