John Hussey gives an alternative take on Steven Moffat’s departure.

I’m just going to come out and say: I’m actually one of the few fans here not upset by the news Steven Moffat is leaving Doctor Who. For some time now I’ve felt that his writing has done a lot of damage to the show. And not just the current show, but also the legacy it has left behind for the last 52 years. Rest assured, this article isn’t going to be a “Let’s slag off Moffat” article. Far from it.

Instead, it will be an alternative take on the news of his departure and talking about what good can come about with his replacement (at least in my eyes). Also, out of respect for the man, I would like to also look over some of the good he has done for the show, which in hindsight is more than the bad.

For me, Moffat started to go downhill after Matt Smith left in ‘The Time of the Doctor’. At that point I had little to no reason to find fault in his writing or showrunning skills. However, once Peter Capaldi took the mantle it all went a little wrong. I’m not saying for one second that this was down to Capaldi himself, because it wasn’t. In fact I still praise Moffat for his choice in casting. But one thing that can definitely be criticised is the way Capaldi’s Doctor has been handled since.

It’s fair to say the Twelfth Doctor has been all over the place. Not so much in Series Eight but most certainly in Series Nine when he went from being a cosmic-hobo, to a fun-loving character, before returning more to his steely self. Heck, even his costume has been all over the place. His stern, gentlemen-like look didn’t return until ‘Face the Raven’ and that was three episodes from the end of the series (not counting ‘The Husbands of River Song’). It didn’t fully bother me but I did, and still, feel continuity is very important and when not controlled can cause problems with following narratives and characters.

The character most misused was Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald. Throughout the second half of Series Seven I enjoyed her character and pondered over her mystery, which came to a satisfying conclusion. I felt her and Smith were the perfect pairing. Some say her and Capaldi are the best dynamic but I’m not fully convinced. Sure, I won’t lie in saying I love their chemistry but I preferred her with Smith, and his Doctor in general. I felt that her character changed too much in Series Eight, and although most of it was for good reasoning, it did feel that she was a completely different character as seen in the previous year.

Add on another year, despite Coleman’s wishes to leave in 2014, and you had yet another character change. Each year Clara’s character was almost completely different. Despite her changes for Series Eight, at least I still liked her character and became fond of her rough journey trying to re- educate her old Time Lord friend during his erratic change. In Series Nine the whole “show, don’t tell” was thrown out of the window in order to glorify the idea of Clara being “the same as the Doctor”. We had seen that in more subtle ways before, which defined her as both reckless but also caring and cunning.

Series Nine, on the other hand, just went with ‘she’s reckless’ and was stuck with that. She was rarely clever and simply selfish, following on from the tragic arc of Danny Pink sacrificing himself to save the world and the little boy he had wronged. I get Clara was suffering from the aftermath of this event but I generally feel it could’ve been handled a lot better. Clara’s character was strong and for her to succumb to escapism simply felt out of character.

I did, however, like her ending in ‘Face the Raven’, which felt totally in character. She was brave, and above all, controlling. Clara put the Doctor in his place by admitting it was her fault she became too much like him and she needed to accept responsibility for it after going too far. The scene was made better after she referenced Danny’s death, wanting to mirror his bravery in the face of death. Even her ghost in the imagination of the Doctor’s mind during ‘Heaven Sent’ was effective, concluding the Doctor’s grief through him accepting Clara’s fate and using her death as motivation to escape his prison, thus returning home to Gallifrey.

Come ‘Hell Bent’ this arc was retconned and spoiled. I felt Clara’s return was very forced and it didn’t fully add to the events that came before. Yes, it was in many ways a perfect ending to their relationship but because of the way Series Nine had written Clara, ‘Face the Raven’ already gave the most fitting conclusion. The result of the Doctor losing his memory of Clara in ‘Hell Bent’ was completely tragic, true, and a nice reverse of ‘Journey’s End’. Clara had done so much for the Doctor, and became a huge part of his life only to be forgotten, but it’s swings and roundabouts as to whether this was a good ending for Clara. In my eyes, I find her character really did fall flat in her last series due to Moffat effectively no longer understanding the brave, selfless and caring character he had created. She either deserved a nice happy ending where she went home to find a new life for herself; caring for others like she once did, or she died saving the Doctor.

