\u201cMatt Smith was very amused,\u201d Moffat tells Radio Times<\/strong> of his former leading man. \u201cPeter Capaldi absolutely roared with laughter that I was doing it. He said, \u2018I knew you\u2019d go back!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cNobody ever really seems to leave the show completely. The cast all have a sort of afterlife of Doctor Who, because they go and do conventions and all that stuff. And now I\u2019m actually back writing some silly episode.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike his Doctors, however, not many would have expected Steven Moffat to be back working on Doctor Who in 2024 \u2013 despite him being very good at the job. Nearly two decades ago, the now 62-year-old was the guest-writing \u201cringer\u201d behind the most popular episodes under then-series boss Russell T Davies.<\/p>\n Then, in 2010 he was the natural choice to take over when Davies departed, powering through seven years, six series, two Doctors (Capaldi and Smith) and a 50th-anniversary special that beat the odds to become a critical and ratings hit.<\/p>\n When he left in 2017, he\u2019d written more Doctor Who than anyone living and seemed content to leave it there, moving on to write big new dramas for Netflix and HBO. But this week, Moffat is back at the Tardis controls for an episode starring Ncuti Gatwa\u2019s new Doctor. Apparently, returning showrunner Russell T Davies made Moffat an offer he couldn\u2019t refuse, recounting in several interviews how he got Moffat back on board with his first or second phone call after being given the job.<\/p>\n Moffat remembers things a little differently \u2013 apparently the conversation actually started over email, and it took a little longer to persuade him to return. But he agrees what finally hooked him was the promise of something new. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to remember, I\u2019d written 42 solo scripts \u2013 not counting co-writing or the ones I rewrote,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought I\u2019d done everything \u2013 twice. And if there isn\u2019t anything new for me to do, I can\u2019t see the point in doing it.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then I thought, \u2018Well, I haven\u2019t done tension. I haven\u2019t done suspense \u2013 edge-of-your-seat suspense.\u2019 Whether or not I succeeded in doing that, of course, is a different matter. But that\u2019s what I was aiming for.\u201d<\/p>\n So what was this (literally) killer idea? Well, Moffat suggests he was inspired by a moment from the classic 1975 adventure Genesis of the Daleks<\/a>, where Tom Baker\u2019s Doctor briefly steps on a landmine. What if, he thought, that became an entire episode? He adds, \u201cIt was pretty much a one-line pitch: \u2018He\u2019s standing on a landmine, and he can\u2019t move, and he has to do everything the Doctor does while standing on a landmine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Hence, presumably, the episode title \u2013 Boom<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDoctor Who doesn\u2019t often do that tension,\u201d Moffat continues. \u201cYou might think it does. It does scary, it does funny, action, even musicals. But not tension or suspense. And that\u2019s in part because no character switches off suspense like the Doctor, because he comes in, makes a joke and defeats the enemy, every single time.<\/p>\n \u201cSo to make him the focus of the jeopardy, and to have him on a knife edge where one wrong move and he literally blows everything up \u2013 I just thought that was a new thing for me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds, \u201cIt\u2019s quite an about-face. If you\u2019ve seen the first two episodes [of this series], this will arrive like a bloody shock, I\u2019ll tell you. It\u2019s quite different! But that\u2019s the nature of the beast.\u201d<\/p>\n With Moffat\u2019s experience, pedigree and a strong concept in place you might assume the new script poured out of him like water \u2013 but script number 43, he says, was just as hard as any of the ones that came before.<\/p> \u201cIt was a surprise to me that experience didn\u2019t grant me more benefits,\u201d he says ruefully. \u201cI got 12 or 15 pages in, and realised I\u2019d got it all wrong. I\u2019d written some stuff that I really liked. Some good jokes. And I thought, \u2018No, it\u2019s all wrong. It\u2019s all wrong.\u2019 So I threw it all away, and started again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe plot didn\u2019t kick in fast enough. I was faffing about, having the Doctor and Ruby having a fun chat and introducing an alien planet.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that can work fine. I mean, the first half of Silence in the Library all those years ago, it\u2019s just them wandering around a library. And I kept thinking, \u2018Do I need to speed that up?\u2019 And I thought,\u2019 No, it\u2019s quite nice. I like it. Let\u2019s just have them go for a stroll and a chat.\u2019 That worked. But it wasn\u2019t right for this one.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of real time in this, moment to moment. It really is one tightly focused dilemma, which is a challenge. But, you know, there\u2019s always something in Doctor Who that\u2019s difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n Not that it was entirely a slog. Despite being given a new Doctor to write \u2013 who when he started had yet to appear on screen \u2013 Moffat says that writing for Ncuti Gatwa\u2019s new Time Lord was one of the easier parts of the gig, aided by Davies sharing his plans for the series and a viewing of the 32-year-old actor\u2019s audition footage.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve only met Ncuti a few times \u2013 when I was on set, and at the read-throughs, and so on. So I can\u2019t say I know him well,\u201d he says. \u201cBut there\u2019s a point at which, in any given Doctor Who story, the crisis hits and the Doctor just becomes the Doctor. All the flourishes that are different, or the eccentricities, or what I always think of as the Doctor\u2019s pose, goes away \u2013 and the fast-talking, terrifying General surfaces.