Doctor Who's latest season will be available with a Disney+ subscription later this year, but unfortunately, one character won't be along for the ride. While viewers are thrilled to learn Ruby Sunday will return despite a new companion joining the fray, they may be bummed to discover a recent ally of The Doctor won't be around for the ride.

As thrilled as I'll be to see Millie Gibson and Varada Sethu returning to Doctor Who for more adventures with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor, Steven Moffat revealed to Radio Times that one well-liked character won't be around for further team-ups. I can appreciate his explanation for why, but I'm not sure I'm any less bummed.

Doctor Who Will Not Bring Back Anita From "Joy To The World" In The New Season

"Joy To The World" had a beautiful subplot adventure for The Doctor, in which he was forced to spend an entire year working at a hotel to keep the timeline loop intact and give himself the code to disable the suitcase built by Doctor Who's classic evil organization Villengard. While working, he befriended the manager, Steph de Whalley's Anita, and over the course of the next year, they became great friends.

For the first time in a long time, it seemed as though The Doctor had a real friend, but sadly, we won't be seeing her anytime soon. Steven Moffat confirmed to Radio Times that Anita was a "one-off" character, and she was not written into any episodes that will happen in the upcoming season.

That's a sad reveal for what I genuinely considered the best part of the Christmas special. I may just have to create some headcanon about them secretly staying pen pals between his upcoming adventures.

Steven Moffat Explained Why Anita Was Created, Which Makes Sense

One might wonder why Anita was given so much attention in Doctor Who's "Joy To The World," especially if the franchise didn't have any longterm plans for the character. As a former showrunner for the program, Steven Moffat had an answer, and it turns out it all came down to money:

Sorry to anyone who thought Anita was secretly the mysterious Mrs. Flood in disguise. It turns out the character was created because the story needed The Doctor to remain at a single hotel, and I'd assume having him hang out with a character made the story more entertaining. Unfortunately, they might not have predicted how beloved the character would be with fans; otherwise, they might've found space for the character in the new season.

At the same time, it makes sense Doctor Who couldn't drop any more money by having The Doctor travel the world in search of another locked hotel door to access the Time Hotel. Maybe had Steven Moffat not come in midway and started fresh on the special he could've workshopped more ideas to fix that problem, but I'm happy with the result even if we never get more of Anita.

"Joy To The World" doesn't fall on this fan's best Doctor Who episodes of the series, but it is a fun special. I won't lie, the fact we may never get more adventures or scenes with The Doctor and his holiday cohort does knock the episode down a peg for me in hindsight, but I'll probably watch it next Christmas still.

Despite some downer news, I remain excited for Season 2 of Doctor Who's new era on Disney+. I can't wait to see The Doctor continue to battle the Pantheon of gods in the new season and find out who is really pulling the strings behind this whole adventure.

Those who watched the latest Doctor Who special with their Disney+ subscription over the holiday might've clocked a trend that pops up again and again when Steven Moffat has a hand in the story's creation. The former Doctor Who showrunner returned ahead of Season 2's run on the 2025 TV schedule for the big holiday episode, and as he often does, found a tragic way to write off another companion, Nicola Coughlan's Joy. In fairness, Moffat warned us he would ahead of the episode, but CinemaBlend still had to ask why he loves to do this to characters that fans adore.

Joy's transformation from human to star is not the wildest thing that's happened to a companion during Steven Moffat's tenure. Amy Pond and Rory were trapped in the past until their deaths, Clara Oswald was fated to die to protect the timeline, and Bill Potts became trapped in a sentient puddle. Those are some pretty horrific exits for beloved characters, but when I talked to him ahead of "Joy To The World," he explained why all these endings have to be so definitive:

Steven Moffat makes an excellent point. Doctor Who actors exit the show all the time. And when they leave, the departure has to be developed in a way that makes it so the series doesn't have to constantly explain why that person isn't around. I guess this isn't different from how characters leave in other shows. However, it's just a bit weirder because they all exit in a very wild way rather than just moving to a new city or something.

Such is the case for Joy, who transforms at the end of the episode from a woman who doesn't like Christmas to the star over Bethlehem mentioned in the classic biblical story around the birth of Jesus. Moffat revealed to CinemaBlend that it wasn't in his original plans to have Joy become a star, but he ultimately realized it was better for her ending:

The downside of Joy's exit is The Doctor is left without another person he could've considered a friend, which is a theme of the episode. The Time Lord is also currently separated from Ruby Sunday, who only briefly appears in the episode, but Russell T. Davies has confirmed she will return alongside new companion Belinda Chandra in Season 2. So, while it's always sad to see a companion go, we can find comfort, for now, knowing that a character we already know and love is coming back.

Doctor Who's new era continues to be a blast, and while the Christmas special didn't give any huge clues about where Season 2 is headed, we have some clues from Season 1. No doubt The Doctor will continue to square off against the gods of the Pantheon and maybe find out who is pulling the strings behind this big plot before too long. We may even find out what the deal with Mrs. Flood is, though I think that may be a mystery for at least another season.

We will find out what's up when Doctor Who returns to Disney+ in 2025. I hope the wait for more episodes isn't too long, but with no firm release date at this time, we can only cross our fingers and hope for the best -- and that includes hoping for less tragic companion departures, even though I get why they do it.

Doctor Who has done a good job at releasing thought-provoking details about the upcoming holiday special that will stream for those with a Disney+ subscription on Christmas Day. There was a lot of buzz when we learned at SDCC that Nicola Coughlan would be the big guest star for "Joy To The World." Now, we have a bit more info on the Bridgerton actress's character, and Steven Moffat used a specific word to describe her that has me worried.

Moffat will return once again to Doctor Who after he was practically begged by current showrunner Russell T. Davies. I am not worried about the episode set to air at the end of the 2024 TV schedule, especially with how well he worked with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor However, I worry about Nicola Coughlan's Joy, especially after this latest news.

How Steven Moffat Described Nicola Coughlan's Performance In The Christmas Special

As we were reminded in a recent interview with Radio Times, Steven Moffat used the word "heartbreaking" to refer to Nicola Coughlan's performance as Joy. That's not exactly the kind of adjective I'd use to describe some of the best Christmas movies, but it does feel par for the course when it comes to Doctor Who.

It often feels like a coin flip whether the holiday special will have a happy or sad ending, and based on that one word, I'm now feeling more certain it could be a downer episode this Christmas. In short, I'd have some tissues at the ready for those planning to watch it on the big holiday.

Is Steven Moffat Preparing To Kill Another Doctor Who Companion?

Nicola Coughlan's Joy looks like she'll become a temporary companion of The Doctor in the Christmas special. And, unfortunately, Steven Moffat has a reputation when it comes to companions.

He's played a part in the exits of Amy Pond and Rory Williams, who were sent back in time by the Weeping Angels and died of old age. He was also the showrunner when Clara Oswald was sacrificed, and Bill Potts was doomed to a life in an oil spill. He also wrote the death of The Doctor's wife, River Song, who we briefly thought could be Ruby Sunday's mother not too long ago.

Take that, plus the knowledge that The Doctor will take on a long-time adversary from the past, and it feels like the perfect formula for Doctor Who to give an emotional send-off to a character we only just met.

It's a shame if that is the case, as I like the Derry Girls actress, and I want her around for more adventures. That said, actors who have appeared in Doctor Who previously have popped up playing other characters before, so it wouldn't be too wild if Joy gets killed off and Coughlan popped in again as another character. Even so, I'd rather her character survive the Christmas special, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Tune in for the Doctor Who Christmas special on Disney+ on Christmas Day. I'll be watching whether it makes me cry or not, and I encourage others to do the same after going through their holiday festivities.

It's been a bit of a wait since Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who went on break in June, but we'll have more adventures to stream with a Disney+ subscription pretty soon. Months after the rumors that Steven Moffat was returning yet again to the franchise to pen the Christmas special, he's now giving some details on what this holiday episode will be about. he also shared how he ended up writing this adventure in the first place, and I can't stop cackling at the story behind it.

Unfortunately, Moffat didn't tell Radio Times whether I should have some tissues ready before this episode. That said, we did get some minor plot details that will paint a picture of what to expect with this special, which is set to stream on Disney+ stateside on Christmas Day.

Steven Moffat Explained More Of What Doctor Who's Upcoming Christmas Special Is About

Doctor Who has remained tight-lipped until now about what this Christmas episode is all about, though we do have some details. We knew that Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan would be guest-starring, and a clip was released at San Diego Comic-Con of her character Joy arriving at a hotel and witnessing an alien and The Doctor in her room. Now, thanks to the latest tease from Moffat, that scene makes a little more sense:

That small crumb of context really puts the scene into perspective. A hotel discovered how to use time travel and is using vacant rooms in the past to book guests from the future. It's an interesting premise, though we've all seen what time travel used improperly can result in. It leads to chaos, which might explain that t-shirt leak that could tease an upcoming villain for Doctor Who.

Why Steven Moffat Ended Up Writing The Doctor Who Christmas Special

This will be Steven Moffat's latest return to the new era of Doctor Who, which factored into my new era praises. I figured the former showrunner wanted to pen the Christmas special because he had a great time writing for Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor, but it wasn't that. It turns out Moffat returned partly because he loves the holiday but also because Russell T. Davies requested his help:

I have to say that I'm glad that Moffat stressed he didn't rework Russell T. Davies's script and started from scratch with his own story. I mean no disrespect, as Moffat and Davies are responsible for some of my favorite Doctor Who episodes. That said, I've gotten a lot of Davies episodes this season, and after seeing how great "Boom" was, I'd love to see more of that for this Christmas episode.

While I still don't know if this will be a happy or sad Doctor Who Christmas special (they can go either way), I can't help but stress how excited I am to see it back on the holiday. There's nothing better for me than hunkering down after all the fun of the day to enjoy the episode with my daughter, so I do hope she enjoys this one as much as last year's.

We shall find out when Doctor Who returns to Disney+ on Christmas day. I'm optimistic we'll also get some information on when the next season will premiere and maybe a trailer to let us know what to look forward to.

Doctor Who is one of the longest-running shows in the history of television, but the modern incarnation of the series is more popular than it has ever been before. Of course, with that comes an increased level of scrutiny, as former showrunner Steven Moffat can attest, saying he was “chief Satan of the nation” during his time in charge of the series.

Steven Moffat has been part of Doctor Who since the show returned to the air back in 2005. His most important period, however, was as the showrunner, during the tenures of Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as the titular Doctor. Speaking with THR Moffat talked about his time as showrunner and the level of hate he says he experienced cannot be understated. Moffat said…

When Russell T. Davies originally left as showrunner of Doctor Who alongside David Tennant's decision to leave the series, many fans specifically hoped that Steven Moffat would be the man to take over the show. He had written some of the series' most popular episodes up to that point including “The Empty Child” with Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston and “Blink” with Tenth Doctor David Tennant. Then Moffat got the job, which he would hold through two regenerations before leaving Doctor Who in 2017.

Moffat has spoken about overworking himself on the show, calling one of his seasons one of the worst Doctor Who seasons in recent memory.

While the regeneration into Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor coincided with a new burst of popularity for Doctor Who it must be said that Moffat’s era in charge of the series was somewhat controversial. Certainly, you can’t please everybody, and a lot of Doctor Who fans didn’t like the direction that Moffat took the series.

Moffat has been criticized in the past for the way he has written female characters specifically, but it sounds like the writer received his share of negative feedback regarding people of color and gay characters as well. It seems he’s terrible at writing everybody, which as Moffat himself jokes, means at least there’s equality.

Since stepping down as showrunner, Steven Moffat has returned to Doctor Who writing an episode of the most recent season, starring Ncuti Gartwa. After taking a few years away, and not having all the pressure on him, it seems Moffat couldn’t stay away.

With Doctor Who now on Disney+ the series has reached yet another level of global popularity that it has never seen before. The last season seemed to be pretty well reviewed overall, but I’m sure at some point lots of people will have something new to get mad about.

Doctor Who's newest season on Disney+ is a blast, and some may credit that to the boost in budget it received by bringing on Disney as a co-producer. That said, there have been rumblings on the internet with those concerned that the House of Mouse may have too great of an influence on the British series. As such, CinemaBlend asked Steven Moffat about his experience writing "Boom" in relation to working with Disney, and he gave his blunt thoughts on the matter. 

Steven Moffat is the longest-running showrunner of Doctor Who's modern era, and he was recently featured as the writer for the episode "Boom," now available to stream with a Disney+ subscription. Moffat led the show from 2010 to 2017 when it was under only The BBC, so I had to wonder what his thoughts were about Disney being in the mix when writing his latest episode. Here's his take when it came to the company trying to influence the work: 

Hilarious comment at the end there by Steven Moffat, because I would wager a good number of the best Doctor Who episodes would terrify my child. Of course, the writer could only speak to his experience working on "Boom" alongside that upcoming Christmas special fans sussed out before it was officially announced. The bottom line is, however, that he didn't feel like Disney stepped on Doctor Who's toes and isn't trying to alter the show in any way. 

While I would argue that Disney has generally done a good job of staying out of the way of franchises it acquires, it's hard to dispute that the marriage between it and Doctor Who is the most natural pairing. As Steven Moffat noted, while there are some dark moments in the British series, few of them are really any darker than some of the sadder moments of Disney's most classic movies: 

If that won't comfort the Doctor Who fans concerned that Disney has too great of an influence on the franchise, I don't think anything will. This new era is entirely under the vision of Russell T. Davies, and it wasn't Disney who came up with Ruby's recurring snow mystery or anything like that. 

Doctor Who's first season starring Ncuti Gatwa as the timelord is rocketing along, and we're learning loads more about the story of the Fifteenth Doctor along the way. I'm curious about who the remaining members of the mysterious Pantheon of villains are, and I'm not so sure I know any more about who Mrs. Flood is. 

With only eight episodes in this first run with Disney+, The midpoint is almost here. While it's a bummer that this installment is shorter than a lot of previous seasons of Doctor Who, Russell T. Davies did note when taking over that while the number of episodes would be reduced, fans can expect to see less of a gap between seasons like in the past. So, while the ride is already halfway over, the next set of episodes is, presumably, not very far off. That's a good thing because the quality of these stories thus far will make the wait for more down the road very difficult. 

Why talk about the past, however, when there are still new episodes on the 2024 TV schedule? Doctor Who streams new episodes on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. ET. Those who haven't had a chance to check it out yet should certainly do so and continue to check in with CinemaBlend along the way for more about the season. 

