Posted in: BBC, Current News, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who: Should Past Showrunners Return? Is It Time to Regenerate?

Should previous Doctor Who showrunners return if/when Russell T Davies leaves? That's not as good an idea as you might think, and here's why.

One of the endless debates and topics for speculation about the future of Doctor Who is: who should be the next showrunner? After all, the showrunner, while common in Hollywood TV productions, is still a relatively new concept in British television. The showrunner is both the head writer and producer of the entire TV show, overseeing the scripts by the writing team and all hiring and firing of cast and crew. They set the tone and story of the TV show. One debate about Doctor Who is whether past successful showrunners should return to run the series and hopefully set it back on course. Let's think about this. When Russell T Davies returned to run Doctor Who for the Disney+ era, everyone was excited and eager to see the show. Things have turned out differently, so fans are now asking whether Steven Moffat or Chris Chibnall should return to take over.

The modern era of Doctor Who is one of the first British TV series to adopt the concept of a showrunner, introduced when Russell T Davies revived the show in 2005. He was in effect the showrunner, working with producers Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson to keep it running. In the past, BBC TV shows had one writer who created and wrote all six episodes of a single season, collaborating with a producer who gave notes on script revisions while overseeing the practical side of production. In the 21st Century, British TV series have increasingly adopted the US model of a showrunner overseeing the show, while still using producers to implement their policies and keep the production within budget and schedule. The showrunner is the Head Writer as Boss.

As Davies' run on the Disney+ era of Doctor Who has been disappointing to many viewers, some fans have started talking about bringing Steven Moffat back. Moffat ran the series for six seasons, the longest tenure in this era. He's practically the Tom Baker of showrunners and has pretty much run the gauntlet of stories he could think up for Doctor Who. That he was able to come up with two standalone episodes for the Disney+ era was a pleasant surprise and made many fans nostalgic for his run, forgiving him for the many flaws during his time. Moffat has many new projects of his own to get on with and has openly discussed the sheer panic and burnout he experienced while trying to keep Doctor Who as a showrunner. He's more than happy not to have to shoulder that responsibility anymore.

Chris Chibnall, when asked, recently told The Radio Times that he has no urge or wish to return to Doctor Who. He has no unfinished business and feels he has done all he set out to do as a maker of the show. He's happy to go back to being a viewer and be surprised by any big twists, including Jodie Whittaker's surprise cameo in the recent season finale.

Bringing back the original showrunner might not always be the best idea. Davies' recent run had its moments, was never dull, but showed that his ideas might not always be in line with the times. Things change; creators' thinking might change too. Sometimes the old ideas that worked great then might not work now. We can debate till the Heat Death of the Universe what was right or wrong with Davies' recent run, but he was undoubtedly the best choice at the beginning when the Disney+ co-production deal was announced. Nobody knows the show or how to run it better than him, and that's the problem with finding his replacement. Nobody else knows better than him, Moffat and Chibnall, and they've all been put through the wringer by both the realities of production and the toxicity of disappointed and entitled fans. Who would want that job at this point?

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!