Series One (2010) News & Rumours

[Nathan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008...bc.television2

[SiHart]

I don't know whether to be pleased or not!
I'm sure he'll take it in a very different direction to RTD and that's going to be good for the show if nothing else. I've not been his biggest fan it's true to say, but as always I'm going to be optimistic and hope for the best.

Si xx

[JohnMan]

Hey, I'm glad Moffatt is taking over. Davies did a fine job, but I feel as if the series is getting way too repetitive. That just tells me Davies has been run dry on ideas and is going more on "shock factor" instead of quality stories. Moffatt's stories are some of the best of the new series. I just hope when Dr Who is fully in his hands, he doesn't feel trapped of having to do do things like Davies has done. Let him run with it in the direction he truly feels the series needs to go in! If so, I believe his Dr. Who will take things to a new, greater level than ever before. Go Maffatt!

[SiHart]

Confirmed by BBC Press Office

BBC Wales and BBC Drama has announced that Bafta and Hugo Award-winning writer Steven Moffat will succeed Russell T Davies as Lead Writer and Executive Producer of the fifth series of Doctor Who, which will broadcast on BBC One in 2010.
Moffat has penned some of the series' most unforgettable and acclaimed episodes, including Blink, with its terrifying weeping angels, for which he was awarded the Bafta Writer Award 2008 on Sunday 11 May.
His previous work on Doctor Who includes The Girl In The Fireplace for series two, which earned him his second Hugo Award.
His first was for the series one two-parter The Empty Child, which became famous for its terrifying refrain "Are you my mummy?"
For the current series, Moffat has written Silence In The Library, a two-parter starring Alex Kingston which transmits on 31 May and 7 June 2008 on BBC One.
Steven's career began with the landmark ITV children's drama Press Gang in 1989, for which he won his first Bafta.
Coupling, the hugely popular and award-winning sitcom he created and wrote for BBC Two, began in 2000 and ran for four seasons.
Jekyll, his six-part thriller starring James Nesbitt and Michelle Ryan, transmitted on BBC One last year.
Steven will continue as one of the directors on the board of Hartswood Films which produced Coupling and Jekyll, where he is also working on his new comedy Adam & Eve with wife Sue Vertue.
He has just delivered the screenplay for Tintin - the first instalment of the trilogy of films featuring the iconic Belgian comic-strip hero - to Steven Spielberg who will direct it for DreamWorks. Thomas Sangster and Andy Serkis will star.
Steven Moffat says: "My entire career has been a Secret Plan to get this job. I applied before but I got knocked back 'cos the BBC wanted someone else. Also I was seven.
"Anyway, I'm glad the BBC has finally seen the light, and it's a huge honour to be following Russell into the best - and the toughest - job in television. I say toughest 'cos Russell's at my window right now, pointing and laughing."
Lead Writer and Executive Producer Russell T Davies says: "It's been a delight and an honour working with Steven, and I can't wait to see where his extraordinary imagination takes the Doctor. Best of all, I get to be a viewer again, watching on a Saturday night!"
Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction, says: "Scripts and writers are at the heart of what BBC Drama is all about, and especially at the heart of Doctor Who. The past four series have been brilliantly helmed by the spectacularly talented Russell T Davies.
"As Lead Writer and Executive Producer, he has overseen the creative direction and detail of the 21st century relaunch of Doctor Who and we are delighted to have his continued presence on the specials over the next 18 months.
"But the challenge and excitement of the fifth series is now being handed to Steven Moffat. The Tardis couldn't be in safer hands. Steven's talents on both Doctor Who and beyond are well known. He is a writer of glittering brilliance, comedy and depth, with an extraordinary imagination and a unique voice.
"Steven has a wonderful mix of being a committed Doctor Who fan and a true artist, and his plans for the next series are totally thrilling."
The announcement follows the news that Piers Wenger will take over the role of Executive Producer from Julie Gardner on series five of Doctor Who.
Piers Wenger says: "The challenge of taking Doctor Who to a new future is a huge and thrilling one and BBC Wales is blessed to have someone with Steven's extraordinary talent in charge.
"His imagination and creativity have already given birth to some of the series' most unforgettable monsters though in this instance no one need fear; time, space and the future of The Doctor are safe with him."
Wenger and Moffat are already working closely together on the planning of the series.
Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales says: "BBC Wales is very proud of Doctor Who's phenomenal success. Steven Moffat is an extraordinary talent and we are very much looking forward to him joining the Doctor Who team."
Series four has achieved some of the show's highest audience figures to date and forthcoming episodes feature a stellar line-up of guests including Lesley Sharp, Lindsey Coulson, Alex Kingston, Colin Salmon and Michael Brandon.
Freema Agyeman and Billie Piper - The Doctor's two former companions – have also returned to assist The Doctor in series four.
Doctor Who will return in 2009 with four specials, and the full-length fifth series is currently scheduled to be broadcast on BBC One in Spring 2010.

