All of this has happened before and will happen again.
Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner
- Thread starter Allyn Gibson
- Start date
I think anyone who knows me on here knows that I'm Team Moffat, but I do think after RTD we need a new showrunner, and I think (blasphemy I know) that it isn't essential that they're a super fan (I mean Chibnall was an old school fan and look how that turned out). It's eminently possible that any new showrunner grew up with Nu Who the way RTD et al grew up watching the classic show, hell, a ten year old who saw Rose in 2025 is gonna be well into their thirties by the time RTD steps away again.
I've no idea who that'll be, but I have seen Kate Herron's name mentioned and she did showrun the first season of Loki, which had a very Doctor Who vibe going on, plus she co-wrote Rogue which was probably my favourite episode of Ncuti's first season, most of her experience is as a director but that might make a change from having a pure writer as showrunner.
I'd still like Joe Ahearne but suspect he's done with Who and doubt he'd want to do more than one season (but why not?). There's also Sally Wainwright, ok she's done little in the sphere of sci-fi or fantasy (outside of Renegade Nell) but she does have a hugely impressive body of work and you might be able to swing Suranne Jones as the Doctor as well (which would be incredible).
It'll depend what kind of show Who is at the time as well. If the link with Disney and a relatively high budget is there someone like Herron could be ideal, if Disney's had enough (and always assuming the BBC haven't had enough) and we're back to RTD's comment about low budget claustrophobic ghost stories, then someone like Ahearne or Wainwright could be ideal.
I've no idea who that'll be, but I have seen Kate Herron's name mentioned and she did showrun the first season of Loki, which had a very Doctor Who vibe going on, plus she co-wrote Rogue which was probably my favourite episode of Ncuti's first season, most of her experience is as a director but that might make a change from having a pure writer as showrunner.
I'd still like Joe Ahearne but suspect he's done with Who and doubt he'd want to do more than one season (but why not?). There's also Sally Wainwright, ok she's done little in the sphere of sci-fi or fantasy (outside of Renegade Nell) but she does have a hugely impressive body of work and you might be able to swing Suranne Jones as the Doctor as well (which would be incredible).
It'll depend what kind of show Who is at the time as well. If the link with Disney and a relatively high budget is there someone like Herron could be ideal, if Disney's had enough (and always assuming the BBC haven't had enough) and we're back to RTD's comment about low budget claustrophobic ghost stories, then someone like Ahearne or Wainwright could be ideal.
RTD watched The Shape of Water in other words.
Genuine piece of dialogue heard at the recent location shooting from Torvey's character after GMR's character dives off a bridge to escape UNIT: "I'll find you! You'll never swim alone! You'll never swim alone"!
I'm all for Kate Herron. I loved her work on the first season of Loki and "Rogue" was terrific (aside from my one complaint about the easy out at the end). Plus, I would love to see a female showruner's perspective of leadinfg the show.
It didn't happen if no source is provided. No name given, let alone an actual link.
For some reason, Victoria Woods channel swimming character has now popped into my head.
IMO Loki was good, Rogue was absolutely terrible and risibly written. So while I might watch something she was running, I think I would rather it wasn’t Doctor Who. Which doesn’t matter on a variety of levels — ranging from the fact mine is just one opinion, to the fact the series is possibly already holed below the waterline and going to be nought but nostalgic bubbles on the sea of genre media indifference within a few years if that.
Ideally, RTD should have a protégé who he's teaching this time around who can take over when he decides it's time to leave and release a new edition of The Writer's Tale. Though with RTD writing most of the episodes at least during the first season besides two, there doesn't seem to be such a person yet.
Putting the pool in Liverpool
Totally agree with that. We need a fresh perspective. I'm also Team Moffat, although I enjoyed RTD1 nearly as much.
While we can all agree that Moffat probably hasn't written his final DW story, he's not coming back as showrunner.
But a fresh new take would be nice. I have no idea who that would be. I'm sure it would be someone I've never heard of! I haven't watch any SW series so don't know about them, but your comments sound encouraging.
I'd actually prefer that there was no direct connection to RTD. I'd far prefer a new perspective that wasn't influence so much by RTD. DW has become too insular over the years in terms of showrunning.
That said, I wouldn't be surprised if a protege takes over. Particularly, if the D+ deal with RTD showrunning persists for awhile. You can imagine that over time RTD might write less and oversee the show more generally. In that scenario, one of the more prominent writers who emerges could be the protege.
All bets are off though if the D+ deal ends and RTD departs!
I'm unaware of any "controversy" surrounding Empress of Mars and and a quick Google search on the matter only reveals fans bitching about continuity.
Regardless, Chibnall was publicly announced as Moffat's successor a little over four months before Empress of Mars even aired. So unless this controversy you speak of occurred during production, then there is absolutely no way Empress of Mars could have any impact either way on whether or not Gatiss would become showrunner.
Though to be honest, I seem to remember Gatiss saying as early as 2015 that he had no interest in someday being Doctor Who showrunner anyway, though don't hold me to that.
First I've heard anything about a "controversy" regarding that episode so I suspect it's fabricated.
I also seem to recall Gatiss saying he had no interest in running the show. That's fine by me. His writing is hit and miss (but still writes strong episodes when he does hit).
Either way, I rather I have someone younger with a different kind history and background. Yeah, I know, pretty vague.
I also seem to recall Gatiss saying he had no interest in running the show. That's fine by me. His writing is hit and miss (but still writes strong episodes when he does hit).
Either way, I rather I have someone younger with a different kind history and background. Yeah, I know, pretty vague.
Writing audio dramas, and for that matter producing audio drama series, may not be an entirely transferable skill where running a TV series is concerned, but there's a significant pool of talent working on Big Finish audios. Not that I'd want James Goss, for example, to step away completely from the consistently strong Torchwood audio range, but I do wonder what he and some of BF's other writers could do on TV.
And even then, Chibnall was named Moffat's successor in January 2016. So there's no way something from June 2017 is the reason Gatiss didn't succeed Moffat.
Yes, my math was way off in my previous post when I said "four months earlier" given it was in fact sixteen months earlier. I got my facts confused. January 2017 was when Capaldi announced he was stepping down.
I would love to see James Goss involved with the show. Like you said, writing and producing audio dramas aren't inherently transferable skills to television, but I would nonetheless love to see him at least write for the show snd maybe eventually lead to showrunning.
That's all assuming Goss is even interested in showrunning, or even writing for television.
I've heard that before. I love his episodes but I don't blame him for not wanting to showrun. He's probably seen how much it effected Davies, Moffat, and Chibnall.
Joy to the World preview
