Moffat: Doctor Who is “Definitely Returning”, Insists This Is No 1989 Death Spiral
Steven Moffat has moved to reassure Doctor Who fans that the series has not been cancelled, insisting that the recent announcement is nothing like the wilderness years that followed the show’s 1989 hiatus.
Speaking about the future of Doctor Who, Moffat was clear: “Doctor Who’s not being cancelled.”
He did, however, acknowledge that fans are right to be disappointed by the apparent absence of a Christmas special this year.
“Yes, Christmas has been cancelled,” he joked. “Well, to be clear, not all of Christmas. The day will still take place. Quite honestly, I’m not altogether sure why they bother doing that.”
Moffat continued: “But yes, Christmas, and that’s a black mark. I don’t like the fact there’s not going to be a Christmas special. There should always be a Christmas special, but there’s not going to be that.”
Despite that, the former showrunner was certain that the programme itself is not over. “The show will return, very, very definitely,” he said.
Moffat drew a direct contrast with the long gap between the end of the classic series in 1989 and its full television revival in 2005.
“This is not like, for those of us who are old enough to remember, when there were 16 years of, ‘Well, maybe we’ll tell you something next week.’ It’s not that situation.”
Moffat argued that the phrase “put out to tender” has been misunderstood.
“Right, so out to tender is not out to grass,” he said. “Out to tender means actively seeking a future for Doctor Who.”
His comments come just days after Russell T Davies also hit back against claims that the series had been cancelled, saying reports suggesting the show is over are “literally wrong”.
Moffat appeared to take a similarly relaxed view, telling fans that even if the process takes time, there is hardly a shortage of Doctor Who to watch in the meantime.
“It may take a little bit longer,” he said. “Oh, so what? How much Doctor Who do you need!? I mean, on your iPhones right now is every episode ever made, except for the ones that were accidentally lost. Right? So watch those for a while. It’s great, right?”
