- Home
- TV
- Entertainment
- Former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat was worried the series could be left behind by big budget competitors
Former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat was worried the series could be left behind by big budget competitors
“A show that generates as much money as Doctor Who should be getting more of it back”
Getty, PJ
- Kimberley Bond
Published: Friday, 26 October 2018 at 10:25 am
With fierce competition from the likes of HBO, Netflix and Amazon Prime, offering big budgets and slickly made dramas, former Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat has revealed that he harboured concerns during his time on the show that the BBC1 sci-fi classic could be left behind.
Ad
Moffat, who took the reins from Russell T Davies in 2009, left Doctor Who last year, with Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall now running the series.
- Charlie Brooker celebrates former Black Mirror star Jodie Whittaker’s performance in Doctor Who
- BBC and Netflix to co-produce new Dracula TV series from Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
- Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall may still save Torchwood, says John Barrowman
Chibnall’s Doctor Who, with Jodie Whittaker starring as the Thirteenth Doctor (and first woman in the role) has so far been a commercial and critical success.
BBC / BBC Studios
But Moffat says he felt during his tenure that a series that generated as much money as Doctor Who – thanks in part to its global appeal – should have had more of that cash ploughed back into it.
Speaking in an episode of the Sitcom Geeks podcast released earlier this month, he explained, “That (was) the big challenge of Doctor Who… running the risk of looking as cheap now as it did (during the original series), compared to what the rest of TV is doing, unless they put a whole lot more money into it.
“A show that generates as much money as Doctor Who should be getting more of it back, frankly.”
Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi
He added, “Television didn’t use to look the way it looks now. When we watch now, we watch something that’s quite often better than cinema.
“Have you seen the recent Game Of Thrones? I haven’t seen anything in the cinema that matches their battle scenes.”
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow YouTube and its required purposes.
Accept and continue
Doctor Who is currently enjoying some of its highest ever ratings, with Whittaker’s debut attracting a staggering 8.2 million.
Ad
Last week’s ground-breaking episode, Rosa, was also highly praised for its informative and sensitive observation of racism in 1950s America.
Sign up to the RadioTimes.com email newsletter
Authors
Kimberley BondEntertainment Correspondent, RadioTimes.com
Ad
Ad
Get the Christmas double issue
Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.
Loading...
Ad
Loading...