Russell T Davies Asked Chris Chibnall to Come Back to Doctor Who First
Steven Moffat was the second phone call RTD made.
When Russell T Davies reacted with glee to the official announcement that ex-showrunner Steven Moffat has written an episode for the new series of Doctor Who, he did it with a show of solidarity to Moffat’s successor in the role.
After lavishing Moffat and his series 14 episode director Julie-Anne Robinson with praise on Instagram, Davies made a point of writing: “Steven was the second phonecall I made, after getting the old job back. The first was Chris Chibnall, but he sent love and kisses and RAN! Off to write his new novel!”
The message’s subtext seems clear, as it has been in every public statement Davies has made about the Chibnall era. He’ll have no truck with fans unduly criticising the previous showrunner, the post-2005 trio are mates, and they’re all magnificent, thank you very much. Additionally: when it comes out, buy Chris Chibnall’s new novel. (It’s a Dorset-set murder mystery called Death at the White Hart, which sounds like it plays very much into his Broadchurch-creator skillset.)
Davies’ stance is one that we could all learn from, and let’s be frank, no reminder to a SFF fandom to play nice online is ever wasted.
Here’s RTD’s Instagram post in full, complete with an “Antelope. Moment. Drums” three-word tease about Moffat’s new episode and some emoji symbols over which to stroke our collective beards…
A space antelope playing the drums will choke on a Terry’s Moments chocolate bar? Probably best if the predictions are left to the comments section.
When Davies was first announced as taking the reins from Chibnall, Den of Geek were among those asking whether he would build on or retcon the previous era’s controversial “Timeless Child” revelation in which it was revealed the Doctor is not a Gallifreyan by birth, but a foundling who became the source of the Time Lords’ regeneration powers.
The answer came in the three anniversary specials and Ncuti Gatwa’s first Christmas special “The Church on Ruby Road”, which referenced universe-destroyer The Flux and the Doctor being an adoptee. That said, RTD’s bi-regeneration wheeze, which left David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor alive as a kind of trauma sponge to soak up and heal all the sadness while Gatwa’s Fifteenth got on with having fun, did draw a line under the Doctor’s recent emotional turmoil in a useful having-cake-and-eating-cake way.
Now, back to that antelope…
Doctor Who series 14 arrives at midnight on BBC iPlayer on Saturday May 11 in the UK, and on Disney+ in the US at 7 p.m. ET on Friday May 10.
Written by
Louisa Mellor is the Den of Geek UK TV Editor. She has written about TV, film and books for Den of Geek since 2010, and for…