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you realise that that\u2019s the real guy. He likes to play. He likes to play at being whatever he is this week, or in this incarnation \u2013 that\u2019s great fun. But when a crisis hits, the Doctor is just the Doctor. It\u2019s the same ancient, terrifying beast that\u2019s looking out of those eyes. And that\u2019s quite similar, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Reverting back to hired gun after running the show for seven years was also less difficult than you might expect for Moffat \u2013 he points out that even when showrunning, he saw writing episodes as a separate job that he carved out specific time for. Though sometimes, he admits he reflexively returned to his old habits.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not as odd as it should be, partly I suppose because I was just reverting to the earliest job I had on the show, which was being an occasional episode writer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, it\u2019s slightly disconcerting, because I remember at one point I was doing a tone meeting and I said, \u2018What else have we got in the show we could pull money from? Oh, s**t, I\u2019ve forgotten, I\u2019m not in charge of budget! I don\u2019t know what the rest of the series is.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cMy technique of saying \u2018I\u2019ll write that cheaper later\u2019 didn\u2019t play. But it\u2019s certainly not an issue for me. I don\u2019t have some mad, controlling impulse that I need to be in charge of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Moffat did indulge a little, he says, in reminding viewers of his tenure in subtle ways during the episode. Viewers may have to watch (and listen) carefully for the references, but they are there.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s mostly new stuff,\u201d he insists. \u201cBut, I mean, there are elements, and probably slightly too many, back-calls to stuff that I did.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re just fleeting references. There\u2019s not a lot. It\u2019s very much new stuff. But there is stuff in there that you\u2019ll recognise from old episodes. But my instinct was always to bring back something that everyone\u2019s forgotten. I think it\u2019s more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n And any other teases, or surprises, from the episode more generally?<\/p>\n \u201cOh, there\u2019s loads more for you to find out,\u201d he laughs. \u201cThere\u2019ll be a couple of surprises there, I guarantee you that. But I\u2019m not telling you what they are.\u201d<\/p>\n Clearly, to say any more about what awaits the Doctor would be a spoiler \u2013 and even on the sidelines, Moffat still delights in secrets. Just try asking him if he\u2019ll be back for more episodes (beyond his recently-confirmed return for this year\u2019s Christmas special<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s leave that to the future,\u201d he says enigmatically. \u201cI could well be done. It depends on if anyone wants me to, and if I\u2019ve got an idea. Those are very big ifs. If they want new, young people, I wouldn\u2019t blame them.\u201d<\/p>\n But of course, his fellow former showrunner Davies came back with his former stars for the 60th anniversary\u2026 so could Moffat do something similar, returning for the 70th with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, or Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman? Surprisingly, he doesn\u2019t rule anything out.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I mean, I wouldn\u2019t be against it,\u201d he muses. \u201cThe Doctor and the Ponds ride again? I mean, yeah, why not?<\/p>\n \u201cBut I don\u2019t know how many times you can do that. Again, that\u2019s a decision for Russell, not me. Do you undercut your current Doctor by doing that? I always worry about that. I always worry about how many Doctors you should have at once. It\u2019s Ncuti\u2019s show now, and it should all be about him, really.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, you know, I loved those days, and I loved working with those people, and doing one-offs is fine \u2013 as long as it doesn\u2019t take over my life again!\u201d<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cWhenever I finish something for Doctor Who now, I always sit and think, \u2018Was that it? Is that it done? Am I finished? I\u2019d better make the last line a good one because that could be the last one I ever write.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBut I feel as though I\u2019ve been making my exit for about 100 years now. So I\u2019d better not make too much of a fuss. I\u2019ll end up writing my last one and not realising it.\u201d<\/p>\n And if this is Moffat\u2019s final say on Who, at least he\u2019ll be going out with a bang \u2013 or should that be a Boom?<\/p>\n A condensed version of this interview appeared in the 18th-24th May edition of Radio Times<\/strong> magazine, on sale now<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Doctor Who continues with Steven Moffat\u2019s Boom on 18th May on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.<\/strong><\/p>\n Check out more of our\u00a0Sci-Fi<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what\u2019s on. <\/strong>For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n The former showrunner thought he’d written his final episode of the BBC sci-fi \u2013 but now he’s back with a bang. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":51433,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-return-writing-for-ncuti-gatwa-and-future-reunions.jpg",1989,1326,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-return-writing-for-ncuti-gatwa-and-future-reunions-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-return-writing-for-ncuti-gatwa-and-future-reunions-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-return-writing-for-ncuti-gatwa-and-future-reunions-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-return-writing-for-ncuti-gatwa-and-future-reunions-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-return-writing-for-ncuti-gatwa-and-future-reunions-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-return-writing-for-ncuti-gatwa-and-future-reunions.jpg",1989,1326,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The former showrunner thought he'd written his final episode of the BBC sci-fi \u2013 but now he's back with a bang.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/51432"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Doctor](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/476318-67b8dfb.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C426px%2C2574px%2C1715px&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"476318,Doctor")
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