{"id":5979,"date":"2021-10-20T01:05:02","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T23:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1390666"},"modified":"2021-10-20T01:41:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T23:41:09","slug":"chris-chibnall-says-it-took-longer-than-expected-for-him-to-leave-doctor-who","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/chris-chibnall-says-it-took-longer-than-expected-for-him-to-leave-doctor-who\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Chibnall says it took \u201clonger than expected\u201d for him to leave Doctor Who"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Joe Julians\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 20 October 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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It will be all change for Doctor Who<\/a> in the coming months as Russell T Davies<\/a> has been named showrunner for Doctor Who\u2019s 60th anniversary in 2023 and beyond, replacing current boss Chris Chibnall.<\/p>\n

Chibnall will exit alongside the Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, and while we wait to find out who will be cast as the next Time Lord, Chibnall has been chatting to press, including RadioTimes.com<\/a>, ahead of series 13. As you\u2019d expect, the subject of his departure came up and it turns out that he stuck around for longer than he thought he would.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s taken longer than expected if we\u2019re being honest. I\u2019ve been throwing batons at people for about a year now. And finally, someone\u2019s picked it up,\u201d Chibnall said on the search for his replacement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had that conversation right at the start, and I hope you can see that the atmosphere is so team-oriented and so positive, it is a proper family atmosphere. This cast and this crew are so close \u2013 you wouldn\u2019t want to do it with other people, because it\u2019s just been its own little, discreet show. And then the next version will be its own discreet show, just as Peter [Capaldi]\u2019s era was, and Matt [Smith]\u2019s era was, and David [Tennant]\u2019s was.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While the Cloister Bell may be sounding on his time in charge, Chibnall insists he has nothing but fond memories of his time on Doctor Who.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou couldn\u2019t enjoy it any more than we\u2019ve enjoyed it. It\u2019s been such a laugh and such a privilege,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think we\u2019ve been deliberately very mindful of being in the moment. Obviously, I\u2019ve known Russell and Steven [Moffat] for a long time and part of their advice was just: \u2018Enjoy it while you\u2019re doing it, because afterwards you really miss it.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely approached it like that. I don\u2019t feel any sadness about the end approaching. It\u2019s just: \u2018We came in, and we did what we set out to do.\u2019 And I feel like there\u2019s been an incredible atmosphere while we\u2019ve been doing it. So it feels really good. And frankly, I\u2019ll get to see my family again, which would be really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Series 13, titled Doctor Who: Flux<\/a> is due to start its six-episode run on Halloween with further specials lined up for the current team, taking the show up to the regeneration and the return of RTD in 2023.<\/p>

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n