Steven Moffat returned to his former home of Doctor Who to pen the episode "Boom," and it was another banger from the sci-fi series' Disney+ era. Few would expected anything less from the former showrunner, who played a large role in helping push the series into the mainstream. As such, his brain is always worthy of picking, and I asked for his definitive take on what's happening with The Doctor's regeneration when he talked to CinemaBlend about the current season.

It was originally believed The Doctor had a limited set of regenerations, with the character being gifted a new cycle of them in the episode "The Time Of The Doctor." Then the Timeless Child storyline threw all that into question when it was revealed The Doctor wasn't natively from Gallifrey and seemingly had a limitless number of regenerations. I asked Steven Moffat if he could set the record straight for me, and he was more than happy to oblige with a deep-cut reference to an episode that can't be found with a Disney+ subscription: 

Steven Moffat seems to express here that evidence of The Doctor's uncapped regenerations was shown in the Season 13 serial, "The Brain Of Morbius." In the episode, The Doctor sees eight incarnations of himself, but only three are played by actors the audience is meant to recognize. Given what we learned in "Timeless Child," that now makes sense because those were other regenerations of The Doctor the Time Lord didn't know about due to his memory being wiped. 

The explanation seems solid enough, but wait. What was the deal with The Doctor being gifted a new regeneration cycle in "The Time Of The Doctor" after winning the Time War? Since Moffat was the writer of that episode, it seems natural he'd be the one to explain what happened there: 

As expected, all answers about The Doctor and regeneration tie back to The Timeless Child. Russell T. Davies made it clear in interviews during the 60th-anniversary specials that he would reference The Timeless Child, which has proven polarizing to viewers thus far. Those who have disliked the reveal have complained it changes The Doctor's origin too drastically, but other fans will point out that so much has changed in Doctor Who's 60 years.  

The Doctor's regeneration status was just one of many things CinemaBlend talked to Steven Moffat about. The former showrunner mentioned he loved the fear that Ncuti Gatwa brings to his performance in "Boom," so I do wonder if we'll see that on display further when he's in Moffat's Christmas episode later this year. 

Three episodes into this new season of Doctor Who, and we now have a better picture of where this run is going to go. Russell T. Davies confirmed we will be seeing more of the Pantheon, the enemies of The Doctor first referenced by Maestro in "The Devil's Chord." And now that we have assurance from Steven Moffat that the show will stay the course with the Timeless Child storyline, one would think we'll continue to see more about The Doctor and Ruby connecting through their shared status as foundlings. With all these nods to Timeless Child, I do have to wonder if we'll see Chris Chibnall write an episode at some point, considering it's his brainchild. 

Doctor Who streams new episodes on Disney+ at 7:00 p.m. ET. I can't wait to see where the rest of the season leads, but I'm also already stressed out because I know this season doesn't have as many episodes as we're used to, and I don't want the fun to end!

Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for the Doctor Who episode "Boom." Watch the episode with a Disney+ subscription and read at your own risk!

Doctor Who welcomed former showrunner Steven Moffat back to write an episode of its inaugural season on Disney+, and it took minutes before he had the audience glued to the edge of their seats. Those who thought the first couple of episodes were lacking in tension got it in spades with the release of "Boom," which freezes The Doctor in place after he steps on a very sensitive land mine. It was the first episode Moffat's penned for new Doctor actor Ncuti Gatwa, and the writer told CinemaBlend there's something about the performance he really loved.

In the episode, we see The Doctor step out into a war zone and directly onto that landmine. If he moves too much, gets his heart rate up or falls, it will explode. While The Doctor is capable of regeneration, his Time Lord physiology means the explosion would be so catastrophic it would kill his companion, Ruby Sunday, and wipe out half of the entire planet they land on. Therefore, he must figure out how to work himself out of the jam while remaining calm and figuring out exactly what is happening in this war zone.

I had the honor of speaking to Steven Moffat about "Boom" and asked the former showrunner who has written for past Doctor actors like Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. As such, I wanted to pick his brain about what stood out about Ncuti Gatwa's performance and what he brings as The Doctor that makes the script shine. Moffat responded:

The Fifteenth Doctor tapped into his fear in a way other Doctors haven't. In fact, he touches on it in the previous episode, "The Devil's Chord," when he realizes he's up against the Pantheon, which CinemaBlend learned more about recently. The Doctor is scared in that instance because of what's at stake, and the fact that he must rely on Ruby and others to get out of his predicament.

Ncuti Gatwa is a phenomenal actor, to the point some people tuned into Doctor Who just to see him in it. Steven Moffat highlighted that in talking about how the actor portrayed The Doctor's fear and what he loved about the performance:

The Doctor is ultimately able to get out of the jam when he realizes the Anglican Marines on the planet are fighting a war against no one, and that the casualties they sustained are all part of a corporation's algorithm that ensures the fighting goes on long enough to maintain their profits without any real end to the conflict. Once word is given that there's no actual enemy, the conflict is ended, and The Doctor is finally free to step off the now-deactivated landmine.

It's a fantastic episode from Steven Moffat, who has penned some of Doctor Who's best episodes in the past. Those wanting more from him are in luck because we already know that he's written the upcoming Christmas special, which is set to air later this year. I'm thrilled to see it, especially if it's tied to the growing connection between The Doctor and Ruby Sunday. Until then, there's still plenty of season left to enjoy!

Doctor Who is available to stream on Disney+, with new episodes released globally on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. ET. Those looking to stream the older modern episodes of DW will have to look elsewhere, unfortunately, though I do hope we get all the episodes in one place eventually.

With the new season of Doctor Who on Disney+ and a new Doctor set to launch in May, fans are looking forward to the next chapter of the storied franchise. With every new Doctor comes big changes and things we’ve never seen before, but the new season is also taking fans back, as Russell T. Davies, who helped relaunch the series back in 2005, has returned as showrunner, and now we know another former showrunner will also be back, as Steven Moffat is writing an episode of the new installment.

Steven Moffat left Doctor Who at the end of Peter Capaldi’s run as The Doctor in 2017, and he certainly indicated at the time, and later, that he had no intention of returning. Speaking with the the official Doctor Who website, Moffat apologized to fans who may have felt misled by his previous comments, and he joked that he’s only back because his continued attempts to beg Davies to let him return were finally successful. Moffat cheekily said:

Any fan of modern Doctor Who has to be at least a little bit excited by this news. While Steven Moffat’s time as Doctor Who showrunner was somewhat divisive, his time on the show before that, when he wrote individual episodes of the series under Russell T. Davies as showrunner, produced some of the most popular episodes of the series. For example, Moffat wrote “The Empty Child” and “Blink” which are considered two of the best Doctor Who episodes. The idea of perhaps getting a new episode with a new Doctor on that level is too cool to overlook.

Moffat's time as showrunner on Doctor Who as well as Sherlock, was characterized by long-term plotlines that never seemed to conclude. Instead, there was always a next step or another level of mystery. Moffat's episodes, however, always had a satisfying end, and one assumes that's what we'll get with a single Moffat-written Doctor Who episode. 

Details on the Moffat-penned episode are being kept under wraps. We know the episode will be directed by Julie-Anne Robinson, but no info on the story or when it will arrive was revealed. However, we do know when Doctor Who's new episodes will be available to those with a Disney+ subscription, as it's set to premiere on the 2024 TV schedule on May 10.

Doctor Who brought back a showrunner for the first time with Russell T. Davies' return for the 60th Anniversary and the upcoming season on the 2024 TV schedule. Now it seems another former showrunner might be joining the Disney+ era. Chatter about this all started because Steven Moffat's name was spotted recently in reference to having a role in an upcoming episode, but despite this proof, there's some other information that leads us to question what is happening. 

As we await updates on Doctor Who Season 14 and its arrival for those with a Disney+ subscription in the spring, news might've leaked about Steven Moffat returning in Season 15. No, he's not taking over as showrunner, but this proof suggests he'll have a role Whovians previously thought was spoken for. 

Steven Moffat Was Noted As The Christmas Special's Writer

The speculation about Steven Moffat started when Doctor Who Filming Locations shared an interesting note on the CV of Doctor Who producer Alison Sterling on social media. A screenshot highlighting her role on Season 15 of the Doctor Who Christmas special noted that the episode was directed by Alex Pillai and written by Steven Moffat. If this news is correct, it would be Moffat's first episode since the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon A Time." All we know about the story so far is that it features Nicola Coughlan, who you likely know as the star of the Bridgerton cast. 

Moffat's Name Was Quickly Removed After It Was Noticed

Not long after the discovery, Alison Sterling's CV was changed, with Steven Moffat and Alex Pillai's names removed. This led some fans to believe the post was just a mistake, but others weren't quite so sure. 

It seems odd that Sterling's CV would get the correct and officially announced director for the episode and not the episode's writer. I could believe the mistake if Davies stepped in after Moffat's departure as showrunner, but he hasn't been a part of the series since 2017. It's an intriguing situation, especially since there's been no public comment from The BBC as of writing post-removal. 

Russell T. Davies Said He Was Writing The Special Himself, But That Was A While Back

Another interesting element to this is Russell T. Davies made a big show of the fact that he spent his previous Christmas writing the 2024 special (via Cultbox). So, to hear that Steven Moffat was listed as the writer is confusing. Is it possible the two collaborated for a holiday special? 

Considering Moffat worked for and with Davies before taking over as Doctor Who's showrunner in Season 5, I would believe it. It's also worth noting that Davies shared his plans for the new era of Doctor Who with Moffat before the 60th anniversary. I'd reckon Moffat knew about the wild bi-generation twist based on his cryptic statements on the plans, and he could possibly even return for something related to that. 

It would be exciting to see Steven Moffat contributing to Doctor Who again, even if it's on a one-episode basis. He and Russell T. Davies are responsible for a bulk of Doctor Who's best episodes, though that comes with the territory of being two-thirds of the showrunners of this modern era. Even so, I'd love to see what they could cook up in a collaborative Christmas special, assuming that could happen and it really wasn't just an honest mistake. 

Doctor Who Season 14 will arrive at some point on the 2024 TV Schedule, but we're still waiting on an explicit release date. To go back and watch Moffat's episodes of Doctor Who, you can stream them with a Max subscription.

2023 was a big year for Doctor Who on two fronts. First, David Tennant briefly returned to the spotlight to star as the Fourteenth Doctor in the show’s 60th anniversary specials. Then in the final special, “The Giggle,” 14  bi-generated into Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, who went on to lead the Christmas special “The Church on Ruby Road” a few weeks later. We’re still a few months off from Gatwa’s return for Doctor Who Season 14, a.k.a. the first season to release exclusively to Disney+ subscribers outside of the United Kingdom, but former showrunner Steven Moffat has explained why he’s already impressed by what he’s seen from the new Doctor.

After being a writer during Russell T. Davies’ first tenure as showrunner, Moffat took over those duties during the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras, which collectively lasted from 2010-2017. Fast-forward more than half a decade, the man who’s also well known for creating shows like Sherlock, Dracula and The Time Traveler’s Wife started off by sharing why he thinks there are great things ahead for Gatwa on Doctor Who with these words to Radio Times:

Until “The Giggle,” one Doctor’s regeneration into the next Doctor meant their respective actors never shared screen time with each other in the same episode, but bi-generation changed the game. The Fifteenth Doctor split off from the Fourteenth Doctor after the latter was shot by The Toymaker with a galvanic laser ray, and the two teamed up to banish Neil Patrick Harris’ character. Because they’re two separate entities, 14 decided to settle down with Donna Noble’s family and heal from multiple lifetimes worth of trauma, and 15, the end result of that recovery, is off adventuring with his own separate TARDIS.

Steven Moffat was particularly impressed by how Ncuti Gatwa took on such a commanding presence in front of David Tennant, who previously played the Tenth Doctor from 2005-2010, then returned for the 50th anniversary special, “The Day of The Doctor.” Despite only just hitting the scene, Gateway had no trouble stealing the show, with Moffat saying:

Following his team-up with the Fourteenth Doctor, the Fifteenth Doctor met Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday, who will be his companion during Season 14. However, it’s already looking like Gibson won’t be sticking around after Gatwa’s first season, possibly because she’s returning to the soap opera Coronation Street. Instead, Andor’s Varada Sethu will take over as 15’s new companion. So Gateway is guaranteed at least two Doctor Who seasons, and while it remains to be seen if he’ll stick around longer than that, Moffat is already confident that in a few decades, the actor will be considered one of the old favorites.

We’ll see how Ncuti Gatwa’s first season of timey-wimey shenanigans unfolds when Doctor Who returns sometime this May. In the meantime, use our 2024 TV schedule to keep track of programming coming sooner, and remember that the first 13 seasons of modern Doctor Who can still be accessed with a Max subscription. 

Russell T. Davies has big plans for the future of Doctor Who, and beyond more consistency in the schedule for new episodes, he's signaled a desire to also bring some back to universe-expanding spinoffs. The BBC series has inspired several offshoot dramas in the past, though none have managed to succeed on the same level as the flagship series. Former showrunner Steven Moffat shared one possible reason as to why this may not be the best franchise for add-on shows, while still offering up what he believes is the most obvious choice for a new series.

Steven Moffat might not be showrunning Doctor Who at the moment, and hasn't in several years, but after sitting at the helm for six seasons and helping bring the spinoff Class to life, he's earned the right to speak on such matters. Fans might not wholly like what he has to say, however, at least when it comes to the general idea of creating spinoffs for the Who franchise. 

Steven Moffat Thinks Doctor Who Spinoffs Are A Tough Sell

While shows like Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures had respectable runs, neither were popular enough to remain alongside Doctor Who in the present day. Former showrunner Steven Moffat recently shared his thoughts on why that could be, and spoke about spinoffs to Radio Times about Who-adjacent shows and the key element they lack:

I'll let Steven Moffat slide on the taboo of calling "The Doctor" by the show's title, since it was to prove a point, and I definitely agree with the point being made. The Doctor is the most exciting and fascinating part of the Doctor Who franchise, and why we'll all be using our Disney+ subscriptions soon to watch the 60th anniversary specials. Can a spinoff drum up the same kind of hype as the flagship show bringing back David Tennant for a big adventure? 

Steven Moffat Thinks UNIT Is An Obvious Candidate For A Spinoff

The former Doctor Who showrunner is shaky on the idea of a spinoff that doesn't have an iteration of The Doctor involved, but that doesn't mean he's out on the concept entirely. Steven Moffat pointed toward one popular fictional organization in the series that could be the subject of a spinoff, and I can't say I disagree:

UNIT is a solid choice for a spinoff, especially considering how often the organization has been featured in Doctor Who. In fact, actress Jemma Redgrave, who plays UNIT leader Kate Stewart, will be a part of the Season 14 cast. Could it be that Russell T. Davies is on the same wavelength as Moffat and already has big plans for Kate and Unit in this new era of the series? 