Si xx

[Nathan]

I don't know whether to be pleased or not!
I'm sure he'll take it in a very different direction to RTD and that's going to be good for the show if nothing else. I've not been his biggest fan it's true to say, but as always I'm going to be optimistic and hope for the best.

Si xx

If you stick to your hunch, there's less chance of being disappointed

[Nathan]

I just hope when Dr Who is fully in his hands, he doesn't feel trapped of having to do do things like Davies has done. Let him run with it in the direction he truly feels the series needs to go in!

The problem is though that there are other forces that also have a say in where it goes. This could of course be a good thing.

[Dino]

Well done to him, but let alone design the plot for the next series he has to write the majority of it himself! Then we'll see if he's as spooky as he thinks he is!

[Perry Vale]

Well, I did post this news the other day here.....

Good news, IMO, I think it's in good hands.

[Dirk Gently]

I must say I'm quite looking forward to series five...you watch it flop!

[WhiteCrow]

Change is always frightening. RTD has done a good job, although I know I'm sometimes critical of him.

It's always a bit jittery though - Doctor Who essentially has a winning formula now, when you change the line up in front or behind the lens, you feel jitterey about whether things will go to the dogs, and we'll be facing another long drought.

Of course really every season so far has involved some change, and perhaps with next year being "Doctor Who Lite", it'll be an ideal time for the new team to get into place to do something similar but also breaking new ground.

Whatever happens, we've had 4 brilliant seasons (with some patchy parts true) from a series which was essentially dead before RTD's name was attatched (although Big Finish might argue they were flying the flag) - so hat's off to the man!

[Stuart Wallis]

Well, RTD couldn't stay forever, and as long as Steven manages to keep the series popular, well done him and good luck!

Incidentally, after JNT and RTD, I wonder if someday, Steven will be referred to by three initials. I hope his middle initial isn't N...

[duncan]

Well done to Mr Moffat. The show is in safe hands in my opinion. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink have been among the best episodes since the show returned.

Goodbye RTD and thanks for what you have done. You have turned my living room from a lonley place (when I watched a VHS of the classic series) to a family room again on Saturday evenings.

[Dirk Gently]

Well, RTD couldn't stay forever, and as long as Steven manages to keep the series popular, well done him and good luck!

Incidentally, after JNT and RTD, I wonder if someday, Steven will be referred to by three initials. I hope his middle initial isn't &...

His middle name is Norman.

[Alex]

Well, I did post this news the other day here.....

Good news, IMO, I think it's in good hands.

I posted it back in January in the Today's Sun Exclusive thread, but no one believed me then either

Anyway, I think this is absolutely fantastic news, and I can't wait to see more stories from him each year and his take on new Who in general.

[Paul Clement]

If he takes on RTD's role of penning the most stories in a season, then we could be in for the best seasons of Doctor Who yet. Every story he's written for the show has been amongst the best there's been.

