Toby Whithouse on Future Showrunner Talk

Toby Whithouse has denied ever being approached about taking over as Doctor Who’s next lead writer when Steven Moffat hands over the reins.

Whithouse has previously penned School Reunion, The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex, A Town Called Mercy, and a two-parter for Series 9.

Speaking to tle-online, he said: “No-one at the BBC has ever had this conversation with me! No-one has asked me, no-one has approached me about if Steven leaves, when Steven leaves. These are conversations that happen purely among fans, not on any official level.”

On writing for the show in general he said: “There’s a reason I go back to Doctor Who every year, and that’s because I absolutely love working on it! There is something so magical, so ludicrous about that show! We’re all quite established writers, but we all go back, we all keep doing it! It’s ridiculous, and it’s brilliant, and you get to work with some of the best actors in the industry.

“The appeal never fades: I’m 45 now, and writing: ‘Interior: TARDIS’ at the top of a scene is still really, really exciting. You also get to tell these extraordinary stories that you couldn’t write for any other show. I’ve written for three Doctors now, and with David [Tennant], Matt [Smith] and Peter [Capaldi], you can throw the most convoluted dialogue, the subtlest gag, at them and they will get it because they are brilliant. Watching your ridiculous, strange stories get realised by these people is a wonderful thing.”