Steven Moffat on the future of Doctor Who

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2008-07-30 01:51pm

Steven Moffat has told Doctor Who fans to expect "new monsters" when he becomes the show's executive producer and lead writer.

Moffat, who is replacing executive producer Russell T Davies, was speaking at arts and comic book convention Comic-Con in California.

He told fans not to expect too many appearances from old characters.

"We're not in the business of being nostalgic, we're making nostalgia for the future, new monsters, new friends."

He was responding to their questions about the possibility of guest appearances from old characters - such as ex-Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen in the 1970s - as well as old enemies.

He told the San Diego convention: "Doctor Who is at its best when it's brand new and you've always got to remember that there's a new bunch of eight-year-olds watching every year and it has to be original - it has to belong to them."

But he said continuity when old characters did return was not difficult to achieve.

"Having taken the precaution of having memorised every single event in Doctor Who's history, it's fairly easy for me to keep continuity because I remember it all.

"In the end, a television series which embraces both the ideas of parallel universe and the concept of changing time can't have a continuity error - it can't.

"It's impossible for Doctor Who to get it wrong because we can just say 'he changed time, it's a time warp, it happens'."

'Just exciting'

Moffat has already written some of the most memorable Doctor Who episodes of recent times including Blink , of series three - which featured terrifying weeping angels - for which he picked up the best writer Bafta earlier this year.

Asked about his reputation for writing scary episodes he said: "If people are worried that because I'm taking over Doctor Who it's going to be just really, really frightening, if that's your concern then… tough."

He also spoke to fans for the first time about getting the job he has "always wanted".

The writer said the prospect of taking over from Davies for the fifth series - due to be shown on BBC One in spring 2010 - was "just exciting". It was announced he was taking the job in May.

"I suppose it should be daunting or nerve-wracking but it's not a real job like working in a hospital - it's just fun."

He added: "I mean it's hard work too but most things that are fun are hard work."

Last week, Moffat denied a newspaper report that he "quit" a deal to work on Steven Spielberg's forthcoming Tintin trilogy because of the doctor Who job.

A newspaper report that he had "turned down" a two-film deal with Spielberg was "a bit misleading", he told the BBC News website.

He had planned to finish Tintin before starting Doctor Who but was delayed by the US writers' strike, he added.

Davies will remain in charge of four specials to be shown in 2009.

Well, you have to admit, the fellow has a sense of humour.

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2008-07-30 04:07pm

I'm like the sound of all of that, it's kind of absurd that 4 series into the reboot and we still haven't had a finale featuring new villains.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2008-07-30 04:51pm

He's going to take the Phillip Hinchcliffe approach. Good on Moffat.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2008-07-30 06:19pm

^The what approach?

Also, I have no doubt that if Moffat decides to do some cameos, they will be great. Because he can write characters even better than their creator (case in point: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2008-07-30 06:22pm

Plekhanov wrote:I'm like the sound of all of that, it's kind of absurd that 4 series into the reboot and we still haven't had a finale featuring new villains.

And only one without Daleks.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2008-07-30 06:45pm

Crazedwraith wrote:And only one without Daleks.

And even that one used a race that was originally intended to be the Daleks' replacements when it looked like they wouldn't be getting the rights to the real deal from the Nation estate.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2008-07-31 01:57am

Thanas wrote:^The what approach?

Basically, Moffat's proposed direction for the series will be the same as that carried out by producer Phillip Hinchcliffe (1975-77), who in his entire run in the post featured only one story with a previous villain (the Master —and a radically altered version of the character at that) in "The Deadly Assassin" and had two last cameos by UNIT ("The Android Invasion", "The Seeds Of Doom"). The rest of his episodes with Tom Baker's Doctor featured entirely new, one-off villains and creatures (the Zygons, the Zeta-Minor anti-man, Sutekh, Marcus Scarman, the Kraals, Morbius, Prof. Solon, the Krynoid, Harrison Chase, the Mandragora Helix, Eldrad, Xoanon, Taren Capel, Magnus Greel) and were some of the best in the programme's entire history —especially as his script editor was the inestimable Robert Holmes. It was a breath of fresh air and a creative trend which continued more or less through the rest of Baker's run even with two different producers following after Hinchcliffe. Doctor Who always did work best when it embraced originality and took risks instead of constantly bringing back the usual suspects every season.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2008-07-31 09:05am

^Thank you for explaining.

petesampras · Post by **petesampras** » 2008-07-31 09:53am

An additional beneficial effect of this approach is that, when you do bring back old villians, it is much more exciting. Rather than - "gee, it's the Daleks again" when they appear 5 times in 4 seasons, it would be "cool the Daleks are back" if they appear after a couple of seasons of absence.

