The showrunner and lead writer at DOCTOR WHO will make the 10th season his last, and will be replaced by Broadchurch writer Chris Chibnall, confirmed the BBC.
TL;DR version
- Steven Moffat is leaving, Chris Chibnall is taking over in 2018
- There will be no DOCTOR WHO season in 2016
- The DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special will still be in December 2016
- The next full season (Series 10) will start in UK spring 2017
- Moffat is shaping up for a big Series 10. Will we see that Peter Jackson episode at last?
After being the head honcho at DOCTOR WHO since 2010, when he took over from Russell T. Davies on the revived show’s fifth season. His tenure started with 11th Doctor Matt Smith, and ushered in the 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi in 2014. This tenure included the magnificent 50th Anniversary Special, bringing together Matt Smith and 10th Doctor David Tennant for the first time, along with War Doctor John Hurt and a host of guests and characters from the show’s half-century of history.
Yet Moffat’s association with the character goes back further than that. A fan since childhood, he also wrote the 1999 parody special Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, which screened as part of Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day charity telethon. Prior to taking over the reigns, he provided such iconic episodes as “The Girl in the Fireplace” and “Blink,” the latter of which provided one of the truly new villains for The Doctor in the form of the Weeping Angels.
In a statement, Moffat said that it took “a lot of gin and tonic” to talk Chibnall into taking up the showrunner position, which he will do from the revived show’s 11th season. Chibnall is perhaps best known for his work as the showrunner of drama series Broadchurch, starring former Doctor David Tennant. He’s also written at least half a dozen DOCTOR WHO episodes, including “42” and “The Power of Three”, along with as many Torchwood outings.
“I am beyond delighted that one of the true stars of British television drama will be taking the Time Lord even further into the future,” he said. “At the start of season 11, Chris Chibnall will become the new showrunner of DOCTOR WHO. And I will be thrown in a skip.”
