Steven Moffat Returns to Doctor Who

Hold on, I need to engage my sarcasm for a moment: Wow, I am so surprised that this new and upcoming writer is finally getting a shot at his own episode. Announced yesterday while everyone was minding their own business and had moved on from the May 11th controversy, as if it wasn’t that big of a deal anyway, Steven Moffatt was announced to be returning for one more episode. I say one more episode, it is unlikely to be that. However, for now, it is one confirmed episode for series 14. I swear, one more “season,” I’ll set the penguin on them.

In a quote in the press release announcing this, Moffat said: “Yes, okay, fair enough – apologies to everyone I’ve very slightly misled – I am in fact writing an episode of the series of Doctor Who.

Exactly like I said I never would. What can I tell you? There was begging, there was pleading but finally[,] Russell agreed to let me have another go – so long as I got out of his garden. Working with old friends and a brand new Doctor I couldn’t be happier. Sorry[,] I was a bit reticent on the subject for so long. It was all part of an elaborate plan that would have delighted millions but at the last minute I forgot what it was“

Alongside this, we got a bit more detail on the series and how it is shaping up. As you would expect, the first episode is written by Russell T Davies, and as I said the other day Julie Anne Robinson is helming that episode as director. Russell also takes on the second, fourth, and seventh episodes, directed by Ben Chessell, Dylan Holmes Williams, and Jamie Donoughue respectively. Episode 2, airing alongside episode 1, is titled “The Devil’s Chord,” and is the only episode to get a title so far. However, we do know Chessell will also direct for episode 6, written by Kate Herron (Loki season 1 director) and Briony Redman.

While there are still two writing credits to be revealed, one of those is for the two-part finale, directed by Jamie Donoughue. Episode 5, much like episode 4, is directed by Dylan Holmes Williams. Donoughue directed the short we saw last year, “Destination: Skaro,” but he’s yet to helm a full episode. Now, I’m not saying I believe JFK was shot by someone else or that crop circles are more than farmers making patterns in their fields, but I think I’ve seen a pattern in Russell’s finales before. Usually, upside-down nazi dustbin-shaped crop circles, if you see what I mean.

Episode 3, however, is where we’ll find Moffat and see Julie Anne Robinson, for only her second episode despite directing since the early 2000s. In a quote in the press release, Robinson said: “It was a tremendous honour to direct episodes of Doctor Who for the BBC and Disney+. This beloved franchise is 60 years old and still going strong. It is part of our collective memory as Brits.

I’ve always admired Russell T Davies and Ncuti Gatwa is an unbelievably talented actor who has stepped into the role of the Fifteenth Doctor effortlessly, alongside the equally talented Millie Gibson. Steven Moffat gave me an intense challenge as a director. I asked him for a keyword to describe the overall tone of the episode he said: ‘Hitchcock’. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks. I’m grateful to Bad Wolf, the BBC and Disney+. It was an incredible experience.“

It is hardly an admission, but I am excited to see this coming series (yes, series!) for several reasons: Russell’s first full series back, new writers, Steven, new directors to Doctor Who, and of course, Ncuti and Millie. From what we’ve seen of the series in teasers and otherwise, series 14 of Doctor Who is colorful, and quite exciting. Of course, episodes 1 and 2 will be available simultaneously on May 11th in the UK at midnight, or if you’re in the US and on the west coast it’s 4 PM on the 10th and 7 PM on the east coast.