BIB: Michelle Gomez, as good as she was, was the only one who was approached because Moffat had already decided there would be a female Master. This goes against the "best person for the role" idea because how do we know there weren't better male actors for the role? To choose the best person is one thing, but to deliberately decide on a female Master without auditioning any other person is not the thing that people are advocating is it?

It was a bit different with Capaldi because there was no decision to cast a female in the role - therefore the role remained male and Capaldi was the best for the role.

Given that he's just delivered possibly the best, most consistent run of episodes since the show returned, I've voted no. Although I guess there's an argument for going out on a high!

Also, there isn't exactly a queue of suitable candidates lining up to replace him.

He’s done a huge lot to revitalise the show in the last season, and from where I was with 7B I’m much happier.

I think a lot of it will come down to how much he’s enjoying making it – as long as it stays fresh for him then I think it will continue to improve and I’d like to see him stay. I’d also like to see proper succession planning mind. Get Toby Whitehouse involved now so when Moff is ready to go we know it’s in safe hands.

That said, if Freeman and Cumberbatch end up with loads of free time next year then yes he should jump ship ASAP and get writing more Sherlock.

As many here will know I've been a staunch Moffat supporter but there have been so many horrific episodes this series that I have to say that its time to move on though I would be quite happy for him to go back to writing just a single episode or double episode per a series and in fact think that that may well be best for the show.

I doubt we would have had Capaldi at all if Moffat had left with Matt Smith.

Hummm I get the impression that he's a little weary now and doesn't have the energy he might of had back when he took over. He was also dividing his time writing Sherlock and other projects.( the last Sherlock series wasn't amazing)

Don't get me wrong I like him and he took the show somewhere different from the Davis era. But I think change is part of the show and I think the show could try a writing team. Its something that is rare in the UK but a lot of U.S shows benefit from having different voices and ideas. works for the Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. Get Neil Gaiman to supervise

I agree with the principal that as much as anything else, 5 seasons is a long time to do a job like this. So yes, I wouldn't mind to see him moving on after season 9 - don't think it's essential to the series though.

As for replacement - yes, maybe the time of the single 'showrunner' is coming to an end for Dr Who, and perhaps a more collaborative approach would work well. Perhaps an interesting partnership would be a team of three formed from a couple of regular writers, but also an outsider who can bring a fresh perspective. A bit of curveball, but someone like Andy Hamilton (Bedtime, Outnumbered, Old Harry's Game) would be great alongside people with a more established sci-fi/Doctor Who background.

The plans that he clearly doesn't have? Better hope his successors don't want it more than he does, then.

Hummm I get the impression that he's a little weary now and doesn't have the energy he might of had back when he took over. He was also dividing his time writing Sherlock and other projects.( the last Sherlock series wasn't amazing)

Don't get me wrong I like him and he took the show somewhere different from the Davis era. But I think change is part of the show and I think the show could try a writing team. Its something that is rare in the UK but a lot of U.S shows benefit from having different voices and ideas. works for the Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. Get Neil Gaiman to supervise

Don't bother getting in to that, johnny

While I agree it's a bit of an odd decision on Moffat's part to decide on a gender change before the casting was properly considered, I think on that front I'd give him the benefit of the doubt on account of the fact it did pay off.

Michelle Gomez hadn't auditioned to play Missy, she was simply being considered for a role in Series 8 - possibly Karabraxos as I've heard it suggested. Whilst Moffat had envisaged a female Master, he also openly admitted that he hadn't an actress in mind, and thus a distinct lack of direction on where he could possible take the character. Gomez happened to be in the right place at the right time, and it seems Moffat recast which ever character she was originally going to play because she was so right for the Master role he had in mind...I have no problem with that. In fact if I had to raise an issue with anything (and this is nitpicking to the absolute extreme), it would be that the original character that Gomez was meant to play was ultimately recast and so was potentially lesser than the original vision...it's probably why they haven't said which character she was originally meant to play.

I can't criticise Moffat for at least having the vague notion of a female Master...most writers have at least an outlining sketch of a character they want to develop, and gender is understandably going to be a part of that outlining. If he'd decided on a female Master and then refused to even consider a male one no matter how good they were, then that'd be a potential issue. Maybe it's naivety on my part, but when Matt Smith was cast as The Doctor he was several decades younger than the man they had in mind at the time, and they simply went with him because he was right for the role. I like to think that the auditions are more or less open to people of all ages, skin colour, and gender... then they find the right acting role from there. If the writer has a specific actor in mind and they manage to get them, that's okay as well - "best for the role" is always going to be subjective, so you take it on the writers good faith. If they settled on a specific demographic despite someone in another offering something better, that would be a problem - but who knows that we wouldn't have got a male Master in the end had Moffat not had his Gomez-induced epiphany?

