Source: http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/38380/do...new-showrunner

I know the show needs new blood occasionally. No doubt Hollywood is calling him up every 5 minutes asking when he'll be free. After last season though, it's going to be hard to say goodbye.

I wonder who'll be the next showrunner

It doesn't say he's leaving. He could still be in charge for a few years yet.

He's said this before.
That he's involved in the search for whoever follows him.
But he doesn't say when he's leaving. So all the Moffat haters shouldn't get too excited yet. He's clearly involved with getting the next season off the ground, so it'll be at good while yet before he's actually off.

It's been suggested elsewhere (and here) that Moffat is staying on now through necessity rather than choice and I assume that's what these comments are alluding to.

For me, there are a number of different scenarios which may be at play here:
1. They can't find anyone of the right calibre
2. They can find people of the right calibre but they are all busy doing other things
3. Doctor Who is considered such a poison chalice that no one wants to take it on
4. Moffat’s fibbing and has no intention of leaving

There may also be an scenario where Moffat wants to remain overall in charge of the show meaning the new show runner wouldn’t have the same freedom as RTD and Moffat to develop their own version of Doctor Who, and that’s putting off the right people.

Well there were rumours that he only signed on for series 10 because they couldn't get anyone to replace him, which seems backed up by him saying it's hard to find a replacement, so the fact he is now willing to say this sort of thing in public seems to me to suggest that he is in a round about way telling people that series 10 will be his last and that they are looking for someone to take over for series 11.

For me, it's certainly time. I would have liked someone new in charge of series 10, but at the same time I understand that Moffat seems to have done the show a favour by agreeing to stay on if they had no-one else to take over. New blood and a refresh of the show for series 11 will be a good thing though. Moffat has written some good stuff, but never quite done a good story arc for me, so it will be nice to see if a new show runner can get back to arcs that all tie up and completely make sense.

I think your last scenario is very very unlikely. However much Moffat is often painted as some sort of megalomaniac, I'm certain when he's off....he's off! He clearly cares about the show and would realise the new man/woman would have to be allowed to do their own thing.

I think it's 1 or 2 in your list.

I've heard number 3 a few times too - if that's true, its probably people like us who are to blame!

So no actual news just denofgeek reposting stuff from the radio times that was out weeks ago.

Speak for yourself!

I predict the next Showrunner will be universally popular and will unite fandom, who will all agree that their era is perfection itself. The gushing on DS will be astonishing.

(I have also predicted that Wales will win the 2016 Euros too, mind. )

What colour is the sky in your world, Michael?

I'll be even more crazy, England will win it

Interesting really that both RTD and Moffat were TV writers with some successful shows under their belts when Who started, but were (I think) still not the industry names they are today.

It does feel to me now, though, that the BBC isn't prepared to risk the show with someone who's at the same level RTD/Moffat were at 11 years ago and wants to find someone who would be considered a modern-day peer, and perhaps that is the trouble.

I am assuming Mark Gatiss is either not interested or not being considered if Moffat has actually had to stay on for an additional year. Perhaps Sleep No More was the final straw in that regard.

Yeah. Not exactly worthy of a new thread.

The introduction to the latest consumer survey quite amusingly stated that they had "got the point about Sleep No More."

I think it's happening. I think Series 10 will be Moffat's last.

Haha! Brilliant. Is that part of the AI stuff or separate?

I did also find Mark Gatiss' tweet that night quite amusing:

Mark Gatiss ‏@Markgatiss 16 Nov 2015
Thanks for all your lovely/vile comments on my amazing/appalling episode. Thrilled to have saved/destroyed the show. Stay tuned! #DoctorWho

The title of this thread really got my hopes up, only to be dashed yet again. Bugger

I wouldn't necessarily consider RTD to have been in that bracket when he took over Who. Queer as Folk was a major, major success and he had written properly successful and critically acclaimed dramas such as the excellent Second Coming. I suppose he wasn't mainstream, but he was a quality TV writer with real success behind him. Indeed, Eccleston took the role just because RTD was writing.

And Moffat had to pull out of writing for Spielberg when he took over from RTD - although, I agree, the twin peaks of Who and Sherlock have made him quite the industry figure over the last 5 years.

A complete non story.

Seeing how Moff has sometimes struggled to combine Doctor Who and Sherlock, it would hardly make sense to hand over the show to Gatiss his Sherlock partner, who if anything spends even more time on Sherlock!

I agree with RTD making a clean break from the show, it must be impossible to go back to just be a jobbing writer of an episode, having someone else rewriting and controlling your story, so I expect Moff to also make a clean break which WILL be a loss for the show, considering how many of the most popular episodes from the revived show (from all sorts of surveys) have been written by him.

The only way I can see Moffat staying on in a supervisory role similar to Barry Letts is if the BBC decide to hire a showrunner who is relatively inexperienced, someone like Jamie Mathieson but not Jamie Mathieson because he's already said that he doesn't want the gig.

This is not new news

Toby Whithouse...Damien Maloney...Lenora Crichlow.

Even though, yes, Lenora has appeared in Gridlock in a small role...but that also fits the pattern, right?

Too true. It is not new news. It is old news. Why isn't old news called olds? But I digress.

I'm one of those odd people who like both the RTD and Moffat eras (and as writers have their own strengths and weaknesses) and think comparisons are slightly unfair as RTD always had at least one or more episodes written by Moffat which he knew he don't need to rewrite extensively whereas Moffat has never had that luxury (imagine if RTD had provided even one Midnight/Turn Left quality level script for Moffat each year) which would have eased the pressure on him as show runner slightly.

If Moffat were to make a similar clean break then I have a feeling even some of his detractors will actually start to miss him.

It seems that Moffat brought back River Song for Christmas as he thought he might never get the chance again (to write her) which would suggest he was planning to leave after 5 years as RTD did.

I would add this to Mulett's list:

5. They can find people of the right calibre but Doctor Who is such a poison chalice that they don't want to take it on.

After the success of RTD in bringing back the show and Moffat growing it internationally becoming DW show runner would be like following Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United and we all know how well that's working out for them!

Never thought i'd see the day of someone comparing Moffat to Whiskeynose