It sounds like a promising concept, but again, Steven Moffat's point stands. Is a show that is essentially "Doctor Who without The Doctor" still as entertaining as the main series? I would tend to lean toward the answer being no, but I must admit Moffat has one major mark against him. He did help craft "Blink," which is one of the best episodes of Doctor Who, and it barely has The Doctor in it at all. Given that, maybe a spinoff is possible. 

Truthfully, it feels like anything is possible with the recent launch of the Whoniverse, which almost sounds like Doctor Who's attempt to jump in on the hot trend of creating a multiverse. It's possible a multiverse could even set up a spinoff with an alternative iteration of The Doctor, played by a new actor or one of the former stars who left Doctor Who to do other things. 

Make sure that Disney+ account is active for the start of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials, which start on Saturday, November 25th. There's so much to look forward to for longtime fans of the show, and here's hoping there will also be some unexpected surprises along the way. 

There was a time when Sherlock was on top of the world. Regarding the most interesting Sherlock TV shows or movies, the U.K. series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, was one of the best and continues to be a favorite for many.

However, it's been a decent amount of time since the last season of Sherlock was released. Season 4, which came out in 2017, has long been seen as the show's conclusion. Sherlock was never technically cancelled, but Season 5 has not been confirmed, and there are reasons for that. Here’s what’s been said.

What The Creators Have Said

There’s actually plenty that the creators themselves have said about returning to Sherlock, things that point towards something happening in the future:

Steven Moffat Would “Write Tomorrow” If The Main Stars Returned

The first thing we have to talk about is that Steven Moffat, the co-creator of Sherlock, has openly said that he would start "writing today" if both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman wanted to return to their roles in the show. PLAY SOUND

In an interview that Moffat did with BBC Today (via The Independent) in January 2023, he said that he would begin working on Season 5 if the two main actors were able to return to the roles despite their hectic schedules:

Moffat Has Planned A Season 5 – Years Ago

In 2014, Steven Moffat said that Season 5 was planned out simultaneously with Season 4. At a BAFTA screening for the Season 3 finale, "His Last Vow" (via The Independent), he revealed that both he and Mark Gatiss, the other creator, had worked on both series (seasons) 4 and 5 for the show:

It’s been about ten years since this interview, and no fifth season has been announced, but it’s always nice to know that they do have a Season 5 planned out regardless. Maybe one day we’ll get to see it.

What The Stars Have Said

It’s all fine and dandy to hear the creators speak about Season 5, but what have the main stars of Sherlock said about returning to the franchise?

Benedict Cumberbatch Has Said “Never Say Never”

Benedict Cumberbatch, who won a Primetime Emmy for playing Sherlock Holmes, said in an interview with Esquire in November 2021 that he says "never say never" to returning to Sherlock for a fifth season. The circumstances "need to be right" for him to come back:

Benedict Cumberbatch has been extremely busy since Sherlock ended its fourth season in 2017. Not only has he taken on the role of Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (playing the sorcerer in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), but Cumberbatch has done so many other great movies since. Besides that, he also starred in his own miniseries, Eric, on Netflix, which was one of the best shows to binge on Netflix. He’s also appeared in movies like The End We Start From, The Book of Clarence, and more, and is set to appear in a new film called The Roses.

In an interview to Variety in January 2025, Cumberbatch commented that he would only do a Season 5 of the show if it’s better than any other season they have ever done:

With that in mind, it might be some time before we see more Sherlock from him.

Martin Freeman Could Return If There’s A “Good Script”

You can't have Sherlock without Watson. In any iteration of the famous franchise, Watson is always there to help the man, and Martin Freeman was the perfect casting to go with Benedict Cumberbatch. The good thing is that Freeman says he would return to – provided there was a "good script."

In an interview that Freeman did on The Jonathan Ross Show in November 2022, he revealed that the "door is never shut" on Season 5 of Sherlock, and that he would come back if there were a good story for them to tell:

Martin Freeman has also been recently successful over the last few years. He too joined the MCU to play Everett Ross, and he's appeared in many other movies and shows, including A Christmas Carol, The Operative, Ode to Joy, and the TV shows Angelyne and Breeders, so he's been quite busy. He even co-starred in Miller's Girl with Jenna Ortega in 2024, and he also had a role in the Marvel TV show, Secret Invasion, a role he reprised from the MCU.

Could There Be A Movie?

The last thing we should mention is that Sherlock Season 5 could become a movie if given the opportunity. t.

In an interview that Mark Gatiss did with The Guardian in July 2023, he was asked why he likes to turn big IPs like Sherlock and Dracula into miniseries rather than films. Gatiss said that he was genuinely interested in making them for TV and that it's hard to get people interested in cinema. Adding that on, he also said he would "love" to make a Sherlock movie:

While this doesn't confirm that he would do that, it's also a great thing to bring up, considering I have seen plenty of miniseries and shows go that route. And realistically, that might better fit into Cumberbatch and Freeman's busy schedules compared to a multi-episode series, where every episode is decently long. Who knows?

In fact, a producer behind Sherlock, Sue Vertue, spoke to Deadline in October 2024 at the Amazon Prime Video Trailblazers event in London about the possibility of continuing the story, saying that there is “a future” for those characters:

With this said, I’m starting to think a movie might be exactly what we need.

Either way, Sherlock Season 5 still isn't confirmed, and we'll likely have to wait for news for a while, if ever. But until then, I'll rewatch the show and be sad that I'm still waiting – or maybe check out the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock movies again.

If you're a sci-fi, romance and/or Doctor Who fan, chances are you are freaking out right now. That's because Steven Moffat and HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife, based on the popular book by Audrey Niffenegger, has just premiered. The novel has a large fan base (which was arguably boosted by the theatrical adaptation), though it has been called out for its central relationship, as many view it as "grooming." Moffat has now responded to this criticism.

Steven Moffat is no stranger to science fiction-based romances, having helped create the fan-favorite relationship between Doctor Who’s The Doctor and Rose Tyler. His take on Henry and Clare’s time traveling love story in The Time Traveler’s Wife is something some viewers may marvel at in the same way. However, when reviews for the HBO show dropped, many reviewers took issue the fact that an adult Henry visits Clare many times when she is a child (sometimes naked) via time travel. In an interview with TV Line, Moffat pushed back against the notion of "grooming" and explained his approach to handling the main couple's relationship during Claire's childhood:

Steven Moffat’s train of thought may mirror the thinking that Audrey Niffenegger had when she wrote book. Henry did not fall in love with Clare when she was a child When he met her as an adult of 20 years old, he fell in love with her, setting the stage for their romance.

Someone may still mention one thing, though: Would Clare still love Henry if she wasn’t so acquainted with him during her childhood? It's a fair question and one that does honestly make this a fairly complicated situation from a storytelling perspective. 

All in all, it seems that viewers are hoping for a passionate and nuanced romance to be formed over the course of the show. Not many people would deny that Steven Moffat has the experience to craft that very thing, given his work with The Doctor (who he doesn’t plan to return to.) Though only time will tell how his take on The Time Traveler's Wife (and the responses to it) will continue to play out.

New episodes of The Time Traveler’s Wife, a six-part series air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, which can also be streamed if you happen to posses an HBO Max subscription. You can also check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule to find out about this year's other big small-screen premieres.

The novel The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger swept readers away in 2003, and inspired the well-received 2009 feature adaptation starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. Steven Moffat, the famed showrunner behind Doctor Who and Sherlock, has now adapted the best-selling story as a series for HBO, which premieres Sunday, May 15. Critics had the opportunity to screen the six-episode series, and there was an aspect to the plot that they really couldn’t look past in what could be one of the most awkward releases of any TV show debuting in 2022.

Rose Leslie and Theo James star respectively as Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble, a couple whose relationship is complicated by Henry’s uncontrollable time-traveling disorder, which sends him bouncing around and appearing at different ages in Clare’s life, which is set on its linear timeline path. The issue that many critics can't seem to look beyond revolves around Henry’s tendency to pop into Clare’s life as a naked adult man when Clare is still a child. The reviews call this aspect of the show everything from creepy to straight-up grooming, and all seem to agree that it’s really not okay as a plot device, especially one that repeats itself. With that opinion as a guiding light, let's dive a little deeper into the other problems that reviewers had.

Darren Franich of EW grades the series a D, saying the concept is just so wrong, and the lack of chemistry between the actors makes things weirder, especially when there are actual jokes about grooming on display. This critic says the toughness that Rose Leslie exuded in Game of Thrones and other projects gives way to lovelorn patience here, and Theo James just looks mad:

Angie Han of THR says two adaptations of this novel are more than enough, and it’s time to break up with this story. While this review says the man-befriending-little girl story makes sense within the confines of this plot, it’s a big ask of the audience right off the bat:

Linda Holmes of NPR says The Time Traveler’s Wife has appeal in Rose Leslie and Theo James’ “perfectly workable” chemistry, but this plotline might simply be better on the page than on the screen:

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times rates the series 1.5 out of 4 stars, saying the series left him flummoxed, as it is “oozing with creepiness” and fails to produce the intended rom-com humor. Roeper's review also points out that multiple Henrys can exist in one timeline, making for some ridiculous set-ups:

Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle goes so far as to say this series should not have been made at all. As pointed out by other critics, the jokes about grooming just prove that the creative team already knew what they were crafting, and they did it anyway:

If you’re a huge fan of the book or the movie, you might be more willing to forgive the problems critics had with the story. For those who do indeed plan to check out this series, The Time Traveler’s Wife premieres at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, May 15, on HBO and is available for streaming with an HBO Max subscription. Signing up will also grant you access to a number of great shows on HBO Max. 

Doctor Who is saying goodbye to Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall and with the plans for their exits already in motion, the countdown is on for franchise vet Russell T. Davies’ second go in the franchise as a showrunner. As fans theorize and perhaps rewatch his past seasons with their HBO Max subscriptions, another former Who showrunner, Steven Moffat, revealed his thoughts on potentially returning to the franchise. 

Russell T. Davies is the first modern-era showrunner to return to Doctor Who, and some fans can't help but wonder if another former producer might follow suit at some point in the future. On that note, Radio Times asked Steven Moffat if he’d consider returning for another go-around after his six-season stint, and he seemed to provide a somewhat definitive answer:

It sounds like he has no interest at the moment in returning to his old post within the storied science fiction franchise, though the specificity of the quote does make one wonder if he could return in another capacity. After all, he also wrote some episodes of the show, so it’s possible that if given the opportunity to return and write an episode or two, he could be willing. I mean, more surprising things have happened with this franchise, right?

While Steven Moffat doesn't have the urge to return to Doctor Who as a showrunner he has played the hype man of sorts for Russell T. Davies’ return. Late last year, Moffat teased that he did know a bit of Davies’ creative plans for his return to the show and said that he thinks it will be great. So far, rumors have alleged that adventures with multiple past Doctors like David Tennant are in the works and that even Hugh Grant might play the next Doctor. Both of those things would presumably be great for viewers though, at this time, both reports are far from confirmed. All we can do is have faith that Davies’ second run is just as good as his first. We, like Moffat, will be eager to see how things go down.

Doctor Who returns to BBC America on Sunday, April 17th with a new episode, which may foreshadow the impending exit of Jodie Whitaker's Doctor.

Doctor Who: Flux is over, and after just a few specials in 2022, showrunner Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker’s run on the show will be complete. As bittersweet as that is, there’s reason to be excited as The BBC confirmed that showrunner Russell T. Davies will return for a new season and potentially much more. Former showrunner Steven Moffat actually knows a bit about Davies’ plans for his return and offered some advice for fans at a recent event. 

The producer recently spoke at a Q&A for the Oxford Union, and talk turned to Russell T. Davies’ return to the storied science-fiction show. After confirming he has no desire to return to the series as showrunner just yet, Steven Moffat talked about Davies’ upcoming stint and gave a slight tease of what fans should expect:

On a list of things I expected when Russell T. Davies returned to Doctor Who, I can say with confidence that having the shit scared out of me was not one of them. Beyond that, I think that many fans will be both thrilled and a little anxious to know that Davies doesn’t want to return to the franchise to do the same thing he did when he first oversaw the series years ago. 

Any anxiousness is understandable, especially given the sheer amount of change the series has gone through in its past three seasons. So a return to the past feels like a welcoming thing at this stage, though apparently, not exactly what the returning showrunner has in mind, according to Steven Moffat. 

At the same time, Russell T. Davies is partly responsible for the success of Doctor Who’s reboot. To this day, many still talk about iconic episodes from his run, so it almost feels wrong for me to have any anxiety to even question his future vision for the series. I’m still not wholly convinced the program will ever “scare the shit” out of me personally, but I’m more than ready to see Davies attempt to do so. 

Plus, the producer will be helping the BBC with celebrating the 60th anniversary of the franchise. Even if he has bold and unexpected ideas for future seasons of the series, the anniversary will likely require he be a bit tethered to the show’s past in some way. Who knows for sure, though, and maybe it’s best to just take Steven Moffat’s general advice in not assuming we know anything about what the showrunner will bring to the franchise in his second run. 

Doctor Who: Flux episodes can be viewed over at BBC America, but fans can find the series on streaming over at HBO Max. Hopefully, the coming months will bring more information about Jodie Whittaker’s exit, as well as news on who the new Doctor might be.

There have been a lot of changes to Doctor Who over the many, many years the BBC show has been around, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon. Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to take on the massive role of the time and space-traveling time lord, portrayed the 13th regeneration of The Doctor but now, her time as The Doctor is coming to an end. With his, former Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat has now shared his feelings about her exit from the series.

Fans may be sad to see Jodie Whittaker put down her sonic screwdriver, and it turns out Steven Moffat is feeling her impending loss right along with them. In an Instagram post, Moffat shared a touching message about the impending end of Whittaker's tenure in the role. He also thanked Whittaker for taking up the responsibility of portraying The Doctor. Here’s exactly what the former showrunner said, in his tribute to both Whittaker and The Doctor:

Seeing how passionate Steven Moffat still is about Doctor Who is heartwarming; his words are unmistakably sentiments of someone who is familiar with the true spirit of The Doctor. His feelings are understandable, too, especially when you consider that he had a hand in writing some of the more moving storylines of the series. And fans are surely grateful for his Doctor Who work, which spanned over a decade in total.

