Steven Moffat may have no plans to return to Doctor Who, but the former showrunner has two projects on the go with former Time Lords David Tennant and Peter Capaldi.
And when we caught up with him at the Radio Times Covers Party he dropped a few hints about both projects, starting with the offbeat thriller/drama he’s written for the BBC called Inside Man (which stars Tennant as a priest).
“Well, let’s keep it mysterious,” Moffat told RadioTimes.com when asked what viewers could expect from Inside Man. “I’m trying to think of anything I can say about it.
“Most detective shows are whodunits. This one is more like a ‘who will do it’. Or possibly a ‘you done it’. Its central idea is anyone can be a murderer. And it won’t be the one you expect.”
And while the series boasts a cast full of stars from Moffat’s earlier projects – Tennant, Lydia West and Dolly Wells among them – one key collaborator from the likes of Dracula, Sherlock and Doctor Who won’t be present. Well, not quite as obviously anyway.
“There’s always a role for Mark!” Moffat laughed when asked whether his longtime co-writer and star Mark Gatiss could crop up in a role. “But he’s not actually in this one.
“He did read the scripts, as he always does with me, and I always do with him – he read the scripts and advised me and did all the things that we do for each other but no, he’s not actually in this one.”
And of course, Inside Man’s not the only project on Moffat’s books set to reunite him with some familiar faces. Via production company Hartswood Films, he’s also executive producing The Devil’s Hour, written by Tom Moran and starring his previous Who leading man Peter Capaldi as a “dangerous recluse”.
As with Inside Man, Moffat struggles to describe it, though official releases have noted the story revolves around a murder case where Capaldi’s wanderer becomes a prime suspect.
“It’s a really hard one to define,” he admitted. “And we asked all the actors to define it.
“And Peter Capaldi being a genius said, ‘Listen to your nightmares.’ So that’s, that’s the best I can tell you.”
Altogether, it looks like Steven Moffat has had plenty of exciting reunions (or should that be reWhonions?) over the last year or so. Give Matt Smith and Karen Gillan half a chance, and he might manage to complete a full set…
See more photos from 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, and for more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Inside Man comes to the BBC later this year, and the Devil’s Hour streams on Amazon at a later date. For more, check out our dedicated Drama page or our full TV Guide.