While certain corners of the web have been rather vocally suggesting it is time for a change at the top, we decided to look at the many positive reasons for keeping Mr Moffat precisely where he is.
The Capaldi factor
Despite having a year’s worth of adventures under his belt, Peter Capaldi is still defining who his Doctor really is.
Matt Smith’s incarnation grew from a foppish young man into an aged hero weighed down by the weight of his adventures. If the Moffat/Capaldi partnership continues into a third year, we can see what they have planned for this spiky, less user-friendly Doctor who is still figuring himself out after the surprise gift of further regenerations.
Rule One
In story terms it is variously “the Doctor lies”, “don’t wander off” or “use your enemies’ power against them”, but from a fan perspective it’s that “Moffat lies” – or at least that he can be wonderfully economic with the truth (hello again, Osgood!). While this can be frustrating, it’s all in order to save us from ourselves and to stop us ruining all the surprises. Which is totally right, of course.
The reveal of Missy’s identity was all the more powerful because Moffat had insisted the Master wouldn’t return. The appearance of John Hurt at the end of ‘The Name of the Doctor’ took us by surprise with more effect due to the wonderful misdirection of that episode title.
There’s a downside to all this teasing though, as his role as the master of spin makes for a profile higher than any other lead writer on a British TV show. Any time we get cross about bring strung along, we only need to view the footage of the showrunner on the Doctor Who World Tour, with hordes of Mexican fans chanting his name to gain an insight into the bizarre world he must be living in!
Are you glad that Steven Moffat is staying for Season 10? Let us know below…