Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, Preview, TV | Tagged: bbc, doctor who, russel t davies, steven moffat

Doctor Who: Moffat Is "Terrified to Say Anything" About Davies' Plans

On April 17th, the second of current Doctor Jodie Whittaker & showrunner Chris Chibnall's final three specials before they end their run on the BBC's Doctor Who will be hitting our screens as The Doctor, Yaz (Mandip Gill), and Dan (John Bishop) return for "Legend of the Sea Devils." Following the third special at the end of this year, Russell T. Davies will be taking over once again as showrunner (and bringing along a still-unannounced new Doctor with him). So while rumors and speculation continue to build over what fans can expect (will there be an "all-star" run of specials before Series 14?), two familiar faces are sharing their thoughts on what Davies' return means and what the future looks like. Former showrunner/writer Steven Moffat and writer Mark Gatiss spoke with RadioTimes.com at the Radio Times Covers Party, having nothing but good things to say about the move and how it reflects well on the long-running series.

Moffat on How Davies' Decision Is Proof of Show's "Vibrancy": "Ach, they're dragging him out of the archives!" joked Moffat. "My first thought, 'Well it's brilliant news for Doctor Who.' He's the finest writer working in television. And he's coming back to what is, I suppose, still his biggest hit. So that's just wonderful, wonderful news for 'Doctor Who.' And sort of proof of the vibrancy of that show that he would do that – he'd come back to it. He's got every offer under the sun. And what he's choosing to do is to come back to what all us right-thinking people know is the best show in the history of television."

"If Anyone Can Do It Twice, It's Russell": While admitting upfront that he doesn't "know a thing about it [Davies' 'Doctor Who' plans] which is brilliant," Gatiss expects nothing but big things from Davies. "I know it'll be very big, ambitious stuff. And that's exactly what Russell has always brought to it. Yeah, I think it's delightful. I saw him quite recently, and he looked really, really happy. And I think that's a lovely thing to see. You know, he's bursting with enthusiasm. So that's great."

Moffat Knows Some of What Davies Is Up To- But He's Not Talking: "I'm going to give you no hints. I know a certain number of things. But I don't remember which bits are secret. So I'm terrified to say anything. I know some stuff, but not everything. And I don't have the briefing sheet I used to have – I used to create – which was to tell me what to shut up about. So I'm saying nothing at all." We're thinking that maybe Moffat learned his lesson after spoiling the Weeping Angels in Series 13 "Flux"…

"Legend of the Sea Devils": In a swashbuckling special adventure, the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) come face to fin with one of the Doctor's oldest adversaries: the Sea Devils. Why has legendary pirate queen Madam Ching come searching for a lost treasure? What terrifying forces lurk beneath the oceans of the nineteenth century? And did Yaz really have to dress Dan up as a pirate?

Arthur Lee stars as Ji-Hun and Marlowe Chan-Reeves stars as Ying Ki, with "Legends of the Seas Devils" written by Chibnall and Ella Road, and directed by Haolu Wang.

And as for those rumors of Hugh Grant (Four Wedding and a Funeral, Notting Hill) taking over as The Doctor after Whittaker (as the UK's Mirror and The Guardian reported), the actor himself took to Twitter to set the record straight. "Nothing against Dr W but I'm not," Grant wrote while retweeting The Guardian report. "No idea where the story came from." Here's a look at Grant shattering some folks' dreams (and making some writers look a little silly):

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