It's not his writing I have a problem with but his general overview of a series and his need to try and be clever and change things just because he can. There were a few things I realy liked about the last series but more that p----d me off.

He is an incredibly enthusiastic writer. You can just feel that he has a zillion ideas churning around his head all at the same time and then sometimes gets into a state of awe when trying to express his thoughts on paper. Overall, he has been a successful showrunner and while I am not a great fan of his strange reveals, his regeneration in every other episode, his obsession with making classic characters female, his often convoluted plotlines and so on, I do appreciate that he cares passionately about the show. I think it was tough on him trying to create a new Doctor and on the whole he succeeded but there are tweaks required which is why I think it's important that he stays on for another series. I also realise that while I'm one DW viewer who is worried and slightly unhappy about the major changes to the shows canon this past couple of years due to Moffats boyish and mischievous enthusiasm, there are many more who applaud him and the direction he has taken the show.

I notice alot of people who want Moffat to quit as showrunner want him to stay on as a writer because the show would miss his stories. What makes you think he'll want to write for the show once he does go? Like RTD, i think he'll cut all ties, then those people here who don't want him in charge but want him to continue writing for the show will clamour for him to contribute to the series again, when the inevitable complaining begins about how the show has declined under the tenure of whichever poor sod takes over.

Personally, i think when Moffat goes, the BBC will rest the show for a year while they find someone to take over. When RTD announced he was going, Moffat was the obvious successor. As of right now, there are no stand out candidates, and those that the fans seem to want have voiced the reluctance to take on the role. And frankly, reading some of the vitriol and insults being dished out to Steven Moffat i don't blame them; it's a poisoned chalice.

Slayer2012

+ a syzygy of 10.

He Has Written Some Of My Favorite Episodes, But His Writing Recently With Series 7 And 8 Hasn't Really Been My Kind Of Thing. So I Would Like To See Someone Else Take Over Now

I Would Also Like Russel T. Davis To Come Back And Write A Two-Parter For Series 10!

Hmm. I honestly think that the guy is a brilliant writer. He's written some fantastic episodes. The Eleventh Hour, The Angel two-parter, The 50th, The Time of the Doctor (which I consider to be the greatest Nu Who episode ever), Deep Breath, Listen etc. But I feel I'm starting to tire of his style. I think he will leave after S9, if not then we're veering into JNT territory, and we all know what happened then.

I will be sad to see him go, but excited to see where the next showrunner takes Capaldi, provided of course Peter stays on after series 9. This is his dream job, so I can't see him leaving after two seasons, but I don't want Moffat and Capaldi leaving at the same time for fear Moffat does an RTD and makes Peter's regeneration over-emotional and over- dramatic (''I don't wanna go'' indeed )

Completely agree with that. 5 years is plenty. And whilst I wouldn't say it was my favourite ever episode of C21 Who, nice to see some Time of the Doctor love. Thought it was funny, sad and really rather beautiful.

As always, we go softly on. And thought it was a very interesting point made upthread.Is it now essential that Who has one overall 'Showrunner' ? Or can it be a (even) more collabarative process?

Jenna just spouts moffat wisdom continually

Its time to go moff

Yeah! Let's all GO MOFF!

In the RTD era I always looked forward to a Moffat episode. His stories were always the highlight of the series for me but the RTD penned stories were the ones I least looked forward to.

Now, it's the Moffat stories I least look forward to, the stories I enjoy the least. Perhaps there's something about running the show that brings out all the excesses in the shows format that I hate?

But for me the Brigadier thing has become the Jar Jar Binks of the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who, something that someone should have stepped in and said "No, that's probably a bad idea". That's the moment where I stopped wanting Moffat in charge of the show.

I can't vote as I don't mind one way or the other and there isn't a neutral option in the poll!

Change can be good or it can be bad. There are things I dislike about Moffat's approach and things that I like about it. Who's to say if a new producer will make things better or worse?

Yikes! I don't rate him and I never have. I think he's OK at best. Never liked his sitcoms either, there's always something that feels almost.... smarmy about everything he does.

He's a lovely bloke, though

If there were an obvious candidate for his replacement I might feel tempted to say "yes" but because there isn't, I voted "no". What I think they should instead do, is bring in a script editor/understudy to work alongside the Moff to help Iron out the story arcs and finales, with whoever they choose to do this in mind for taking the Moff's place as showrunner later on down the line. Jamie Mathieson seems like he might be a good choice for this role as he has written two of the most critically acclaimed episodes under Moff.

Unfortunately, he has stated he doesn't want it. I think, ultimately, there will be more than one man/woman at the top under the new regime. A writer coming along and doing two good scripts is a different ball game to taking over the "showrunner" position. Especially for somebody without production experience.

At least under a different system, you would stand a chance at writers like Mathieson taking up permanent positions. For example, Toby Whithouse joining Brian Minchin, with Mathieson in tow.