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Doctor Who: Steven Moffat to depart as showrunner - SciFiNow

Doctor Who: Steven Moffat to depart as showrunner

After Series 10, the showrunner will be replaced by Chris Chibnall on Doctor Who

Well, the end of an era is officially approaching. After the close of Series 10 in 2017, it has been confirmed that Steven Moffat will depart as Doctor Who showrunner.

Having replaced Russell T Davies in the role in 2010, Moffat’s impact on the show is most pronounced in its darker – and arguably more complicated – storylines, introducing memorable villains like the Weeping Angels and establishing characters like Alex Kingston’s River Song. Having overseen both Matt Smith’s tenure and Peter Capaldi’s current run, he will be replaced by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall.

Like Moffat, Chibnall is not only a lifelong fan of the show; he has also prior experience on it, having written the 2007 David Tennant-starrer ’42’, as well as the memorably likes of ‘Cold Blood’, Dinosaurs On A Spaceship’ and more. This, coupled with the pedigree that Broadchurch clearly shows he has, leaves us feeling happily confident about the future of the show.

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Chris Chibnall will take over as showrunner of Doctor Who in 2018.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Moffat is also confident that the show is in safe hands: “Feels odd to be talking about leaving when I’m just starting work on the scripts for season 10, but the fact is my timey-wimey is running out. While Chris is doing his last run of Broadchurch, I’ll be finishing up on the best job in the universe and keeping the TARDIS warm for him. 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.”

Doctor Who: Series 10 will air in January 2017. For more news about the biggest TV shows, pick up the latest issue of SciFiNow.