Earlier today saw the Scottish premiere of Asylum of the Daleks as part of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. After the screening, the story’s writer, Steven Moffat, took part in a Q&A where he discussed the notion of a big screen version of Doctor Who.

“There’s often been talk about a movie, I’m sure that we should do one. The one thing I always keep saying is, rather boringly, is that it can’t be ever be allowed, in any way, to interfere with the television show – that is the mothership. That is the thing that will go on forever.”

Moffat continued: “I remember when they decided to bring back Star Trek and they decided to make it movies instead of television shows and I was thinking, ‘So, instead of twenty-two [episodes] a year, we get one every four or five years?’ I wouldn’t ever want that [for Doctor Who].”

Last year, talk of a Doctor Who movie gained momentum when Harry Potter director David Yates announced that he was working with BBC Worldwide on taking the show onto the big screen. The British director told Variety: “We’re looking at writers now. We’re going to spend two to three years to get it right.”

Moffat, however, has been dismissive of this revelation and, though open to a film version, commented on the importance of the small screen medium stating, “The absolute most important thing about Doctor Who will always be the TV show. Great to see the TARDIS on the big screen, unbelievably exciting; but not in the way of the show.”

Steven Moffat’s Asylum of the Daleks airs at 7.20pm on Saturday 1st September on BBC One.

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