[SiHart]

I hope there's more bananas, more Doctor snogging random historical women and more dancing. Sorry I mean "dancing"



Si xx

[Kaybee Bailey]

Well, we can give this a nomination for worst kept secret since the new series began.

I have to say that I do really admire Steven Moffat's writing. He's very clever in how he plots an episode, and if that translates into the overall plotting of a series then we should get some really good stuff. Also I think it's positive to have someone who has worked on the series from the start take over at this stage, especially with producers and other crew changing at the moment.

So does this mean we get Georgia Moffett as companion then? Or would that be some form of not-wide-enough-surname-cronyism-straight-agenda?

[Captain Tancredi]

He's eminently well-qualified for the job, has a similar industry standing to RTD and is if anything better when it comes to the nuts-and-bolts script writing.

[Milky Tears]

This news has been out there for a few months, hasn't it!?


I'm hoping Mofffeeeatttttttee "does a Jekyll" with Series Five. Audiences of 3 million watching a load of pervy old w*nk.

DOOOOOOOOOOOMED FOR ETERNITY!!!!!!

Will it stop fans bitching about the series? Will it ****!!

[Paul Hayes]

This is terrific news, and it feels just as exciting as those days in September 2003 and March 2004, when we learned the show as coming back and who the new Doctor was to be.

I can't wait for 2010, but eternal thanks must go to Davies for bringing back the show we love, and doing it so superbly.

[Si Hunt]

I'm pleased. RTD will go down as doing more for Doctor Who than anyone since, perhaps, the start, given he took it from a long-dead show that everyone laughed at to being the hottest property on TV. But Doctor Who's tradition has always been of re-booting itself, and now, finally, we will have a hit show that has none of the same cast or crew than it did when it became popular... just like it's always been.

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

I just noticed this on the BBC news page, and naive fool that I was, thought I'd come over here and start a thread...

I think it's good news for the show - one of the things that allowed it to last so long is its ability to constantly change. Even in the TV-less 1990s, the switch from 7th Doctor NAs to 8th Doctor EDAs was a good kick-up-the-pants reboot. So, RTD will go out on a definite high, and will probably have given all he can to the show (although I wouldn't be overly surprised to see him back as a 'guest writer').

Moffat - he doesn't always come across onscreen as the nicest bloke, but frankly why should he, and why should we care? People still moan after all these years about Tom being a pain in the arse to work with, but when I watch a Tom Baker story, I don't care how much of a pain he was! It'll be the same with Moffat I'm sure - he'll give us some great Who (although whether he'll be able to write as many, and as varied in style, as RTD I'm not sure) and it'll give the show a different feel I think.

Obviously it was 20 years ago, but he wrote all the Press Gang scripts, and that was an absolutely amazing piece of work, so if he's still got something of that genius about him, 2010 should be quite a season!!


Incidentally... four specials for 2009, I thought it was three. Is that tacit confirmation that it's three + Christmas 2009? I was kind of assuming that it would just be two + Christmas. Wonderful news Heather Flores!

[Jonno]

Good news I would say, especially having someone who's been involved with the show since its relaunch, and let's not forget an award winning writer too! Curious timing of the announcement, still halfway through the series and with almost 2 whole years to go before we see the fruits of Moffat's labour. Also intriguing that it just so happens to be right ahead of Moffat's S4 story!

He has a hard act to follow though - RTD has generally done a wonderful job and I can't help but think that if JNT for example had left after four seasons, I would have ranked him as one of all the time great producers too.

[Pip Madeley]

I go out for the evening and what happens while I'm gone?

I think it's excellent news. RTD has done a fine job but it was obvious he was starting to get itchy feet & needs a good rest/change of direction. Moffatt is a very good choice and I'm sure Doctor Who will be just fine under his command. It does give me the feeling that there'll be a new Doctor for series five though - will Tennant want to leave with RTD?

[Milky Tears]

Moffeeattttt's brillo hair will destroy everything!