Sure, there’s a lot of room for exploration when your playground is all of time and space, but that doesn’t mean it can’t come to an end from time to time. Even on a series like BBC’s Doctor Who. And for the first time since stepping into Russell T. Davies’ be-rosed (get it, get it?) shoes, Steven Moffat is talking to—and toying with—the idea of leaving the series as its showrunner. So naturally, the speculation-fueled hunt for who might be his replacement is on! Who loves ya, baby? Nerdist News does. So let’s all watch as our own Jessica Chobot runs through the list of 8 folks we’d love to see man the TARDIS.
Speaking with the Radio Times, Moffat explained that he is “actively engaged in” the process of finding the right person to take the series over after he leaves. “Everything is difficult in Doctor Who, including leaving,” he explained in the interview, “and I would never do anything to harm it. I would never leave it in the lurch because it means too much to me. Yes, it’s a problem. Let’s not pretend it’s not a big problem. But there will be a solution.”
He also added that, “in terms of the emotional difficulty of leaving, it’s hard,” also mentioning that he takes it “a year at a time” in regards to the when of it all, but that he wouldn’t leave “because I’m suddenly miserable. It’ll be because I want to do something else.”
So, no need to be all that fearful yet—it’s not like this is his announcement that it’s all over—but it certainly feels like Moffat’s time with the longstanding British series is coming to an end. Especially with Peter Capaldi—a.k.a. 12—also hinting at a departure very soon.
But who could possibly take over for Moffat? That’s a big question, and certainly one on which to speculate. The most obvious answer would be his Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss, but given his myriad other acting and writing projects, that feels highly doubtful. Other options seeming poised for the job include Peter Harness (who wrote “Kill the Moon” episode and also the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell miniseries for BBC), Catherine Tregenna (who wrote “The Woman Who Lived” and won awards for her time with Torchwood), Stephen Thompson (“Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS” and “Time Heist,” as well as our favorite episodes of Sherlock—“The Sign of Three” and “The Reichenbach Fall), and Toby Whithouse (who’s written 9 episodes (!!) of Who, and appeared in the lovely Christmas special episode, “The Husbands of River Song”).
But who are your top choices for the gig? Watch the rest of our list on Nerdist News and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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HT: Radio Times
Image Credit: BBC/YouTube
Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor of The Nerdist and is actually Sally Sparrow. Find her on Twitter (@alicialutes).
And while we’re talking Who, let’s speculate on who the new Companion could be, too! Ooh la la:
