Today we celebrate the man who unleashed the Weeping Angels upon the world. Happy Birthday to current Doctor Who showrunner, Steven Moffat!
The acclaimed and accomplished Scottish writer turns 55 today. His first TV work was teen drama series Press Gang, but he really made his name writing sitcoms. Among his early comedy work are Joking Apart, Coupling, and Chalk. That would only be the beginning of his career, however. A long-time Doctor Who fan, Moffat wrote The Curse of Fatal Death for Comic Relief in 1999. With Rowan Atkinson as the “Ninth Doctor”, the short episode was a hilarious spin on the sci-fi series.
Moffat would come back to write more ‘seriously’ for Doctor Who went it returned in 2005. During Russell T Davies’ tenure as showrunner, Moffat produced six critically acclaimed episodes. These include The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace and Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. His most famous work though is Series 3’s Blink, which first introduced the Weeping Angels. A modern Who monster for the ages if ever there was one.
In 2010, Moffat took over as showrunner and has stayed in command for the last five series. His era welcomed in Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and lots of timey-wimey adventures. Later, he would also introduce Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi. Episode highlights have included The Eleventh Hour, Listen and Heaven Sent. Notably, Moffat oversaw the show’s 50th-anniversary celebrations. The Day of the Doctor special remains one of the biggest and most successful episodes to date.
Elsewhere, Moffat is also well-known for co-writing Sherlock with Mark Gatiss. Two hugely acclaimed and successful shows at once! He also co-wrote Steven Spielberg’s 2011 The Adventures of Tintin movie. To date, Moffat has won two Emmy awards, five BAFTAs, and four Hugo awards. He mainly has Doctor Who and Sherlock to thank for them.
68th Primetime Emmy Awards, Press Room, Los Angeles, USA – 18 Sep 2016 – Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jim Smeal /REX/Shutterstock
Steven Moffat is stepping down as showrunner next year to make way for Chris Chibnall. His tenure may not be to everyone’s taste, but his impact is undeniable. Since 2010, Doctor Who has become bigger and more global than ever.
Join us in wishing Steven many happy returns. We hope you have a birthday that’s just write! …we mean, just right!
