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Steven Moffat: Taking over Doctor Who was terrifying

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

From Digital Spy

As he prepares to officially hand over the reins to new boss Chris Chibnall, outgoing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has been reflecting on the time he was first asked to take control of the TARDIS.

At a screening of his final episode – the Christmas special, 'Twice Upon a Time' – Moffat described his time on the show as a mixture of "joy, and terror, and far too much work".

"The big one for me wasn't getting the showrunner job, it was actually getting asked to write for the show at all," he recalled. "I remember I'd just hurt my knee, so I was in a bad mood. I was going to the Comedy Awards later that evening and my agent phoned me and said, 'How would you feel about doing a two-part Doctor Who?'

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

"It was all I could think about... 'I'm actually going to write Doctor Who, I'm going to write the word 'TARDIS' - and it won't be in crayon this time! It'll be actual actors! I won't have to make my own little puppets!'

"So I was so excited. I was absolutely buzzing. Thrilled. And then it escalated beyond that. I got asked back every year by Russell [T Davies] and then when Russell was leaving, he sent me an e-mail asking if I'd like to take it over."

Related: Steven Moffat opens up about his Doctor Who exit: "There have been very difficult times"

Moffat described getting the call – well, the e-mail – from RTD as "terrifying" but "thrilling" at the same time.

"It's just been nothing but joy. Joy and terror and far too much work, but never let anyone tell you that you should worry about getting your dreams, because it's really nice. It's really great."

Photo credit: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
Photo credit: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

Having spearheaded Doctor Who for eight years, now is Moffat's time to retire from the series. But when asked how he'd like to be remembered, he replied that he'd much rather that fans looked forward, to the next series in 2018.

"The thing about Doctor Who is, while he travels in space and time, he's all about now. So in a way, don't worry about remembering, keep enjoying it now. Go and watch Jodie [Whittaker]'s adventures, because that's what matters now.

"I've seen a tiny bit of Jodie, she's absolutely amazing. So that's going to be extraordinary."

Doctor Who: 'Twice Upon a Time' airs on BBC One on Christmas Day at 5.30pm.


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