Doctor Who is saying goodbye to Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall and with the plans for their exits already in motion, the countdown is on for franchise vet Russell T. Davies’ second go in the franchise as a showrunner. As fans theorize and perhaps rewatch his past seasons with their HBO Max subscriptions, another former Who showrunner, Steven Moffat, revealed his thoughts on potentially returning to the franchise.
Russell T. Davies is the first modern-era showrunner to return to Doctor Who, and some fans can’t help but wonder if another former producer might follow suit at some point in the future. On that note, Radio Times asked Steven Moffat if he’d consider returning for another go-around after his six-season stint, and he seemed to provide a somewhat definitive answer:
I think I can confidently say I’m done showrunning Doctor Who. Everyone can stop worrying. I did it for six seasons on the trot. And I cannot imagine going back into doing that. I cannot. I simply cannot picture it. I loved the show. I don’t want anyone to think I didn’t love the show. And I loved every second I spent on it, although some of them were hellish. But I’ve done that. I have done it, and I did it a lot. So no offense and no disrespect and certainly no disdaining of wonderful memories. But no, I will not be showrunning Doctor Who again.
It sounds like he has no interest at the moment in returning to his old post within the storied science fiction franchise, though the specificity of the quote does make one wonder if he could return in another capacity. After all, he also wrote some episodes of the show, so it’s possible that if given the opportunity to return and write an episode or two, he could be willing. I mean, more surprising things have happened with this franchise, right?
While Steven Moffat doesn’t have the urge to return to Doctor Who as a showrunner he has played the hype man of sorts for Russell T. Davies’ return. Late last year, Moffat teased that he did know a bit of Davies’ creative plans for his return to the show and said that he thinks it will be great. So far, rumors have alleged that adventures with multiple past Doctors like David Tennant are in the works and that even Hugh Grant might play the next Doctor. Both of those things would presumably be great for viewers though, at this time, both reports are far from confirmed. All we can do is have faith that Davies’ second run is just as good as his first. We, like Moffat, will be eager to see how things go down.
Doctor Who returns to BBC America on Sunday, April 17th with a new episode, which may foreshadow the impending exit of Jodie Whitaker’s Doctor.