With season 10 now behind us, we only have one episode left of Steven Moffat’s era as showrunner of Doctor Who. The Sherlock co-creator has helmed the series since 2010 and has overseen the entire tenures of both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor. Over that time, he’s shepherded the show through arguably its most globally popular period and ensured that the modern series will continue on in rude health after he steps down. However, there are a few niggling regrets that annoy him to this day.
A few weeks back, we heard that Moffat wanted a particular moment at the end of a season 5 episode called “Flesh and Stone” to play out differently, and now, speaking in a recent interview, the writer/director has revealed that he also wishes he’d done more with a few of the classic Doctor Who monsters.
“I wish I’d done more with the Autons,” Moffat said. “I really like them.” “I think I should’ve done some more with The Silence, too” he added. “That was a good idea that I didn’t revisit, and I don’t really know why I didn’t. But I did 42 episodes, I co-wrote more again, probably the same again re-wrote, so I think really I’ve covered everything. I think it was time to get rid of me!”
While we don’t care much for the Autons, visiting The Silence a few more times could definitely have been a lot of fun. Then again, it’s hard to fault Moffat for any of this. Like he said, he covered just about everything during his time on the show, making sure to please fans both old and new.
Known for storylines that were always a bit too complex but beautifully written monologues and some truly inspired episodes that more than made up for that, Moffat’s certainly had his critics over the years, don’t get us wrong. But on the whole, he’s done a terrific job of running Doctor Who and has been instrumental in bringing it the level of worldwide recognition it now has. As such, we’re definitely sad to see him depart and are looking forward to watching his final outing, which will be the upcoming Christmas special.
Aptly titled “Twice Upon a Time,” it’ll be with us on December 25th and will surely be a bittersweet festive treat, what with Peter Capaldi also poised to bid farewell to Doctor Who and ultimately give way for the incoming Jodie Whittaker, who will then take point for the show’s eleventh series next fall.
