Steven Moffat: ‘I wanted to give Tory rule-breakers a kicking with Doctor Who special’
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To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. Spoilers for the Doctor Who Christmas special, Joy To The World, follow. Seven years after his Doctor Who swan song, former showrunner Steven Moffat unexpectedly returned to the Whoniverse for Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor era.
![[Nicola Coughlan as Joy and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233533131-583b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
After an acclaimed response to his season one episode, Boom (featuring the new companion Varada Sethu), he returned to screens for a Christmas special, Joy To The World, starring Nicola Coughlan. ‘The only thing I’d forgotten is how fast you have to start,’ Steven, 62, tells Metro about his return to the BBC writers’ room. ‘It took me three goes to get Boom started.’.
![[Steven Moffat]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_186583338-92b2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
But, much like learning how to ride a bike, it took no time at all for the gears to click into place as he penned not one but two episodes filled with out-of-this-world threats, a quirky cast of side characters and a race against time. No surprise considering Steven has written more episodes of the Doctor Who reboot than anyone, outpacing returning showrunner Russell T Davies and Jodie Whittaker era boss Chris Chibnall.
![[Ncuti Gatwa]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233533125-c1d8.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
From his first Eccleston episodes (The Empty Child two-parter) to his latest festive romp, he has probed into the mind and heart of every Doctor who has graced our screen (aside from Jodie), making him a foremost expert in what makes the Doctor tick. And just how different it is to write for say, Matt Smith, compared to Ncuti.
![[Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson (right) with Varada Sethu]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_199724862-6485.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘It’s different enough that the Doctor is now somebody else. Accents change, I think the Doctor probably glances in the mirror once he’s got up and says, “okay, right I’m a grumpy old guy” or “I’m a sexy young man” or “I’m a beautiful woman”.
