It really is an era of fundamental change for the Doctor Who production team, as it was recently announced that executive producer Brian Minchin would be following the path of actor Peter Capaldi, and showrunner Steven Moffat, by leaving the series before cameras roll on the new season in 2018. This means that, in addition to having a brand new Doctor at the helm of the TARDIS, the show have even more new blood overseeing the tone and narrative momentum.
Moreover, Minchin will be joining Moffat at Hartwswood Films, where the departing showrunner is a board director. Hartswood Films is a British production company of long standing and world renown, having previously delivered popular shows such as Men Behaving Badly and Coupling, as well as more contemporary productions such as Sherlock and Jekyll. Sherlock – which is shepherded by Moffat and his Doctor Who colleague Mark Gatiss, was produced by the Hartswood Films’ Cardiff contingent, Hartswood West. It’s this branch of the main company that Minchin will be joining as Head of Drama Development.
For his part, Steven Moffat welcomed the news that Brian Minchin would be joining him in his transfer from Doctor Who to the daily work of Hartswood Films.
“I’ve worked very closely with Brian for the last four years, on Doctor Who, and he’s a brilliant and creative producer and a good friend. Now that I’m leaving Who to concentrate on Hartswood projects, I couldn’t be more delighted that Brian is doing the same.”
While Doctor Who fans remain in a swirl of uncertainty – waiting for the identity of the new Doctor to be revealed, and anticipating the changes in creative leadership that lay ahead – it seems that we can expect exciting new things from Hartswood Films. Whether that includes new episodes of Sherlock, however, remains to be seen.
