Big news for fans of the long-running BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who today with the announcement that showrunner Steven Moffat will be stepping down to make way for Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall.
The story broke early this morning through RadioTimes, and was later confirmed by both the official Twitter account for the show and the BBC themselves.
Moffat seemed cheery about the development, saying in a statement: “It took a lot of gin and tonic to talk him into this, but I am beyond delighted that one of the true stars of British Television drama will be taking the Time Lord even further into the future. At the start of season 11, Chris Chibnall will become the new showrunner of Doctor Who. And I will be thrown in a skip.”
The BBC have also confirmed earlier rumors that while Moffat’s final season as showrunner isn’t due until Spring 2017, fans still have the 2016 Christmas Special to look forward to.
Though responsible for some of the most popular episodes of the Davies-era (“Blink”, “The Doctor Dances”), Moffat faced a lot of criticism during his tenure as showrunner – particularly when it came to show’s female characters. However, given his successes when it came to expanding the show’s international following – it’s not surprising the BBC kept him involved as long as they did.
In any case, it’ll be fascinating to see what developments the show undergoes when Chibnall takes the reigns in 2018.
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