Steven Moffat is a huge name in the BBC network for his work on a number of popular and clever series like Sherlock, and he served as writer, producer, and showrunner on Doctor Who from Season 5 to Season 10 of the show's modern years. Moffat made his exit from the show pretty much the same time Peter Capaldi (the 12th regeneration of The Doctor) moved on from the series, back in 2017.

Of course, Steven Moffat still has plenty of opinions about how things are progressing on the show he left behind, and it’s always tough when The Doctor regenerates and becomes a new version of themself. While we don’t know for sure who the next version of The Doctor will be at this point, one can only hope they fill The Doctor’s shoes as well as Jodie Whittaker and the previous performers did.

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It's time to return to a timeless tale. Previously adapted for the screen in 2009, Audrey Niffenegger's celebrated debut novel, The Time Traveler's Wife, will soon be retold with an upcoming HBO series starring Rose Leslie and Theo James. Currently filming in New York City under showrunner Stephen Moffat (Doctor Who), details remain limited about this HBO adaptation, but we do know some key facts about this in-development show, which we'll share right now. Here's what we know about HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife.

The Time Traveler’s Wife Is Based On The Acclaimed Romantic Novel By Audrey Niffenegger

Published in 2003, Audrey Niffenegger's first novel, The Time Traveler's Wife, became a quick bestseller, selling over 2.5 million copies in the U.S. Praised for its well-defined characters, sharp prose, and unique interpretation of time travel, this literary debut found affection between both sci-fi lovers and romantics alike, allowing it to secure broad appeal in no time. Serving as a metaphor for her failed relationships, The Time Traveler's Wife was a love story that followed a man named Henry who time-traveled unpredictably and a smitten woman named Clare who must cope with his unorthodox condition. It was a tale that was — at once — boldly original and appropriately timeless.

You can purchase a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife on Amazon.

The HBO Series Will Star Rose Leslie And Theo James

For fantasy fans, The Time Traveler's Wife isn't the first time that they've seen Rose Leslie and Theo James. Most notably, the former is best known for playing Ygritte in Game of Thrones, while the latter played Tobias "Four" Eaton in The Divergent Series. In this HBO series, Leslie adopts the role of Clare Abshire and James will be seen as Henry DeTamble, as we follow how their marriage is complicated due to time travel.

Elsewhere, Rose Leslie is recognizable for her performances as Gwen Dawson in Downton Abbey and Maia Rindell in The Good Fight. Furthermore, in film, the actress starred in Honeymoon. Additionally, Leslie appeared in The Last Witch Hunter, Now Is Good, Sticky Notes, and Morgan. She's also attached to next year's Death on the Nile.

Meanwhile, Theo James was seen in Underworld: Awakening and Blood Wars. The actor's other film credits include War on Everyone, London Fields, How It Ends, The Inbetweeners Movie, and The Benefactor. He also starred in Golden Boy and Sanditon. Additionally, James was heard in Castlevania and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

The Time Traveler’s Wife Cast Includes Desmin Borges And Natasha Lopez

Along with Rose Leslie and Theo James playing our lovey-dovey lead characters, The Time Traveler's Wife will also feature Desmin Borges and Natasha Lopez in supporting turns. Best known for playing Edgar Quintero in FXX's dark comedy series, You're the Worst, Borges has regularly bounced between film and television. His other notable TV credits include Living with Yourself, The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU, Switched at Birth, Preacher, and Madam Secretary. Most recently, Borges had a starring role in Amazon Prime's short-lived sci-fi drama series, Utopia. In film, additionally, the actor can be seen in Private Life, Compliance, Tower Heist, Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Mend, and Cherry (2010). Next, Borges recently shot a supporting role in Shotgun Wedding.

As for Natasha Lopez, the actress is a relative newcomer. Her only other credits are Runner Runner and an episode of Law & Order: SVU. Certainly, if this show does well, this HBO adaptation could be her big break. But only time will tell there, hardy har har.

The Time Traveler's Wife Is The Latest Series From Doctor Who And Sherlock’s Steven Moffat

Steven Moffat remains as hard-working as ever. Best known as the showrunner behind BBC One's Doctor Who and Sherlock, as well as Netflix's Dracula and BBC 2's Coupling, the veteran Scottish writer has kept an active profile over the past three-plus decades. Now, Moffat tackles one of his most ambitious projects with HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife, which is a huge honor for the celebrated scribe — by his own enthused admission.

Steven Moffat Says This TV Adaptation Is ‘About A Time Traveler' But It's Not Sci-Fi

As an earnestly emotional blend of romance and time-bending sci-fi, it's easy to see why Steven Moffat found Audrey Niffenegger's novel to be such an appealing property. The showrunner has his fair share of experience with bleeding heart lovers and time-bending personalities, so The Time Traveler's Wife has the potential to be a proper mending of two of his greatest interests. Certainly, in the press release announcing this show, Moffat was quick to flatter Niffenegger's "extraordinary" work, hailing this TV adaptation as a "dream project" and detailing his affections. Here's what the writer said:

Steven Moffat Loved The Time Traveler's Wife So Much, He Wrote A Doctor Who Episode As A 'Direct Response'

As we've noted earlier, Steven Moffat is quite a fan of this source material. As he told Deadline, Moffat was instantly spellbound by the time-bouncing text, and he was compelled to write an episode of Doctor Who inspired by Audrey Niffenegger's book, which became "The Girl in the Fireplace." He even went so far as to call it a "direct response" to the material. In a delightful turn of fate, Moffat discovered that his own work was planted into Niffenegger's follow-up book. At that point, Moffat realized that "she was probably on to" him. Now that he has a chance to adapt this meaningful material, Moffat is ready to turn his dream into a reality, particularly as he believes "the brave new world of long-form television" is "ready for this kind of depth and complexity."

The Upcoming Series Is Currently Filming In New York

There's no time like the present! While the upcoming adaptation took its sweet time in development (as we'll discuss in a moment), HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife is officially in production, though its release date is unknown. It's also unclear how long production is expected to last — particularly given its recent start. That said, we know that Emmy-winning director David Nutter (Game of Thrones) will helm all six episodes of Season 1.

Despite Its 2018 Announcement, It Took Time Before Cameras Rolled On HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife

Ironically, it took some time before cameras rolled on HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife. First announced in July 2018, as Deadline reported, it took nearly three years since this initial announcement for the project to move forward. At the time, it was a highly-sought property, notably with Amazon vying to get it under their corporate umbrella. Following this news release, we hadn't heard anything significant about the show's development; one could reasonably assume that it wasn't moving forward after all. Therefore, it was a bit of a surprise when HBO revealed the show's production status.

The Best-Selling Novel Was Previously Adapted As A Movie In 2009 With Rachel McAdams And Eric Bana

If you're getting some deja vu about this upcoming series, there's a good reason why. Prior to HBO's newest literary adaptation, Audrey Niffenegger's novel inspired a 2009 movie starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams as our romantic leads who must come to terms with the former's irregular disorder, which causes him to randomly time travel.

Directed by Robert Schwentke (RED), this weepy romantic drama suffered a number of delays and received mixed-to-negative reviews when it was released, but the movie earned over $100 million worldwide and found its audience, fittingly enough, over time.

The Time Traveler's Wife is streaming on Netflix. It's also available to rent on Amazon.

If you're looking for a show that will bring weekly chills, thrills, emotional heft, some laughs and plenty of surprises, most fans know that you can't go wrong with Doctor Who. The long-running sci-fi action adventure series has been known to offer up many shocks per season, and the currently-airing Season 12 is no different. The two-part premiere, which debuted in early January, gave viewers a major surprise when it was revealed that The Master (formerly Missy), The Doctor's long time nemesis, is alive and had managed to regenerate. Now we're hearing from former series showrunner Steven Moffat that the show doesn't need to explain how this was possible.

Steven Moffat, who was the showrunner for Doctor Who from 2010-2017, created Missy and wrote her eventual exit at the end of Season 10, has come out to say that he doesn't think the show needs to explain how Missy was able to regenerate into another version of The Master. As Moffat told Radio Times, one reason for that is that he believes the show, and its stories and characters, are more "exciting" without having all the details spelled out. Here's what he said:

Hmmm. OK, I think I see at least some of Steven Moffat's point here, even though, in the context of most shows, it would be pure madness to suggest not explaining how a character came back from the dead.

When we last saw Missy (as played by Michelle Gomez), she was beginning to (very slowly) change her evil, Doctor-hating ways, so much so that The Doctor was convinced to test out her new, less destructive, tendencies in a real life and death situation. Unfortunately, this crisis led to Missy meeting her former incarnation as The Master (John Simm) due to timey wimey shenanigans, and the two ganged up on The Doctor and his companions.

But, Missy really had changed (a bit), and stabbed The Master in the back (literally) to help The Doctor at the last minute. Knowing that he was going to die and regenerate into Missy, though, The Master shot her in the back (again, literally) with a full blast from his screwdriver which he said would stop her from regenerating. With both consecutive versions of the character dying and unable to regenerate, it was thought that Missy / The Master was gone for good.

Just a couple of seasons later, though, The Master (as played by Sacha Dhawan) has regenerated and become totally evil again, without any explanation as to how that was possible. Steven Moffat made a good point when he says that we don't know the full history of The Doctor or any of the Time Lords on the series, and that's one of the things that make it possible for the show to surprise us with characters like The War Doctor and the first Black version of The Doctor played by Jo Martin. If they can pop up seemingly from nowhere, then Missy can regenerate.

Doctor Who has a massive following, and it turns out that this is another reason that Steven Moffat believes it's A-OK for the show not to twist itself into any knots trying to explain how Missy came back from the dead.

Again, this sounds like madness, but when you have a show like Doctor Who, there's no way the reasoning behind Missy's regeneration would have satisfied all fans anyway. If you leave it up to individuals to come up with explanations, viewers who want to look into it can pick from a wide variety of answers and settle on one that makes the most sense to them. Problem solved!

Part 2 of Doctor Who's Season 12 finale airs this Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on BBC America. For more on what to watch right now, check out our 2020 midseason guide!

Dracula has debuted on Netflix and it’s already offered fans plenty to discuss. In its recounting of the famous tale of Count Dracula, the series sets the stage for a plethora of new stories. However, one of the most surprising moments from the new TV show’s first episode had nothing to do with Dracula at all, but involved a wild reference to Doctor Who.

In Dracula’s premiere, the series, co-created by former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, made a direct and subtle reference to one of the show’s most well-known characters: Clara Oswald. After lawyer Jonathan Harker (John Heffernan) goes to Transylvania to visit with Claes Bang’s Dracula, he receives a letter from his fianceé Mina. In the letter, she makes brief mention of an “adorable barmaid” working at The Rose and Crown.

For some background, Jenna-Louise Coleman’s Clara Oswald appeared in the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas special, titled “The Snowmen.” In the episode, she played a governess-turned-barmaid who worked at The Rose and Crown. While Coleman had previously appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, her turn as the barmaid in Victorian London was the first episode to formally introduce her as a companion to the Eleventh Doctor, then played by Matt Smith.

It’s a clever reference, because it wasn’t over-the-top and worked as a nod to Doctor Who and the show’s fans without missing a beat. The reference makes sense, too, since both Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss both used to work on the show.

In another twist, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss also added in another in-show reference. This one belonged to Sherlock Holmes, of course, which the duo also worked on together. In the scene that introduced the true identity of Van Helsing, Sister Agatha tells Jonathan Harker that she has a “detective acquaintance in London.”

At a screening of Dracula's premiere, the creators confirmed (via Radio Times) that her sleuthing friend was, in fact, the famed Sherlock Holmes. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, who also co-created Sherlock together, admitted that they didn’t think anyone would pick up on the gentle nod. However, fans are nothing if not detectives themselves.

I imagine many fans wouldn’t be opposed to a crossover between all three shows down the line, but a Doctor Who crossover would be more likely than Sherlock at this point, though they've both stated that they haven’t said “goodbye” to Sherlock just yet. However, they're currently busy with Dracula at the moment.

Dracula, which is one of several shows premiering on Netflix in January, is now available to stream. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our midseason schedule to find out what’s new and returning to TV in 2020.

Once an actor, actress, or showrunner becomes a part of Doctor Who, it seems to be something they can never fully leave behind. That's not a good thing for everyone (like Christopher Eccleston), but Karen Gillan has embraced her legacy as Amy Pond, the first companion of the Eleventh Doctor.

It appears Gillan isn't the only Doctor Who alum who's kept the series with them after their time on the show, as the actress revealed during a recent visit to former showrunner Steven Moffat's garden that he has a relic from his days as well. Don't worry, blinking is allowed while watching this video, although if that Weeping Angel starts to get closer, maybe keep those eyes peeled from here on out.

The Weeping Angels predate Karen Gillan's run as a companion and Steven Moffat's time as showrunner, but likely holds a special significance for each individual. Moffat actually wrote the episode "Blink," which first introduced the Weeping Angels in 2007, and then re-used them in story lines during his tenure as Doctor Who's showrunner.

This includes the episode "The Angels Take Manhattan," which is a particularly notable episode for Karen Gillan's Amy Pond. In the episode, Amy and her husband Rory created a time paradox in order to stop the Angels and restore order to the timeline. Unfortunately, one Angel survived and in one final act of cruelty, managed to send Amy and Rory back in time in a way that prevented the Doctor from seeing them ever again.

Given that, it's really not surprising the Weeping Angel is in Steven Moffat's garden and that Karen Gillan is jazzed and posted about it on Instagram, but why are these two hanging out to begin with? Perhaps Gillan is finally pulling the trigger in wanting to appear alongside Jodie Whittaker's Doctor and is hoping Moffat will put in a good word for her with current showrunner Chris Chibnall?

It's a possibility, but let's also remember Steven Moffat has his own projects in the works and may be recruiting Karen Gillan to check her availability or level of interest in some things he has in the works. For example, he's working on an adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife for HBO. It's possible Moffat is eyeing Gillan for the role of Clare Abshire, which sounds like the type of high-level casting HBO likes for its shows.

If that's the case, it could be a much bigger commitment than a brief Doctor Who cameo, which could be an issue for Karen Gillan. There's no shortage of films she's a part of at the moment, and let's not forget she's still very much involved in the MCU as it heads into Phase 4. As great as it would be to see her back on Doctor Who or in another television project, she may just be too busy.

How Karen Gillan Elevated David Dastmalchian’s All Creatures Here Below

Does Doctor Who need to bring back Amy Pond, or is it for the best that the BBC America series keep that character buried? Sound off in the comments below, and stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on Karen Gillan, and the upcoming season of Doctor Who.

