Huge Doctor Who News! New Showrunner! No Doctor Who in 2016!

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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Fri, 01/22/2016 - 17:46

Huge news in Radio Times today!

Steven Moffat has decided that his “timey wimey” as showrunner of Doctor Who has come to an end and he will step down as the show’s lead writer and executive producer after six series at the helm, RadioTimes.com can reveal.

Moffat will hand over the keys to the TARDIS at the end of the next series in 2017 to Broadchurch writer and Doctor Who fan Chris Chibnall.

BBC1 has decided to air Moffat’s final 12-part series - the 10th of the modern era - in spring 2017. Chibnall’s debut series as head writer and executive producer will launch in 2018.

A Christmas special WILL air this year overseen by Moffat, though it is unclear whether Peter Capaldi’s new companion will feature. The companion, who will replace Jenna Coleman's Clara Oswald, will definitely be in place for the spring 2017 series, say BBC sources.

Source: Radio Times

Commentary: It has long been my experience that when you have some news that you know will get a strong reaction, you release it late on a Friday night. The bad news here is no Doctor Who in 2016. That had been a rumor for a while, but I had been hoping that there was no truth to that. That is a big problem with being a fan of British TV, these ridiculous inconsistent seasons. I don't know how they expect to keep momentum when there is a 18 month gap between episodes...but hey, it's worked for Sherlock.

I am a fan of Steven Moffat, but it's rare for someone to stay on Doctor Who for as long as he did. Counting next season, he will have been the showrunner for 6 years. I am not sure what to think about Chris Chibnall taking over. I love Broadchurch, Torchwood, and Life on Mars. When it comes to Doctor Who, he's written quite a few episodes, 42, Power of Three, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, and Hungry Earth/Cold Blood. No bad episodes there, though I will also say none of those episodes would fall on my list of favorite episodses, either. It looks like he hasn't written any Peter Capaldi episodes of Doctor Who, though that might change for next season.