Doctor Who is currently airing its fourteenth season with Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor. The modern revival which has been going on since 2005 has been able to entertain audiences with its quirky sci-fi tropes and many actors bringing in their own spin of the Doctor over the years. One of the people responsible for its success behind the scenes is writer Steven Moffat.

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in Doctor Who | Disney+
The writer became the showrunner during Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi’s tenures as the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, respectively. Moffat has returned for the fourteenth season of Doctor Who, contributing one episode to the season. He recently discussed the challenges of keeping the show relevant and emphasized that reinventing the narrative is crucial to this process.

Steven Moffat Details The Constant Challenge of Reinventing The Wheel With Doctor Who

Steven Moffat asserts that writing for Doctor Who over the years has been a tough task | Disney+
Since the ’60s, the Doctor Who series has held a special place in viewers’ hearts, and it remains relevant and celebrated even after several decades. The show’s success doesn’t hinge on nostalgia; rather, it frequently rejuvenates itself with new actors portraying the lead Doctor, striking a balance between comedy and inventive storytelling, particularly in its modern incarnation.

Steven Moffat, having penned 49 episodes and served as the showrunner from series 5 to 10, has been a pivotal figure in the show’s success. In the latest season, with Ncuti Gatwa taking on the role of the Doctor, Moffat contributed the third episode, titled “Boom.” In a recent interview, he discussed the challenges of writing for Doctor Who and ensuring its continued relevance.

As he spoke to Doctor Who.TV, Moffat stated that it’s always hard to write the show and it requires every stretch of the imagination to come up with exciting stories. As the Doctors keep changing over time, the audience needs to be explained about certain things, while also maintaining the humor that the franchise is known for. He claims that there is no normal way of writing episodes for the series, Moffat said,

It’s always hard to do Doctor Who, I think your every power of invention is stretched to the limit on Doctor Who. Every time he steps out of that TARDIS it’s a new world, different place and set of characters, there is different jeopardy.

It’s got to be funny and you’ve got a lot of exposition, it has to be thrilling, and you have to wrap it all up in 45 minutes – it’s the full workout every time. You can’t just say ‘What do we normally do?’, because there is no normal.

The writers and the team of the show know that it can easily become boring and lackluster if the narrative is not inventive with each season. Other BBC shows like Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Sherlock suffered from being narratively convoluted and repetitive by the time seasons 3 and 4 came on. Doctor Who, on the other hand, manages to delight audiences with exciting new narratives with each new face of the Doctor.

Ncuti Gatwa Reveals His Favorite Episode From Doctor Who‘s Latest Season

Ncuti Gatwa leads the new season of Doctor Who | Disney+
The latest season of Doctor Who has begun, and Ncuti Gatwa is receiving considerable acclaim as the new Doctor. Millie Gibson and Jonathan Groff are also featured in the series, and Gatwa has shared his experiences working with them, including his favorite moments from the season. In an interview with Doctor Who TV, he expressed great enjoyment in working with Gibson.

Gatwa disclosed that his favorite episode was the sixth one, titled “Rogue,” where he and Gibson’s character Ruby travel to the Regency era, donning spectacular costumes. He also commended Groff for adding a substantial level of depth to the episode and lauded him as an incredible actor. Gatwa stated,

I’d say ROGUE was my favorite. Millie and I just had a blast. The Doctor and Ruby are very excited to go to the Regency era, and Millie and I had very similar sentiments. We were excited about our costumes which were amazing. And it was incredible working with Jonathan Groff as well. He’s an amazing actor. He brings such gravitas to the episode.

Steven Moffat returns as a writer on the latest episode of the show titled Boom scheduled to premiere today. The series has so far received great reviews from critics, scoring an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans can watch the new season of Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer or Disney+.