Very good news for the legions of Steven Moffat fans (including myself) who have been shuffling about anxiously waiting for the announcement that he will take over the show - TODAY IS THE DAY!

The Guardian website has just reported that the esteemed writer of Blink will become the lead writer and executive producer of the Beeb's highly acclaimed ratings magnet after the 'interstitial series' of Doctor Who - which will consist of three extended stories following the Christmas special - concludes in 2009.

Russell T. Davies, whose fourth and final complete series is now at the halfway stage on BBC1 on Saturdays, said: "It's been a delight and an honour working with Steven, and I can't wait to see where his extraordinary imagination takes the Doctor. Best of all, I get to be a viewer again, watching on a Saturday night!"

Jane Tranter, the BBC's fiction controller commented: "The Tardis couldn't be in safer hands. Steven's talents on both Doctor Who and beyond are well known. He is a writer of glittering brilliance, comedy and depth, with an extraordinary imagination and a unique voice. Steven has a wonderful mix of being a committed Doctor Who fan and a true artist, and his plans for the next series are totally thrilling."

We can't all do our best work all the time, and it will doubtless be a pitted path for Moffat, of whom expectations are almost absurdly high - but in this writer's opinion, this is the best news for Who fans since the announcement of the show's return nearly five years ago.

Guardian