Former Doctor Who Showrunner Addresses Possible Return

Screenwriter and producer returned to Doctor Who this season as a writer, and it may not be the last time we see his handiwork on the show. Moffat was the head writer and showrunner on Doctor Who from 2010 to 2017, and last year he returned to the series to write two episodes under showrunner Russell T. Davies. This week, he was asked if he would be doing more with The Doctor at an event hosted by The Radio Times. Moffat’s answer was hopeful, but noncommittal, and he changed the subject before there was time for a lot of follow-up. This might mean that there’s nothing in the works right now, or that Moffat is trying to protect a secret project already on the way.

“Have I got any more ideas? Well, I mean, there’s an awful lot of scripts I’ve written, so I don’t honestly know if I’ve got any more ideas, and I don’t know if they’ll want me, and I don’t know what my schedule will be,” he said. “So I don’t know. I’m not against it, but I’m not especially saying it’s gonna happen. I’m not even lying anymore!”

Moffat had to reassure reporters that he was being truthful, because he has lied to the press recently in order to keep his work a secret. Before his return to Doctor Who was announced last year, Moffat was evasive in interviews. At the time, he told The Radio Times that “There’s no reason to suspect” he was back on Doctor Who, adding, “I’m definitely not — Claws of Fear! — involved in any future episode… Planet of Doom!”

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Moffat’s involvement in Doctor Who Season 15 makes sense considering his longstanding collaborate relationship with Davies. Davies was showrunner before Moffat in the late-2000s, and has returned to the job for the current era. Moffat joined the writers’ room under Davies in 2004 before rising to the role of showrunner himself. The two won numerous awards for their work together, and they’ve always had a friendly banter in public discourse.

Still, there are plenty of other projects to distract Moffat from more adventures in the Tardis. He told RT that he is currently writing a six-part series that is greenlit, and he has another screenplay in the works as well. According to IMDb, the only upcoming movie on Moffat’s schedule is the thriller Jekyll, which is currently in pre-production.

Doctor Who is in its fifteenth season since its soft reboot in 2005, with a new actor in the lead role starting last year. Ncuti Gatwa plays the latest regeneration of The Doctor, with eight episodes and two TV specials out so far and eight more episodes expected in 2025. In the U.S., you can stream the latest episodes of Doctor Who on Disney+.