Johnathon_Chance · Post by **Johnathon_Chance** » 2008-07-31 04:54pm

I really enjoy the current doctor(havent seen the finale yet on Sci-Fi so sush). He reminds me so much in his actions of Tom Bakers Doctor. I hope he remains for at least another season.

BTW is it me, or does Rose look a little chunkier in the last episodes than before?

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2008-07-31 05:13pm

Johnathon_Chance wrote:BTW is it me, or does Rose look a little chunkier in the last episodes than before?

Eh? If anything she looks way thinner. Just look at her face.
Not that it is an improvement, I always thought she looked best in S2.

Johnathon_Chance · Post by **Johnathon_Chance** » 2008-08-01 09:00am

Thanas wrote:
Johnathon_Chance wrote:BTW is it me, or does Rose look a little chunkier in the last episodes than before?
Eh? If anything she looks way thinner. Just look at her face.
Not that it is an improvement, I always thought she looked best in S2.

Agreed!

Straha · Post by **Straha** » 2008-08-01 04:41pm

Johnathon_Chance wrote:(havent seen the finale yet on Sci-Fi so sush).

Oh you poor poor man.

I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry.

Johnathon_Chance · Post by **Johnathon_Chance** » 2008-08-01 04:49pm

Straha wrote:
Johnathon_Chance wrote:(havent seen the finale yet on Sci-Fi so sush).
Oh you poor poor man.

I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry.

What no tongue emoticons?

Straha · Post by **Straha** » 2008-08-01 05:02pm

Johnathon_Chance wrote:
Straha wrote:
Johnathon_Chance wrote:(havent seen the finale yet on Sci-Fi so sush).
Oh you poor poor man.

I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry.

What no tongue emoticons?

We will be here to comfort you when it's over with open arms and Stark's angry rage.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2008-08-01 05:58pm

Johnathon_Chance wrote:
Straha wrote:
Johnathon_Chance wrote:(havent seen the finale yet on Sci-Fi so sush).
Oh you poor poor man.

I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry.

What no tongue emoticons?

Why? Somebody brave enough to watch that does not need to be mocked, he needs extensive support and quite possible therapy.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2008-08-01 07:53pm

Straha wrote:We will be here to comfort you when it's over with open arms and Stark's angry rage.

My only exposure to the finale is Flash playing the Gorgonopsid Key segment down skype at me.

And I am never, ever going to watch it. It's... too horrible.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2008-08-01 08:09pm

Stark wrote:
Straha wrote:We will be here to comfort you when it's over with open arms and Stark's angry rage.
My only exposure to the finale is Flash playing the Gorgonopsid Key segment down skype at me.

And I am never, ever going to watch it. It's... too horrible.

The what segment?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2008-08-01 08:15pm

The bit with Martha being retarded and going to kill the entire planet for... some reason with the absurdly stupid arrangement of suicide bombs etc. The whole thing was just so stupid and impractical I can't bear to think of it.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2008-08-01 08:40pm

Oh, that particular bit of brilliance. And of course it just had to be named after a german and had to play in a "german" castle...complete with horrible accents.

Ugh.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2008-08-01 11:10pm

Aside from the sheer stupidity of the concept, as well as the fact that RTD just pulled that one right out his ass for this finale, it ended up serving no plot purpose whatsoever. The whole Osterhagen Key business was nothing but busywork to justify Martha's presence in the story but one which undermined her little year of hell effort from the previous season closer. It was just bullshit all around and hopefully the last we'll ever see of it with Moffat in charge.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2008-08-01 11:18pm

Yeah, but I did get a stupid kick out of seeing Daleks flying through the forest yelling what I presume was "EXTERMINATE!" in German.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2008-08-02 12:01am

Broomstick wrote:Yeah, but I did get a stupid kick out of seeing Daleks flying through the forest yelling what I presume was "EXTERMINATE!" in German.

It wasn't. What they were screaming was "exterminieren", a word that does not exist in German. To "exterminate" in german would mean "ausradieren, auslöschen, vernichten"etc, but never exterminieren. RTD just pulled that word out of his behind.

Anyone who knew german was bound to be up in arms about the whole segment. Not only were the accents horrible, but the words made little sense and were riddled with mistakes or other things that just made them sound...wrong.

Revy · Post by **Revy** » 2008-08-02 07:27am

The only thing that worries me now is this;

Davies will remain in charge of four specials to be shown in 2009.