Brace yourselves, Sherlock fans, for another installment in the ongoing saga that chronicles whether or not the show will return for Season 5. For the record, this latest update seems to be a positive one. Creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are making it clear fans shouldn't assume they're done with Sherlock. The two confirmed they haven't said goodbye to the series just yet, despite both being hard at work on their new adventure Dracula.

Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat spend a lot of time together, especially since they're working on a new TV show. The two confirmed they do "talk" and even said they'd talked about Sherlock fairly recently. Granted, the gist of the conversation Gatiss shared with Radio Times seemed to be more of using a show element from Sherlock in their upcoming series, but it's better than no Sherlock talk at all!

The men left their future with the show open, but made it clear there isn't some secret production they're putting on with Sherlock. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are willing to return to their acclaimed drama, but only once they've wrapped up the current thing they're working on.

Of course, those who have been following Sherlock Season 5 updates know it's more complicated than getting Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat on board. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes) and Martin Freeman (John Watson) are far bigger stars than they were at the show's start, and coordinating their schedules to get them on a set for a prolonged amount of time will be a challenge. With all these key players tied up in other projects, Season 5 feels a long way off.

Especially as it seems not everyone is eager to return, as Martin Freeman has said he's fine with Sherlock taking a break after fan response to Season 4. Freeman made it clear he was speaking for himself when he made that comment, but -- since that point -- Mark Gatiss added to the possibility that Sherlock is done by saying he'd be fine with where Season 4 ended. Now he's teasing that may not be the case. It's an emotional roller coaster.

Luckily, CinemaBlend will ride that roller coaster through its ups and downs with each update until a decision is finally made regarding Sherlock's future. In the meantime, audiences can concern themselves with other things such as when the best new shows are headed to television. Be sure to visit and bookmark our midseason premiere guide for all the details.

Steven Moffat is undoubtedly best known for his contributions to the Doctor Who revival. He served as a writer and later showrunner for the beloved time travel series, only leaving it behind at the end of Season 10. Moffat as showrunner and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor left Doctor Who at the same time, and a big question was what series Moffat would work on next. Well, now we know, and it just so happens that his next series will also be a time travel drama. Moffat is on board for the HBO adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife.

It may be time travel, but it won't be the same kind of time travel Steven Moffat handled over the years on Doctor Who! Based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife was a hot property on the TV market. Multiple outlets were interested in the project, including Amazon. Deadline reports that HBO has given The Time Traveler's Wife a straight-to-series order.

The series is written by Steven Moffat and will tackle a marriage between two star-crossed lovers, one of whom just so happens to be afflicted with time travel that yanks him through time against his will and at very inconvenient times. In the novel, the dashing librarian Henry DeTamble has a genetic disorder that sends him through time, which poses a problem for Clare Abshire. Clare is an artist who falls madly in love with him and therefore must learn to live with the time travel issue if she wants to continue her relationship with him. The love between them is strong enough to endure throughout time, and their romance ranges from heartwarming to heartbreaking.

The series based on the novel only just received the series order from HBO, so details are scarce about how closely the show will follow the events of the book. That said, Steven Moffat has spoken out about his love for Audrey Niffenegger's novel, even writing an episode of Doctor Who as "a direct response to it." In that episode, the Doctor travels through time to 18th century France, meets a young girl, then returns to her life years later when she's an adult. The Doctor and Madame de Pompadour didn't exactly engage in the same sort of passionate affair as Henry and Clare, but the similarities between the episode and The Time Traveler's Wife were easy to spot.

Steven Moffat is on board the series as executive producer as well as writer. This show comes nearly a decade after ABC attempted to launch a TV project of its own, although that never happened. We'll have to wait and see how the TV adaptation compares to the movie adaptation, which starred Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. No premiere date or casting news has yet been announced. HBO has found success with adapting books for TV shows in the past, with Game of Thrones at the forefront. The Time Traveler's Wife is unlikely to be the next Game of Thrones -- that honor is held for the spinoff -- but it could be a success along the lines of Big Little Lies. We'll have to wait and see.

Check out our fall TV premiere guide for some upcoming viewing options, and be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest and greatest in TV, Movies, and Games news.

Warning! The following contains spoilers regarding the Doctor Who Christmas special. Read at your own risk!

While her appearance had been teased for quite a while, it was great to see Bill Potts (her memories anyway) return and have one last romp with Peter Capaldi's Doctor. While she ended up being one of the central characters in the Christmas special "Twice Upon A Time," there was once a point where Pearl Mackie's character wasn't originally involved in the feature. Former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat shared his original script wasn't flowing too well, and he soon realized it was because he needed a Bill cameo:

Bill ended up being the root of many laughs from the original Doctor, as his mind struggled to cope with a swearing woman who was attracted to the same sex and didn't enjoy cleaning. Of course, Bill's character ultimately became the central character of the plotline ,as it was revealed she was not actually Bill Potts, but a glass figure containing the memories of Bill Potts taken at the time of her death. While she wasn't wholly herself physically, the spirit and goofiness of Bill played out perfectly, and her presence ended up being the glue that held this whole story together. While she wasn't the most buzzed about cameo in the Christmas special, it's safe to say it wouldn't have been the same, had she not been involved in the episode.

This is actually quite hilarious, as originally Steven Moffat had told actress Pearl Mackie there wasn't a spot for her in the Christmas special. Upon realizing he had to get her back, Moffat stated on Doctor Who: The Fan Show that he had to text Mackie, who was in America at the time, and ask her if she would be willing to return. Lucky for everyone, Mackie was all too happy to return and Moffat was able to finish his script.

Doctor Who is primed to return to BBC America with Jodie Whittaker in tow sometime in the fall of 2018. Those wondering what other shows will be premiering or returning to television in 2018 can find out by heading over to our midseason premiere guide. Anyone curious as to what television is debuting in the final days of 2017 can find that out as well at our fall premiere guide. For a look at 2017 and all the shows that ended up getting canceled before the end of the year, head on over to our cancellation guide and get some background on why some of them happened.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Doctor Who Christmas special! Read at your own risk!

Peter Capaldi gave his final series regular performance as the Doctor on last night's Doctor Who Christmas special, and it was one for the ages. On top of his awesome farewell speech and regeneration, Capaldi's Doctor also got to meet back up with old friend and former companion Clara Oswald. The details as to how are a bit complicated, but ultimately, it meant fans got to see Jenna Coleman in the show once again. While as amazing as it was surprising, it was a cameo that now-former showrunner Steven Moffat was not easy to pull off:

Jenna Coleman's commitment to Victoria was one of the main reasons many Doctor Who fans initially believed the actress wouldn't be able to commit to a return, although rumors still swirled nonetheless that she was going to appear. Turns out those rumors were true, although it was really understated just how many hoops Steven Moffat had to jump through to make it happen. Moffat tells Radio Times Coleman's bit had to be filmed after production had wrapped on the episode "Twice Upon A Time," and then had to be inserted into the Christmas special afterward via special effects. The scene ended up being the final thing Moffat would shoot for the series, so fans can now think of that little extra effort as his send-off gift to fans for years to come.

Steven Moffat's effort of bringing back Clara wasn't just a gift to fans of Doctor Who though, it was also a gift to Doctor Who lore itself. The Testimony drawing upon memories to show her image to the Doctor jump-started his mind and brought back all the memories he had of Clara Oswald that had been previously erased. While the moment didn't suddenly free up Jenna Coleman's acting schedule and make her more available to appear on the series, the fact that the Doctor can now remember her again will certainly make it easier to bring her back in the future should new showrunner Chris Chibnall be able to work anything out for her down the line.

Doctor Who is set to return to BBC America for Season 11 sometime in the fall of 2018. Anyone wishing to see which shows are set to premiere or return in the new year can visit our midseason premiere guide and find out. Those curious as to what shows still haven't premiered yet but are due to before the end of 2017 can see what's left by visiting our fall premiere guide. For a look at which shows got dropped in the past year and a brief explanation as to why visit our cancellation guide.

Doctor Who has been an institute of British television for more than fifty years now, and the show has gained a massive following all over the world. The series made history earlier this month when a woman landed the lead role of the Doctor for the very first time. The casting of Broadchurch's Jodie Whittaker as the successor to Peter Capaldi has provoked strong reactions everywhere from social media to the press. Current showrunner Steven Moffat didn't mince any words when he recently spoke about the backlash over the casting, saying this:

According to Steven Moffat in a recent appearance at a San Diego Comic-Con panel (via Variety), all the buzz about controversy was actually much ado about nothing. He has evidently seen overwhelming support for the show as it prepares to go in a brand new direction, which would make sense. Doctor Who is a show about a lead character who changes faces and heights and even accents, and the series today is quite different than it was when it premiered back in 1963. Jodie Whittaker's casting is simply taking the show somewhere where it has never gone before, and surely the majority of true Who fans are excited to see something fresh.

Interestingly, the BBC recently released a statement about the new Doctor that seemed to indicate it was a vocal minority complaining about an actress playing the Doctor, which seems to support Steven Moffat's point. He went on to get even more blunt about his thoughts concerning the perceived backlash against Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor:

Tell us how you really feel, Steven Moffat! He sounds understandably tired of reading about controversy when he doesn't see that any actually exists. He has plenty going on at the moment, as he prepares to leave Doctor Who behind himself. He would probably rather see positive headlines about the show than negative coverage about a show and fanbase that he clearly cares a great deal about.

That said, it's easy to see why some people may believe the backlash was more extreme than Steven Moffat has seen. Reactions to Jodie Whittaker's casting on social media were largely enthusiastic, but those that weren't got fairly ugly, and ugliness on social media can escalate very quickly. A woman as the next Doctor came as a shock to many, and not everybody exactly rose to the occasion.

Unfortunately, we have a while to wait before we get to see Jodie Whittaker in action as the Thirteenth Doctor. She won't make her debut in the TARDIS until this year's Christmas special, when Peter Capaldi's Twelve regenerates. Check out our summer TV guide for what you can watch in the meantime.

An era of Doctor Who is going to be ending in the very near future. In fact, Steven Moffat only has one Christmas special left in his tenure as showrunner before the torch is officially passed to Chris Chibnall. As it turns out, Moffat and his Doctor Who predecessor Russell T. Davies concocted a prank to pull on Chibnall that would have been both hilarious and kind of cruel. Moffat revealed the prank that could have been, saying this:

I have to imagine that Chris Chibnall would second-guess his decision to take over Doctor Who if he discovered that he was being left with a pregnant Time Lady, a regenerated Doctor, and John Simm's crazypants incarnation of the Master. Sure, working as the head honcho of a legendary series has to be a dream come true for folks in the TV biz, but would anybody really want to deal with a pregnant Missy as a cliffhanger? For Chibnall's sake, I'm glad Moffat decided not to go with this prank.

Of course, judging by Steven Moffat's comments on the Doctor Who aftershow, he didn't give much serious thought to leaving poor Chris Chibnall with a baby bombshell. The idea came about when Moffat emailed Russell T. Davies to let him know that John Simm's version of the Master -- which originated during Davies' time as showrunner -- would be coming back to the show. In their emails, they came up with the idea of punking Chris Chibnall with the Missy pregnancy prank.

Hopefully Steven Moffat doesn't stick Chibnall with too painful of a cliffhanger. Russell T. Davies swept the board clean when he left Doctor Who, closing the door on the Tenth Doctor and putting all of his companions behind him. Moffat got a fresh start when he began running the show in Season 5, and he did well enough with it. Chibnall deserves the chance to plot his own course without resolving Moffat's cliffhanger in Season 11.

Doctor Who is done for the time being. When the show returns for the Christmas special, fans will have to say goodbye to Peter Capaldi as Twelve and Steven Moffat as showrunner. We don't yet know who will be taking control of the TARDIS after Twelve regenerates into Thirteen, although fans have been speculating that an actress will land the role this time around. Given that the Master's regeneration into Missy set the precedent of Time Lords regenerating into Time Ladies, it's entirely possible that the next Doctor will be female. If you need some shows to watch between now and Christmas, our 2017 Netflix guide and our summer TV premiere schedule can help you out.

Major spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet experienced Doctor Who's Season 10 finale.

It may have only been less than four years, with 39 episodes to show for it, but the Doctor Who partnership between Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat has been a roller coaster ride of excitement. While there have been some dips, some real high points were also plentiful, and "The Doctor Falls" was probably the apex of the pair's time together (at least, until Christmas). So much happened in the Season 10 finale that we just have to talk about all of it.

Twelve's Regeneration Plotline Is An Interesting Spin

We've seen The Doctor angry about having to regenerate before, but never as fiercely as Peter Capaldi's Tweflth Doctor. Considering this is a man that's manipulated his regenerations time and again to give his current iterations more time, the fact that he's flatly refusing to change before Christmas indicates something truly introspective in on the way. Also, it's kind of fitting that Steven Moffat would use the First Doctor to help tie up his run as showrunner, as well as complement the departure of The Tweflth Doctor.

John Simm's Master Has Never Been More Effective

While The Master had been quite the protagonist after Russell T. Davies brought him back into the Who fold, Steven Moffat crafted a much more sinister presence out of the character. Between his creation of the Cybermen and his con game with Bill, which led to her own cyber conversion, the knife was fully twisted in Twelve's back. Which is funny, considering the biggest mistake The Master could have made was trying to convince Missy to join him in his evil ways.

Missy Was Heroic In The Most Missy Way Possible

While The Master may have tried to turn Missy into the mastermind that she'd previously shown herself to be, her positive resourcefulness was ultimately proven when she murdered her past self in cold blood. To a certain extent, Missy did commit an evil act here, but this evil was honestly in the name of The Doctor, the man who truly believed in her. Michelle Gomez getting betrayed by John Simm, and then ultimately dying in the field of battle, was a fitting way for her character to go.

Bill Finally Got Her Happy Ending

Throughout Season 10, Pearl Mackie has made a strong case for Doctor Who being a show that's only as strong as its companions. Bill Potts was a fantastic addition to the Whovian family who not only helped reintroduce the core concepts of the show to audiences old and new, but she also provided a strong emotional foundation for the show's whiz-bang mechanics. As such, seeing her become a Pilot, much like her beloved Heather, gave us the perfect ending for a brave woman who gave everything to save The Doctor.

Nardole Was His Bravest, And His Most Comedic

When Little Britain vet Matt Lucas was introduced as a comedic companion in "The Husbands of River Song," no one would have thought that Nardole would turn into the man that he was in "The Doctor Falls." Going from a sidekick with perfect comedic timing to a bona fide heroic figure isn't an easy transition, but with Nardole's valiant actions saving the children and survivors of Floor 507, Lucas made the jump. Nardole's expertise with weapons, and his no nonsense ability to call The Doctor out on his promises, will be missed.

