Steven Moffat reveals the one thing he’d do differently if he was in charge of Doctor Who again

Davies said "no" but has ended up flirting with it a couple of times - first trying to write a graphic novel (although BBC Books wasn't interested), and now working with Big Finish. (They've made lots of mention of his involvement with Torchwood, but he's got at least some involvement with other New Series stuff too; they mention in the behind-the-scenes of the War Master set that they'd discussed the concept with him.) I even thought that he was going to write an episode for series 9 or 10 but the scheduling didn't work?

It'll be interesting if Moffat goes down a similar route, given his prior "experience" with Big Finish...

 

That definitely was never going to happen. Moffat invited him back for every season, but RTD always turned down the invitation. I think it was prior to season 9 that Moffat made this public, which I guess could have caused some confusion.

 

I'd love it if Davies ends up writing this arc that goes across Doctors, like three seperate Doctors stories, sharing the villain and world. Kinda like what they do with the Main Range, but with 8, 12 and whichever other Doctor RTD hasn't written for but could for this occasion.

 

As I understand it from sources within the industry, the two Dalek graphic novels (The Dalek Project and The Only Good Dalek) didn't sell as well as hoped, and Davies' involvement wasn't likely to move the needle any, so they passed on the project.

 

I'm happy that Davies is working with Big Finish now, even if I wasn't the biggest fan of his showrunning at the time. I don't blame him for staying away from the show, but hopefully over time, he'll give it another go.

Yeah. I'm still surprised how quickly he spurred Big Finish in its early days, but considering he's written at least one episode that's acknowledged their work, perhaps he's had a change of heart. I would be very interested to see what kind of stories he might write for the audio format.

 

I'd love to see him write for Six and Seven. That'd complete the set, for him, really. All the Doctors from 5 til 12.

 

Two things of Moffat's I would buy if they ever came about are a definitive River’s diary. I’d account for three sales of that, maybe four. And his writers notes, if he came to publish them, honestly. What his original thinking was at the time of each episode, and which ideas he diverted to Sherlock.

The cheque is written Steve, get em published!

 

Yeah, I would be very interested in reading his version of The Writer's Tale. I never bothered with Davies' but I would read Moffat's in a heartbeat.

I could go either way with a River's diary. We're already getting that in some form (really, just new stories) with Big Finish.

 

I always assumed having Paul McGann mentioning his Big Finish companions was done mostly for McGann's benefit. If he's going to be reciting names of the various companions this Doctor has had, they might as well be names that mean something to McGann himself.

 

Who knows maybe the 60th anniversary season will feature stories by RTD, Moffat and Chibnall (abd possibly the new showrunner by then?)

 

Perhaps so, but it's not like The Eighth Doctor had to recite some of his companions' names. I like to think Moffat deliberately included as a tribute to the Big Finish era for McGann.

That would be quite lovely.

 

I really liked S5, and most of 6. After that it started to get tiring for me. For Capaldi, I only watched Series 8 and parts of 9; I just got tired of Doctor Who and stopped watching except for the specials. To be fair, i thought that RTD went a bit heavy-handed with The End Of Time; nonetheless some of his episodes were absolutely fantastic.

Moffat's biggest weakness was in Arcs and Not Letting Characters Go. Theres certainly something to be said for subtlety.
I do hope both SM and RTD show up as guest writers for Chibnall; as stand alone writers they were both quite good.

 

On the other hand, dismissing peoples criticisms as "name calling and tantrums" doesnt help either. Its a classic way to try and shut down discussion.

 

When it IS name calling and tantrums, why should I take it seriously? Why does someone have to resort to a tantrum to make a point?

What point is there when it’s “Moffat is the WORST, he’s stoopid, I’m only hate watching now!!”

What should I take seriously from something like that?

 

Speaking of roasting, you'll love this:

http://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv43/onediscussion.html

When the professionals get as vicious as us dilettantes, forgetting they can do what the critics can't - which is they get to make the stuff and people will find plot holes and everything else (or even enjoy the stories as a whole because plot holes are ubiquitous and omnipresent), and I won't deny I've had my own share of getting blunt - though I've been gobsmacked by others who redefine "blunt" to a far lower level... at least they're not doing the "Oh everything was candy and incense when we were together, it was so perfect and shiny and happy" garish stuff readily found on the modern series home video releases' extras. But the resources back then were far inferior; the fact anything could be made and be well-received is a testament. But Moffat surely does know the pilot was re-made due to numerous production/stage issues cobbling the episode? ...

Or Moffat is trolling and/or lying - like he's never done that before along with everybody else? (He's a showrunner who also has to redirect the audience if they accurately predict what's going on, I suppose.)

80s companions are consistent - they're also not being developed, which is one the more pronounced flaws of JNT's era and companion actors have largely all said the same thing, they were stick figures or "personalities". I agree in that Davison's era is largely well-constructed, but it did put characters aside for the sake of the plot.

But JNT did get the show in a harder sci-fi direction, with occasional mysticism. Moffat used more mysticism fantasy with occasional sci-fi. That's all up to the individual's taste. Some probably think "Kill the Moon" and "The Forest of the Night" are the best-ever masterpieces. Others think those are fluffy bunny nonsense. Some find bits to both like and dislike.

 

One thing that came to annoy me during Moffat's run was his repeated callbacks of a few phrases. "You've redecorated/I don't like" it for one. It was used once (as far as I know) in the original 26 seasons and Moffat used it at least twice.

"You may be a doctor, but I am the Doctor" as spoken by a newly regenerated Fourth Doctor in Robot, repeated by the First Doctor in the recent stories. The First Doctor continues, going on to say "the original you might say," as also spoken by the also-recast First Doctor in The Five Doctors, which itself was a rewording of the Fourth Doctor's continuation of "the definite article, you might say".

I think the most obvious lifting of a phrase is the Tenth's "I don't want to go." It's fine as last words before regeneration, but the way it's said in Day of the Doctor, it is so blatantly a callback, it's eyeroll-inducing.

It's as if Moffat can't come up with classic lines all by himself.

 

Actually, the First Doctor introduced himself as "the original, you may say" in very much the same way in The Five Doctors.

And I don't mind these callbacks in the multi-Doctor stories. They're all the same person. Of course he's gonna repeat himself, especially if that incarnation happens to forget it afterwards.

 

Close enough to not make a difference.

 

Plus, I think with Ten he had him say "I don't want to go" as a jab to RTD and Ten, really. Moffat knows how controversial the line was and is and he probably, in a way, trolled fans with putting it there.

 

No, I think Moffat just thinks some lines are funny ("Doctor? Doctor Who?") and will use any chance he gets to throw them in. Personally I think it was funny when 10 said it about going to Trenzalore. One of the few times a throw back like that worked.