Another thing that Moffat strayed away from was his originality. Throughout his years working under Russell T Davies, Moffat did nothing but add in new stuff and interesting elements, most notably the Weeping Angels. This way of writing continued throughout his tenure writing for Smith, adding in the fantastically written “Silence Will Fall” arc. Even when Moffat delved into the past, such as the Daleks, he always tried adding in something new. Say what you will about the Paradigm; at least it was a bold move that could’ve gone somewhere. The Dalek Parliament and the Asylum was another great example of him adding to the mythology (even if they weren’t followed up).

Come Capaldi’s era, Moffat’s originality became less and less frequent. Sure we got ‘Listen’ and ‘Heaven Sent’ but these episodes showcasing Moffat’s old brilliance were the exception, rather than the rule. He began to rely too much on the past which sadly made him less credible as a creative person. Moffat started to meddle with mythology and ideas already set up years prior. This was where I really started to become annoyed with him because he started nixing his usual creativity instead with things that didn’t need changing.

Instead of adding things to the show, he started taking things away by screwing around with characters and monsters that didn’t need tweaking or altering. Along with this, he began to get too clever and too controlling which resulted in him taking control of the show’s law and bending it to his own design and views. Sure, every showrunner has the right to add to the show and play around with the formula to suit their way of writing, but not at the expense of making radical changes that can make fans upset. Because of this I’ve found my trust in Moffat wavered. I really do dread him being in-charge because I fear what he will try and mess with next.

In a nutshell, that is why I’m not sad he’s going because I can no longer tolerate watching a show in which I can’t trust the person in charge of it. I love Doctor Who and want to be able to enjoy it without dreading unnecessary changes or annoying additions that quite frankly ruin my enjoyment.

It’s a real shame to be saying this about Moffat because I do respect him and look up to him for inspiration. But I can tell that for the last couple of years his fire has slowly been going out and now is the best time for him to go. It’s a case of if you can no longer produce interesting stories or keep adding to the show then you know your creativity has come to its end and need to move on to allow someone else to start over. This is where my excitement comes in for the arrival of Chris Chibnall.  A fresh start is what the show needs and I’m confident he can revamp the show enough, like Moffat did back in 2010, to generate a new audience and a new style for viewers to enjoy.

I will admit that Chibnall wasn’t my first choice for Moffat’s replacement but I can’t say I’m against the decision. He hasn’t produced the most memorable episodes on the show, true, but compare that to his other work and you can see why he’s a brilliant choice. Chibnall was the head-writer for the first two series of Torchwood and produced some of the best episodes in the show’s history; ‘Countrycide’, ‘Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang’ and ‘Exit Wounds’ to name a few.

Broadchurch is the prime example of his talents outside of Who. I absolutely love the show and always enjoy the intense journey Chibnall takes us on. Add in all the wonderful characters, the location and the emotional narrative so far and you have yourself a masterpiece. It’s certainly one of my favourite shows on television at the minute and I can’t wait for the final series. In many ways, Broadchurch could have easily been a deciding factor for him to become show-runner.

He wrote and oversaw the show, meaning he has show-running experience, as well as produced something that is popular. I guarantee if the BBC advertise Series 11 with the caption “From the creator of Broadchurch” then a lot of people will want to check out Doctor Who to see what Chibnall writes. That’s what the show needs right now, good publicity that will draw in an audience.

Going back to his Doctor Who work, I can say he has written some good stories. ‘42’ is always entertaining to watch and I love ‘Dinosaurs on a Spaceship’. ‘The Power of Three’ is really good but I always get disappointed by the rushed ending, and unanswered questions, but I don’t necessarily blame Chibnall for this as it was probably out of his hands. We can thank Chibnall for re-introducing UNIT and also giving us Kate Stewart. I still think that was her strongest performance and I can’t wait to see Chibnall write for her again. Also I really enjoy the ‘Pond Life’ minisodes. It was a nice bit of fun – “Ood on the loo.”

I do believe the show is in safe hands and I can’t wait to see what Chibnall does with the show. Next to regenerations, the change-over of showrunner are the most exciting times for me because I’m always wondering what will happen next. How will the show change and what will be added? It was great seeing how Moffat took over from Davies and this will be no different.

I wish Moffat good luck for his last series. I really do hope he makes it memorable and brings back some of his old flair for his last run, instead of being inconsistent like last year. I want the old Moffat back; filled with fresh ideas and creativity. I also wish Chibnall good luck in taking the reins of this mystical show and I look forward to seeing what he brings to the table.