That Thrilling Final Battle Against The Cybermen

If there was ever a grudge bigger than The Doctor's hatred for the Daleks, it's his unending loathing for the Cybermen. Nowhere was this more present than in his final fight against the invading Cybermen army on Floor 507. Threatening to blow up a whole floor of Cybermen is one thing, but running around a forest zapping while them to death with a sonic screwdriver is another more fabulous thing. A truly thrilling fight sequence throughout, it was also quite possibly the best brawl of Doctor Who's modern run.

Moffat Embraced His Own Doctor Who Fandom In The Best Ways

Every now and then, Doctor Who nods to its past in creative and fantastic ways. But "The Doctor Falls" was the most plentiful when it comes to tying the present into the past. In particular, John Simm's classical-looking portrayal of The Master conjured memories of the Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley incarnations, which was a fantastic touch. The Doctor rattling off previous Cybermen battlegrounds was also a moving detail that helped cement the severity of the situation. But for all that, there was one final detail that expertly tied 50 years of Whovian history together in one fell swoop.

David Bradley Returned As The First Doctor

There's no way that you cast an actor like David Bradley as actor William Hartnell, as well as The First Doctor, without finding a way to use him in the official canon. His performance in the TV biopic An Adventure in Space and Time was such a winning take on for the classic actor, as was his incarnation of the very first Time Lord on Doctor Who. Steven Moffat himself clearly knew the talent so close at hand, too, and so even after that glorious final finale moment, we'll be once again seeing the original Doctor teaming up with the Twelfth to bring the story to a close. And we couldn't be happier.

Of course, we'll be waiting another six months or so for that Christmas special to get here. But there's thankfully a lot of other solid TV on the way, and you can find it all with our summer TV premiere schedule.

The team behind Sherlock is making a Dracula TV show, and while that could possibly affect any small chance of Sherlock returning for Season 5, we're excited. Steven Moffat is again teaming up with actor and Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss for a revamped take on the Bram Stoker classic. Here's what we know so far regarding this exciting project.

For the first time since the last Sherlock episode, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are reuniting to bring Dracula back to television. Variety reports that the announcement so far is just that and that both Gatiss and Moffat are at work on solo projects, and have yet to begin actual work on the show. Despite little to no work being done on the series (including writing and casting), it's already being reported that The BBC is attempting to secure broadcasting rights in the U.K. Considering the success of Moffat's shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock, that isn't too surprising.

Whether the series looks to stick to the traditional roots of the Dracula mythos or attempts to modernize an old tale like Sherlock remains to be seen. The format of the series will for sure be the same as Sherlock, with each episode a feature length bit of a miniseries. Steven Moffat, who has spent the past six seasons on Doctor Who, seems to have a talent for modernizing old properties and making them feel new again. Mark Gatiss has written for both aforementioned shows so he's in the same boat, and Sherlock fans know him as Mycroft aka Sherlock's brother as well as a co-creator of the detective series. Gatiss is reportedly a self-professed lover of classic horror and is said to be a big fan of the 1958 Dracula film, so perhaps the two may be leaning towards setting things in an older time period?

Provided everything proceeds as planned, this will be the second time in recent memory that Dracula has landed on television, with the last attempt happening in 2013. That series, which was set in Victorian England, featured actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the headlining role as he sought revenge against people who had ruined his life centuries earlier. The series received a polarizing response from critics, and would only last one season. Then again, the 2013 Dracula started off in a bad time slot late on Friday nights, so it would be unfair to credit all blame towards critical response. But the audience just wasn't there to continue the series all the same.

Let's hope that Steven Moffat And Mark Gatiss's Dracula will have a better fate than NBC's failed series. While we wait for more updates regarding this potentially exciting project, there are a ton of summer programs right now that need an audience if they want any hope of sticking around longer than the season. Be sure to visit our summer premiere guide to find the premiere dates of these new shows, and once you're hooked, and our finale guide to see how much more time there is to enjoy the new show.

Spoilers below for the latest episode of Doctor Who, so be warned.

Some shows build themselves around mysteries that look bigger than they are, and usually we as fans don't know this until those mysteries have been solved. Doctor Who has proven itself to be one of those shows, and tonight ushered in the most tense episode of this season, and quite possibly the entire Steven Moffat era. Missy and the vault look like they're the least of our worries at this moment, as the Earth has fallen to The Monks, and it's all in the name of love. The end game is upon us.

During "The Pyramid At The End Of The World," we were lead to believe that The Doctor would save us all in typical Doctor-ly fashion, and for a good 80% of the episode, it looked like that was going to work. But in a last-minute twist, companion Bill took the deal where The Monks would control the world, in order to save it, which gave The Doctor back his sight at a critical juncture of his scheme to save the world without their help.

It needs to be stated that this week's episode is the best of Season 10, because while there's been a mixed bag of what seems to be random puzzle pieces, it all came together in the latest Doctor Who adventure. The picture we're looking at right now is rather frightening, and the preview for next week's episode seems to show Missy being sprung from the vault as a last ditch effort to save the world. And that sort of assistance, much like Bill's bargain with The Monks, comes at a cost that might be too high. We'll likely see what the ultimate price is in next week's episode, but with Nardole down for the count and possibly gone for good, it's already too high.

Come to think of it, The Doctor's offer to Missy for assistance during last week's episode, "Extremis," was pretty similar to the procedure that The Monks require to control the planet. The ritual of The Monks necessitates consent via feelings of love, and as we've seen in their long history together, The Doctor quite loves The Master/Missy as a fellow Time Lord. So much like the deal to consent to The Monks' assistance, Missy and The Doctor's pact will probably lead to something much more sinister. Though, what's to say these Monks aren't Time Lords themselves? We certainly don't know the true form of The Monks, and there's a chance that could actually be a band of rogue Gallifreyans under the control of Missy.

There are still some blanks that need to be filled in with the next few episodes of Doctor Who. While things are looking bleak and desperate, the show itself is looking to be the complete opposite. Moffat and co-writer Peter Harness have delivered the best episode of the season, and if the following five episodes that close out the season proper follow this pattern of momentum, the finale of the current showrunner's tenure just might tumble down a rabbit hole of escalating threats and excitement. While his run as the steward of the small screen's Doctor Who has been uneven at times, the last two seasons may go down in history as a fitting end to his era.

Doctor Who will be back, as usual, next Saturday at 9 PM EST on BBC America. To see everything else hitting the small screen in the near future, head to our summer TV schedule.

Doctor Who is a show built on change, with a massive number of faces having passed through its doors in its 50 long years. Now, current Doctor Peter Capaldi and showrunner Steven Moffat will be departing from the long-running BBC series. And while a new showrunner has already been found, the hunt has yet to begin for The Thirteenth Doctor. It's a tall order to replace any Doctor, and typically involves a lengthy casting process, so how long will it take to replace Capaldi? Once the search officially begins, we're likely to know well before filming begins in 2018.

Radio Times has the scoop on what's going on at Doctor Who, with insiders telling them that the search for The Thirteenth Doctor has not yet begun. Chris Chibnall, who will be replacing Steven Moffat once Season 10 wraps, hasn't been able to devote much time to developing Season 11. He's currently the showrunner of Broadchurch, a crime drama that coincidentally stars former Doctor Who David Tennant. Chibnall has been pouring all of his energy into the third season of Broadchurch, but will focus entirely on Doctor Who once editing is done on the 8-part crime series. It's also being said that Chibnall wants to give as much space as possible to Moffat and Capaldi so that they can wrap Season 10 their way.

Once Broadchurch is finished, Chris Chibnall will take a vacation (gotta refresh those batteries!) before tackling the much-loved sci-fi series. As it stands now, the new season of Doctor Who is slated to begin filming early next year, with an expected broadcast date of autumn 2018. Given that information, we're going to have to know who the new Doctor is by the beginning of 2018 at the latest. This new Doctor will then usher in a new creative era for the show after Moffat steered has finished steering the series.

When Peter Capaldi replaced Matt Smith as the Doctor, he briefly appeared in the 2013 Christmas Special before making his first full appearance in Season 8. Capaldi's final appearance on Doctor Who will take place on the 2017 Christmas Special, and if history repeats itself, we could see a regeneration into the Doctor during the special. That's just speculation, but it makes sense that that would be the place to introduce a new Doctor.

Season 10 of Doctor Who will air later this year and will find Peter Capaldi's doctor teaming up with a new partner, Bill, played by Pearl Mackie. They'll also be accompanied by Nardole (Matt Lucas) who has appeared in the past two Christmas specials. Capaldi's final season of Doctor Who drops April 15 at 9 p.m. EST on BBC America. For more updates on all your favorite shows, head on over to our 2017 midseason premiere guide!

Sherlock has been a huge hit of a series on both the British and American sides of the pond ever since it first hit the airwaves. The modern adaptation of classic Sherlock Holmes stories features a killer cast working with masterfully twisty and turn-y scripts from the mind of Steven Moffat. He has written or co-written eight of the thirteen episodes that have been produced so far. When asked if there was one script he considers his greatest, Moffat had this to say:

"A Scandal in Belgravia" is undoubtedly one of the most memorable episodes of Sherlock that has aired so far, so Steven Moffat's pride in the installment isn't too surprising. He introduced the character of Irene Adler, sent Sherlock and John to Buckingham Palace, and pulled off a fun switcheroo that turned what was seemingly a bummer of an ending into one of Moffat's most successful "Gotcha!" moves. It was only the fourth episode of Sherlock, and so viewers hadn't necessarily learned to expect the unexpected from anything penned by Moffat.

"The Final Problem," on the other hand, is a much more intriguing answer, since it will be the third and final episode of Sherlock Season 4. Not much is known about it at this point, although Benedict Cumberbatch has shared that the end of Season 4 feels like the "end of an era" and that it will be "pretty hard to follow on immediately." That said, Sherlock has pulled off the impossible before. The Season 2 finale seemed to kill off both Sherlock and his nemesis Moriarty; Sherlock was revealed to have somehow survived by the end of the episode, and the series never really confirmed how it is that he pulled it off.

We can bet that whatever happens will be big, but probably not so big that the show can't come back at some point. Given that the title clearly alludes to the Sherlock Holmes short story "The Final Problem" that featured a showdown of Holmes vs. Moriarty, it's likely that the episode will involve Moriarty in some fashion.

Steven Moffat shared his pride in "The Final Problem" in a post on the PBS Tumblr page, and it should be enough to get Sherlock fans excited about what's to come in the new year. Actress Amanda Abbington has revealed that Season 4 will be the darkest Sherlock season to date, so we shouldn't expect three episodes of laughs and levity. Luckily, we don't have too much longer to wait, as the Season 4 premiere will air in the U.S. and the U.K. on January 1, 2017. Take a look at our midseason TV premiere schedule to see what else you can look forward to on the small screen in the near future.

Responding to a question posed in Doctor Who Magazine (via DoctorWhoTV), Steven Moffat explained that Doctor Who appeals to both boys and girls, and while the show stars a man as the eponymous protagonist, no matter what the regeneration (for now), he believes that the story has been about the companions, who have primarily been women. To that end, he doesn't want to damage Doctor Who by not having that "voice and viewpoint" represented. He continued:

Historically speaking, the ratio of male to female companions has definitely been more weighted for the latter, though given how the main protagonist has always had a male form, Steven Moffat's views on providing a female-focused story to follow along with make sense. As for the men who have accompanied The Doctor over the years, Moffat considers most of them to be "friends-in-law," citing Arthur Darvill's Rory Williams as an example. While that opinion is subject to debate regarding the classic Doctor Who era, the modern era's male companions certainly haven't received quite as much narrative attention as the females they were with.

Doctor Who has been providing bonkers adventures across time and space for over 50 years (albeit interrupted on television for a while), and most of the time, the eponymous Time Lord hasn't been alone when traveling. He frequently recruits someone from Earth to travel with him in the TARDIS, and most of those companions have been women. There have been male companions sprinkled throughout both the classic and modern eras, but current Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat believes that the main companions should always be ladies because it's important to provide representation for both males and females on the series.

Of course, then that brings up the long-suggested idea of having The Doctor regenerate into a woman, thus allowing more leeway with using a male companion and providing representation on both sides. Since that's not in the cards for now, maybe the show should try spotlighting regular companion duos again, like Rory and Amy or Rose and Jack (not the Titanic couple). With Broadchurch's Chris Chibnall taking over as the Doctor Who showrunner in 2018, maybe he'll consider doing that.

The next Doctor Who Christmas special, "The Return of Doctor Mysterio," will air Christmas Day next month on BBC America, while Season 10 is expected to premiere in April 2017, and will feature the debut of the Twelfth Doctor's new companion, Bill (played by Pearl Mackie).

Doctor Who fans have yet to experience any of the Time Lord's excitement-packed adventures in 2016, thanks to the extended delay between Season 9 and Season 10, set to be Steven Moffat's last year as showrunner. Thankfully, we will get to see the good Doctor up to new tricks before the year is through in the annual Christmas special, and this year's story will introduce a superhero to this time-jumping universe. Rather than aiming for the darkness of modern superhero fiction, Steven Moffat has another powered protagonist in mind.

You gotta love how, possibly because of editing, Steven Moffat doesn't even call him Superman, or even Kal-El, but rather Clark Kent. This is the character who has to do all the pretending, since Superman doesn't ever have to specifically act as if he isn't Clark Kent. Funny that Moffat should be so invested in the concept of a secret identity, considering he has been working for over a decade on Doctor Who, a show whose central character has a non-hidden but regenerative identity.

For the Christmas special, the Twelfth Doctor will team up with an investigative journalist played by Charity Wakefield and a superhero named Grant played by Justin Chatwin, and the trio will try to save New York from the threat of an alien attack. It's pretty easy to see how the Superman mythos may have been an inspiration here. A superhero working with a journalist plays right into the Clark Kent/Lois Lane dynamic, and Superman is an alien himself, with many otherworldly foes taking him on over the years. And even though it's a "G" in the chest insignia of the costume seen below, it's reminiscent enough to the Man of Steel's symbol.

Steven Moffat briefly explained in the Christmas Special's speak peek why the Time Lord works perfectly for holiday specials, and his description for the Doctor could easily stand in for one about Superman.

Fans will get to see a familiar face reappear for the Christmas special, too, as comedy actor Matt Lucas will reprise the role of Nardole that he first brought to life in last year's stellar River Song-fronted Christmas special. Sadly, we won't be meeting up with new companion Bill, to be played by Pearl Mackie. We'll have to wait a little longer for her introduction.

