Former Doctor Who showrunner, Steven Moffat, has confirmed that, as executive producer of his Series 14 episode, Boom, he was left in charge by current showrunner, Russell T Davies.

This isn’t exactly a shock: Moffat was an excellent showrunner (his seasons aired between 2010 and 2017), but even before that, Davies trusted him with episodes like Blink and Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead, apparently not changing much, if anything, in the edit. Moffat says:

“I’m an exec on the episode. That just means that they made me do most of the work! But that’s fine. It hasn’t felt like I’ve gone back in as the office junior at all. In fact, at the tone meeting, because the others weren’t there, I was pretty much running it. It felt like going back to the old job, but on a ‘day-release’ basis…

“You have to behave as if this is your only responsibility, or you might not be focussed enough. But at that tone meeting, where I was playing at my old job, we were in a discussion about an element costing money, and I said, ‘We can pull something from another episode. What have we got later?’ And then I thought, ‘Hang on. I don’t know anything about the other episodes! I haven’t a clue! This isn’t my show anymore!’ I literally forgot in the moment that this wasn’t my job. It’s so familiar to me, those problems, those conversations. I’ve had a million of them. So, you just blur into a different time, like a confused old soldier. ‘The war is still going on!’

And of course, Series 14 was the first season with Davies back as showrunner, so it must’ve been nice to be able to trust someone else with that single story. Nonetheless, Moffat would’ve had to know something of the Fifteenth Doctor’s and Ruby Sunday’s characters (respectively played by Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson).

And I loved Boom, so I’m very happy Moffat was back in charge, even if it were just for the one story.

You have to wonder whether he took the reins on this year’s Christmas special, Joy to the World, too, as Steven’s written that as well…