Doctor Who's "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" will make its debut in the U.K. and on BBC America here in the States on Christmas Day, December 25, and Season 10 is set to kick off in April 2017. To see when everything else is coming to the small screen later this year, check out our fall premiere schedule, and don't forget about the upcoming debut of the "lost" Doctor Who serials.

For the past five years, Chris Evans has been playing the embodiment of heroism and patriotism in his role as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So to think he's be playing anything short of a protector to all is something that most audiences might not think of, but something that Evans naturally is seeking out to balance his career's trajectory. Case in point, he's circling the American remake of the British miniseries Jekyll, where he would play a character that obviously suffers from the symptoms of Robert Louis Stevenson's infamous science experiment.

Deadline grabbed the information pertaining to Lionsgate's adaptation of the BBC miniseries written by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat. Should Evans accept the role, he would be playing Doctor Tom Jackman, a man with a connection to the infamous Doctor Jekyll / Mr. Hyde. Most specifically, he's showing the same split personality complex that the good doctor and his bitter half, and he's trying to hide it from his own family. As expected, complications with the modern world and such an individual ensue, with an ingenious twist at the end. While we're still a little worried such a fantastic miniseries would be adapted into an American film, there is some hope outside of merely Evans' involvement.

More specifically, writers Anthony Bagarozzi & Charles Mondry, who have worked together on Shane Black's Doc Savage script, are the scribes who are adapting Jekyll into its feature film adaptation. So considering these two writers have provided Black with some fantastic work in the past and present, there's a really good shot that their script writing magic could be worked on Steven Moffat's darkly thrilling and comedic mini-series. You can check out the opening of the 2007 version, with James Nesbitt playing the role of Doctor Jackman.

Thinking about Chris Evans playing the lead in Jekyll is a pretty enticing prospect for anyone who is curious about Evans' darker side. While Captain America: Civil War did give him the chance to really become unlikable, especially during the final battle with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark / Iron Man. So just picture an unchecked, more psychotic version of that aggression, and you could begin to see where half of Chris Evans' performance in a Jekyll remake would be going.

No production start date or prospective release date have been proposed, but you won't have to wait long to get some Jekyll and Hyde action, as Russell Crowe will be playing Doctor Henry Jekyll, and possibly his classic counterpart, in Tom Cruise's remake of The Mummy. That film is scheduled for release on June 8, 2017.

Sherlock love is still at a fever pitch, especially now that work has finally begun on Season 4 of the super popular BBC/PBS series. Fans are greedy, though, and we all want to know if there will be more after that. Well, Steven Moffat has an answer for you.

OK. Dammit, Steven! This information is too important! Give a real answer, already! As you can see, Steven Moffat's response when asked by a reporter at The Telegraph if fans could expect to see Season 5 of Sherlock was typically non-committal. This is the kind of answer that TV stars and showrunners like Moffat love to give when asked if the show will go on. It does make a certain amount of sense to hedge bets; there's never really any guarantee that the actors involved will want to continue or that there'll be enough interest in the network to keep a series going. But, uh, answers like this are really frustrating for fans.

Honestly, though, at this point there's no reason for Sherlock to be cancelled or for the cast and crew to decide not to go on. The BBC and PBS co-production is one of the most popular programs to come along in a long time. The series has produced three seasons and one special (in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016), for a total of only 10 episodes, but it's still been nominated for a whopping 108 awards in its time on the air. The show is also responsible for launching Benedict Cumberbatch into a stratosphere of actors who are beloved for both their talent and their immense appeal to womenfolk (the Cumberbitches are not to be trifled with, people). And, as you can see from the fact that seasons of the show only come about every two years, Sherlock is quite adept at working around the schedules of their movie star leading men. Meaning that if everyone can get on the same page about when to start Season 5, it's possible that it could happen. Steven Moffat does seem to think that the way they've run the show so far lends itself to more seasons. He also had this to say:

Moffatt is certainly right that Sherlock has become "an occasional treat." When you spread 10 episodes across three season that are each two years apart, it's easy to keep audiences wanting more. Season 4 of Sherlock will debut some time in 2017, until then you can check out our summer premiere schedule to see what you can catch up on in the meantime.

During its classic era, Doctor Who ran from 1963 to 1989, making it one of the longest running TV shows ever. However, the modern revival series has also had an impressive run. Nine seasons have aired over the last 11 years, not to mention a Christmas special each year, the 10th Doctor specials from 2008 to 2010 and the 50th anniversary special in 2013. Of course, as with every TV show, not all the seasons have been flawless, and for current showrunner Steven Moffat, making Season 7 was a terrible experience for him.

According to Moffat, Doctor Who Season 7 was so packed with difficulties, from planning the 50th anniversary to dealing with star Matt Smith departing the series, that he struggled with the immense workload piled on him. He explained to Doctor Who Magazine (via Cult Box):

Moffat added that there was a time when he believed he wouldonly oversee Doctor Who for three years, but because making Season 7 was so miserable, he couldn't let his tenure end on such a note. Doctor Who Season 7 drew some criticism for being split into two halves, the first five episodes airing in September 2012 and the latter seven episodes airing from March to May of 2013. There was the traditional Christmas special that aired in between these halves, but many fans didn't care for the long gap in the season. The season also went through major creative shifts, as the first half focused on Amy and Rory's final adventures, while the second half featured Clara's first adventures with the The Doctor.

Behind the scenes, Matt Smith's exit from the series also came as a surprise to many, forcing Moffat to write the Eleventh Doctor out of the show through the 50th anniversary special and the 2013 Christmas special. Taking all that into account, along with working on the immensely popular Sherlock, it's no wonder that Moffat felt overwhelmed. That's more than any showrunner frequently has to deal with during a year.

Despite Season 7's issues, Steven Moffat remained on Doctor Who for Seasons 8 and 9, but 2017, which brings Season 10 and its subsequent Christmas special, will be his final year on the show. Following his departure, Broadchurch's Chris Chibnall will take over as showrunner for Season 11, which will air sometime in 2018.

Steven Moffat has been showrunner for the legendary British series Doctor Who ever since 2010, so he's had a hand in all of the big successes of the series from Seasons 5-9 so far. As it happens, however, Moffat believes that one of his moves as head honcho was a downright failure, and he has a major regret about a Season 9 decision that evidently still haunts him. According to Moffat, he could have kicked off the ninth season in a more interesting way. Here's what he had to say:

Steven Moffat's confession to Doctor Who Magazine (via CultBox) is slightly surprising, all things considered. The Season 9 premiere may have kicked off the season with the same Doctor and the same companion, but the status quo did allow the episode to jump straight into the action without introducing any new lead characters. The episode was even a two-parter that featured the Doctor's long-running enemy Davros, with callbacks to the entire history of Who, original series and reboot alike. Although there may not have been a totally "new thing," Moffat did deliver some fun twists on old things.

Of course, Steven Moffat might feel his failures more keenly now that the end of his time on Doctor Who is nigh. The showrunner is set to leave the series in the not-too-distant future. He will still be around for the entire run of Season 10 and the post-Season 10 Christmas special, but that will be it for Moffat as showrunner on Who, and he'll be replaced by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall for Season 11. Considering that Moffat has been on board in some capacity or other since Season 1 of the reboot in 2005, he might feel that he doesn't have too much time left to create big new things for the show in Season 10.

That said, the Season 10 premiere will give him the chance to do what he didn't in the Season 9 premiere and completely change the status quo of Doctor Who. The departure of Jenna Coleman as companion Clara in a string of emotional Season 9 episodes meant that the Doctor would be needing a new companion for his next set of adventures. Actress Pearl Mackie has signed on to play the next human to join the Doctor in his TARDIS as a character called Bill, and she won't be quite as easily impressed by what the Doctor can do in time and space as past companions have been. The dynamic between Twelve and Bill should certainly be different from the dynamic between Twelve and Clara.

Steven Moffat's last full season of Doctor Who won't hit the airwaves until some point in 2017, so fans still have a while to wait to see just how different the Season 10 premiere is from the Season 9 premiere. In the meantime, check out our summer TV premiere schedule to see what's coming your way.

Steven Moffat has been the showrunner on Doctor Who since 2010, but the long-running series is about to go through a slew of changes. Not only is current lead Peter Capaldi getting a brand new companion in Pearl Mackie during Season 10, but Steven Moffat is also preparing to step down as the showrunner on the series. Now, we finally know when the changeover is going to take place, but it looks as if it won’t happen for a while, yet. Steven Moffat just confirmed he will not be stepping down as soon as Season 10 ends. Instead, he will stick around for the Christmas special in 2017, as well. 

During a normal season of Doctor Who, we would get new episodes of Doctor Who in the fall. However, Season 10 is not going to be a regular season of Doctor Who. Instead, we’ll get a Christmas special in December of 2016 and then the full season of Doctor Who will hit the schedule in 2017. That means that things will be pretty flipped around, with the Christmas special kicking off the season rather than capping off the season. Luckily, it looks as if Steven Moffat will be around for all of the scheduling changes and will stick with the series until Season 10 is over, plus another Christmas special, allowing Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall to start on the show in 2018.  

This sort of deal has sort-of been expected for a few months, now, but Doctor Who Magazine finally confirmed what Moffat eluded to earlier this year. Here's what he had to say formerly: 

Usually when a new showrunner will take over for an exiting showrunner, it will happen between seasons, giving the new person time to acclimate and plan an entire season of TV in a way that fits the new person’s vision. That’s actually exactly what is going to happen with Doctor Who. Chris Chibnall is expected to begin as the showrunner in 2018, which indicates that the BBC plans to air Doctor Who Season 11 during the spring season in 2018 instead of the fall, as well.

Doctor Who just started filming Season 10 in May, but we’ll keep you posted as we get closer to the premiere date. In the meantime, you can see what TV has coming up with our summer premiere schedule.

By the nature of its regenerating lead character, Doctor Who grants its fanbase the somewhat rare TV conversation point of debating who could take over the central role in the future. And while the entire lineup of Time Lords up to this point is all white males, the future could very well see the Doctor taking on a completely different form. In fact, before Peter Capaldi got the part, it sounds like we were thisclose to getting a black actor as Number 12 for Season 8 and beyond. Here’s how showrunner Steven Moffat described it.

A few years back, when Moffat and the rest of the Who team were in the process of replacing the exiting Matt Smith, there were rumors that a black actor was being courted for the Time Lord, although those talks faded away without many details available. But now that Moffat has revealed the actor was even given the offer, we want to create a parallel timeline where we get to see this unknown actor taking on the part for Season 8. We might use this timeline for other nefarious things, but that’s for a different article.

At the time, the actors whose names were being tossed around were Idris Elba, David Harewood, Chiwetel Ejiofor and more. Elba has basically become the go-to actor for dreamcasting iconic roles, so he obviously would have been amazing as the witty time-traveling adventurer. Harewood is currently rocking out with another sci-fi persona on Supergirl as Martian Manhunter, but I’d trade that role to see him and a companion battling Daleks and chasing a dinosaur. Similarly, Ejiofor is an actor that could fit into any role in any genre, so our fingers are crossed that if the offer indeed went to one of these thespians in the past, that whatever stopped it from happening the first time goes away by the time Capaldi steps down.

Moffat shared this news with Doctor Who Magazine (via The Guardian), where he also said he thinks it would be “refreshing” if the next Doctor wasn’t a white guy, and that it would be amazing to see two non-white leads in the show. They’re halfway there with new companion Bill, as played by Pearl Mackie, whose family tree spreads to India.

Season 10 will be the last ride for Moffat, who will pass the reins to Chris Chibnall. Could new blood behind the scenes be what’s needed to bring a black actor, or really an actor of any other nationality? And what about a woman Doctor? How great would it be to see a female Time Lord taking on Missy the Master?

Unfortunately, we won’t get to see Capaldi back as the Doctor for Season 10 until 2017, so it’ll be even longer before any replacement talks will get serious. In the meantime, fans will hopefully be sated with the upcoming spinoff Class, which will debut later this year.

Doctor Who can be an exhausting show for fans, with all the timey-wimey stuff to keep track of, so there’s no doubt that folks behind the scenes can only go for so long. Some have lasted longer than others, but even the most experienced in the TV biz, unfortunately, don’t have regenerations to fall back on whenever they push themselves to the limit. Sadly for viewers who have grown to love Doctor Who under the tutelage of Steven Moffat, the showrunner will be soon leaving the series. According to star Peter Capaldi, Moffat had a solid reason for his decision to depart.

Considering that Steven Moffat is certainly not looking to retire after Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi’s remarks to Newsweek about Moffat not wanting to totally burn himself out on the series makes a lot of sense. After all, Moffat has been around on Who in a major capacity for longer than anybody else in the revival. The stars have only signed on for a handful of seasons each, and original showrunner Russell T. Davies left the show after the post-Season 4 specials. Moffat contributed to Doctor Who since the first season as a writer, and has been showrunner since the fifth season. No wonder the guy is tired.

Moffat does still have Sherlock duties to take care of. He co-created the original series while running the show at Doctor Who, and its smash success has certainly added to the pressure on him. Each installment of Sherlock feels more like a movie than an episode, and fans are always itching for more and more. Moffat was writing for the fourth season in the fall of 2015 and shooting was reportedly set to begin in spring of 2016, so he’ll have plenty going on in the foreseeable future. After all, he’s not leaving Doctor Who until some point in 2017 due to a delayed Season 10. Hopefully for his sake, he’ll take time for a vacation at some point.

There’s no saying what Doctor Who will look like after Steven Moffat leaves, and Peter Capaldi himself might not stick around any longer. One small consolation about Moffat giving up his Who showrunning duties is that we have plenty of time ahead of us to get used to the fact that it will be a different series following Season 10.

If there’s one television series that’s as much frustrating as fun, it has to be BBC’s Sherlock. While each of the episodes is engrossing in its own way, there are just never quite enough of them to whet our appetites for modern-day mysteries. News that a special holiday season installment of Sherlock was more than welcome for fans, but news that the special will somehow take place back in Victorian England was somewhat puzzling. Even star Benedict Cumberbatch was taken aback at the news. Executive producer Steven Moffat promises that Sherlock will still feel like Sherlock.

In an interview with Radio Times, Steven Moffat had this to say about the upcoming special:

Word that there will be more to the special than seasonal spectacle as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson don Victorian duds to solve a mystery that almost certainly will not involve a blog bodes well for the plot. Sherlock will have been off the air for almost two years by the time that the latest installment will air on New Year’s Day 2016, but the novelty is bound to wear off sooner rather than later in the 90 minutes. The jokes of Sherlock in a deerstalker hat and John in a mustache can only carry an episode so far,

It is worth noting that Moffat’s reference to time travel is purely a figure of speech. Fans began to theorize from the first bits of footage that were released of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in period dress that this could be a crossover with a man in a blue box who took a wrong turn from the Doctor Who set, but it looks at though the two shows will remain separate for the indefinite future. Sherlock setting one of its few episodes back in Victorian times was at once the simplest and yet most bizarre of options. After all, part of the appeal of Sherlock in the first place was how the show adapted classic stories of Holmes and Watson from the pages of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to modern day England.

Still, there’s no reason to believe that the special will be anything but a whole lot of fun from start to finish. Steven Moffat has pulled off the impossible with Sherlock in the past, and Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman deciding to come back for this experimental special promises that there will be some good material.

The Sherlock special will air on the BBC and PBS on January 1, 2016.

It’s rare a show still running can be categorized as “legendary,” but BBC’s Doctor Who is definitely the stuff of legend. The show hit its 50th anniversary back in 2013, and the special that aired to celebrate the milestone was one for which Whovians everywhere could barely contain their excitement. After all, it’s not every episode that brings past incarnations of the Doctor back to interact with the current/ According to Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat, however, the special was very nearly a disaster thanks to a dearth of Doctors.

Moffat recently revealed the difficulties with producing the 50th anniversary special to in an interview with Radio Times:

Earlier anniversary specials had seen multiple Doctors crossing paths due to some timeline shenanigans, so it’s no surprise that Steven Moffat would have panicked at the prospect of not even managing to secure one. David Tennant as Ten had left Doctor Who after the final special following the fourth rebooted season, and Matt Smith as Eleven was on his way out. Nine was never particularly likely to appear thanks to actor Christopher Eccleston’s standing decision to separate himself from Doctor Who, but the special just wouldn’t be...special...without Ten or Eleven.

Of course, Eccleston not coming on board threw a wrench in Moffat’s plan to explore the events and repercussions of the Time War. Nine was the first Doctor that 21st century audiences met, and much of his arc for his single season dealt with his guilt of what he had done to end the war. Moffat went with some of his trademark (and oft-repeated) timey-wimey stuff and tweaked the history of Who by establishing that there had actually been a Doctor between Eight (last seen in a TV movie) and Nine from the premiere of the reboot. The existence of the War Doctor, as played by John Hurt, meant that fans have technically had the numbering system of Doctors off.

While it would have been nice to have Eccleston return for one last hurrah as Nine, Tennant as Ten joining Smith as Eleven was enough to hook in plenty of fans. Tennant luckily hadn’t visibly aged since departing the show that he couldn’t be sold as an ageless Doctor, and Hurt as the rumpled War Doctor was a solid substitute for the Doctor that fans had known as Nine.

The anniversary special itself was met with mixed receptions from fans. The cameo appearance of Peter Capaldi’s Twelve was a nice surprise, but the episode effectively undid one of the major events that motivated the character development of Doctors Nine through Eleven from 2005 – 2013. Still, the team up of Ten and Eleven as well as the introduction of the War Doctor was enough to make up for the absence of Nine, and the special was certainly not a total disaster.

While there are plenty of shows that can be considered international successes, one series that can be credited with uniting fans young and old all over the world is definitely the BBC’s long-running sci fi series, Doctor Who. Of course, no show is ever completely safe when it comes to staying on the air, and Doctor Who is not the cheapest to produce. Showrunner Steven Moffat, however, is confident about the future of the series.

In an interview with Variety, Steven Moffat had this to say about what is coming for Doctor Who:

Steven Moffat certainly has a point about Doctor Who having earned the status of television legend. Running off and on for more than fifty years now, the last nine seasons of the Who reboot have hooked a rabid modern audience. Doctor Who is certainly not the first nor will it be the last modern series to last for nine seasons, but the format of the show is one that defies conventional expectations. The main cast has changed so many times since the reboot began back in 2005 that the ninth Doctor and Rose almost feel as though they come from a different universe than the twelfth Doctor and Clara.

While many fans were dismayed to learn that current companion Jenna-Louise Coleman as Clara will be leaving the TARDIS by the end of the Season 9, Peter Capaldi will be staying on as Twelve through at least the tenth season.

Technically, it has not yet been confirmed whether or not there will be an eleventh season for Capaldi to return to as the Doctor. While Moffat’s boast of five more years in the BBC business plan sounds good, fans will rest far from easy until official word actually comes down from the BBC. After all, the BBC has been dealing with budget issues lately that have loomed over its programming--even the long-running stuff.

Ratings for Who have varied on both sides of the pond throughout the reboot run so far. The show that was always a staple of British viewing became a cult hit in the United States, but audiences have responded differently to different Doctors. Capaldi’s run as Twelve has had a more positive reception in the U.S. than in Britain. With the BBC obviously caring more about its own programming than what it can import over to BBC America, the future of Doctor Who has felt more uncertain than ever over the run of Twelve.

Despite sporadic dips and rises in the ratings, however, Doctor Who is going strong. Nary a Halloween can pass by without somebody crying out “Allons-y!” a la David Tennant’s Ten or wearing a fez a la Matt Smith’s Eleven, and even Christopher Eccleston's fantastic one-season-wonder Nine is not forgotten as Twelve continues to rule the airwaves. Hopefully, Steven Moffat’s prediction will come to pass and audiences will still have plenty of seasons of Who yet to come.

Doctor Who is only three episodes into Season 9, and already the series has shifted the status quo…well, more than normally, anyway. Aside from the TARDIS, the Time Lord’s most recognizable piece of his technology is his sonic screwdriver, which is infamous for getting him out of many a jam with its countless features. However, after losing his screwdriver in “The Magician’s Apprentice,” the Twelfth Doctor revealed that he has a new sonic substitute: sunglasses. Reception to The Doctor’s wearable technology has been polarizing at best, but showrunner Steven Moffat has no regrets about the change.

Speaking with the BBC, Moffat admitted that the main reason for introducing the sonic sunglasses was to switch things up and have a little fun with the all-purpose tool. In his words:

Although this is the first time we’ve seen The Doctor ditch the screwdriver in the Doctor Who revival, it isn’t the first time in the show’s 52-year history he’s gone without the trusty device, which was introduced in the Second Doctor story “Fury from the Deep.” During the Fifth Doctor’s tenure, the showrunners decided to write out the screwdriver, believing it limited the script, which left the Sixth and Seventh Doctors without one. It was briefly seen in the 1996 TV movie featuring the Eighth Doctor, but when Doctor Who came back in 2005, that’s when it became a staple possession for the protagonist.

Claiming he’s “over” screwdrivers, The Twelfth Doctor’s reason for switching the sonic technology over to shades was because the screwdriver apparently spoiled the line of his jacket. Going off the trailers released before Season 9 started, it looks like he’ll be using them for the reminder of the season. Still, given how popular toy versions of the screwdriver are, we suspect that the trusty tool will eventually return to the show, if only to help out with merchandising. Ray-Bans just don’t have the same appeal for kids and cosplayers.

You can watch the video below to hear Moffat’s full comments on the sonic shakeup.

U.S. viewers can watch The Doctor show off his sonic sunglasses as Doctor Who Season 9 (Series 9 for U.K. folks) airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. EST on BBC America.

By the time Season 9 of Doctor Who regenerates on TVs around the world in September, fans will have been waiting more than ten months to see what kind of time-spanning shenanigans the latest Doctor will get up to in his second year. But if recent reports are to be believed, we’ll be waiting a lot longer to get Season 10, as it might not even come out in 2016. What kind of dastardly Dalek is behind this?

So what would make current showrunner Steven Moffat disappoint and anger fans who expect to see yearly seasons of the hit sci-fi drama? Sherlock, my dear Watson. According to the satirical magazine Private Eye, whose background info on behind-the-scenes BBC news is usually legit, Moffat’s commitments to his other series, the beloved detective drama Sherlock, will stop him from producing a “full series of Doctor Who in 2016.” So, I guess that’s a win for those who prefer Benedict Cumberbatch’s highly perceptive Holmes to Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, but it could be a huge blow to everyone else.

Now, the fact that “full series” is being used here is interesting, as that could mean several things. One, it’s possible that Season 10 could be pushed from a late summer start date to one that would have the latter part of the season being released in 2017. As well, it’s possible that a potential delay in getting Season 10 to audiences would be buffered by the release of a Doctor Who special or two, such as those that came between the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors. I’d be all about a Halloween episode, or some other holiday-infused installment besides Christmas, since we got one of those in December.

The report – which also threw some shade on BBC Wales’ head of drama Faith Penhale – was caught by BleedingCool, who said that this Season 10 announcement comes as Moffat and the BBC are possibly butting heads, with Moffat getting pressured to step down as the Doctor Who showrunner and head writer. That’s something that a sizeable section of the fanbase has been clamoring for as well, and a seasonal delay certainly won’t win him any new fans. But then, this wouldn’t be the first time that a large gap occurred between seasons in the modern era of Doctor Who, so maybe the backlash wouldn’t be as bad as I’m thinking.

Following a brief trip to theaters for a re-airing of the two-part Season 8 finale, Doctor Who Season 9 will hit the BBC and BBC America, complete with what sounds like a stellar appearance from Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, on Saturday, September 19. Hopefully something official will come out about Season 10 soon, so we can all either cheer over this report being debunked, or damning Moffat’s name if it’s proven true.

The venerable science fiction adventure series Doctor Who has been plugging away on the BBC for more than five decades at this point. While there are hundreds of episodes of television for devoted fans to pore over again and again, Whovians have often wondered about the possibility of a feature film addition to the canon. There’s a simple answer to that question, don’t hold your breath.

At the Television Critics Associate summer press tour, writer, producer, and showrunner Steven Moffat talked to Entertainment Weekly about a variety of topics. Subjects included the role Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams plays next season, how long current Doctor Peter Capaldi will be around, and the movie question. When this came up, Moffat responded:

Moffat sounds pretty adamant that we’re not going to get a Doctor Who movie, and if anyone is in the position to know about such things, it’s probably going to be the guy who is in charge of the series, isn’t it?

It make sense that Moffat and Doctor Who would want to stay away from a movie. They’ve spent years creating a method that works for them. And to be honest, at least with the modern incarnation of the series, with longer episodes and numerous specials like the popular Christmas episodes, they’re not so different from movies. Especially for American audiences, who are used to our "hour-long" shows running around 43 minutes, a 60-minute episode of Doctor Who feels somehow more cinematic. And if you asked diehard fans if they’d rather have one movie or a bunch of episodes, you have to imagine they’d rather have more adventures.

But if you’re absolutely set on seeing Doctor Who on a movie screen, you’ll get your chance in relatively short order. As announced at San Diego Comic-Con a few weeks back, series 9 is set to premiere on September 19. In advance of that, Fathom Events is prepping a special treat for fans on September 15 and 16.

Not only will they show the two-part series 8 finale, "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven," in 3D at movie theaters, the event will also feature "The Doctor’s Meditation," described as a "prequel scene" to series 9. What exactly that means we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s sure to get fans pumped ahead of the new episodes. In addition to the episodes, there will also be an exclusive interview with series stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, all emceed by long-time fan Wil Wheaton.

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have spent a lot of hours putting together new episodes of Sherlock, and most of the time the opinion and theories of friends and fans alike don’t come into the writing process. However, this week Moffat revealed during a San Diego Comic-Con panel that one friend and fan of the show did have a huge effect on the way Season 3 was written—and he didn’t even know it. Here’s the amusing story:

What Moffat is referring to is the Season 2 finale and the Season 3 opener of Sherlock, which wrapped up a plotline relating to the faked death of our titular hero. During the Season 2 finale, “The Reichenbach Fall,” Sherlock faked his death whilst battling foe Moriarty. While a dead body was present on the scene, the end of the episode featured Sherlock Holmes hiding in the shadows while John suffered near his grave. Then, the Season 3 opener gave us a bunch of interesting theories regarding how Sherlock faked his death, including some outlandish moments but also a story from Sherlock himself, in which he revealed how he elaborately escaped death and used look-alike dead body procured by Molly to prove he was no longer alive.

So, while Moffat says the show usually doesn’t look into fan theories while writing episodes of the drama, in this one case, at least a fan and friend did come up with an idea that had a profound influence on the series. The rest of putting together the series relies on the vast “tonnage” of Holmes stories that have rarely, if ever, been used in TV and film. And Moffat and Gatiss are super concerned about the details. Steven Moffat even says he and Gatiss spend a ton of time looking into the details and fixing some of the "careless" mistakes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle made while writing.

During the Comic-Con panel, footage from Sherlock’s upcoming Victorian special was also released, and Moffat also shared some great tidbits relating to frequent fan-favorite character Irene Adler and her fate on the popular series. It will still be quite some time before we get new episodes of Sherlock, and the one-off special is not even expected to premiere until “soon-ish,” but at least we are finally, at least, getting some great tidbits related to the popular drama once more.

You can check out more from the Comic-Con panel on the next page.

Doctor Who has been a part of the BBC for decades, and in that time, 12 different doctors have stepped up to the plate and shown audiences their unique personalities. Of those twelve doctors, however, all have been white males, which has prompted some criticism from audiences looking for more females in the mix. Recently, Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat spoke out about the potential for an eventual female Time Lady at a BAFTA celebration at the New York Institute of technology. Here’s what the prolific showrunner had to say:

The other character that Moffat is referring to is Doctor Who’s companion, who is not always but is frequently played by a young lady. According to The Mary Sue, Moffat seems to be arguing that because the companions are often strong females, the race and sex of the alien doctor should not matter so much. Especially since Season 9 is already set in stone.

While many have seen Doctor Who’s lack of diversity as an annoyance, Moffat clearly seems to think it is a non-issue, at least, for now. Before Peter Capaldi stepped in as the 12th Time Lord, the show had the opportunity to go in a slightly different direction, prompting these debates, but the show chose Capaldi, who did a serviceable job during his first season on the air. We’ve known for months now that Capaldi will return to play the Doctor during Season 9, and it’s likely he won’t go anywhere for at least a few years. Maybe once Capaldi’s reign is done, the show will give a female Time Lady a shot, but for now, Clara and the Doctor are the team we have been given.

Season 9 is expected to hit the BBC (and BBC America in the States) later this year. In addition to Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman is set to return as Clara, and a dead character is also set to show up in the new episodes. Not to mention a Game of Thrones star will show up in Doctor Who. While we wait for the show to return to the schedule, here’s what is coming up for TV this summer.