The Spruce Moose
oh dear, I say!
Yeah but Series 2 has Love & Monsters, Fear Her, Tooth and Claw & The Idiot's Lantern, while Season 4 has Journey's End, The Doctor's Daughter and if we include the specials Planet of the Dead and The End of Time!
This week, Heaven Sent achieved one of the most remarkable averages ever attained in the history of the revival, a magnificent 9.344, placing it first in Series 9 by a mile, and second in the whole revival.
it even managed to – by a very small margin – beat Blink, one of the most famous and acclaimed episodes in Doctor Who history (Blink attained an average of 9.329). I repeat, it beat Blink.
The only episode that can still overcome Heaven Sent is the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, but the gap between said episode and the newly inducted second ranking episode isn’t that large. The Day of the Doctor attained an average score of 9.401, only 0.057 points above Heaven Sent.
The placement of Heaven Sent has pushed The Family of Blood from 10th to 11th place in the revival rankings. Why am I telling you this specific fact? Well, it now means that the top ten episodes of the revival are all written (or co-written in one case) by Moffat. All of them, his. I think that stresses just how much of a brilliant writer Moffat is in the eyes of the fandom!
I'm just annoyed that Moffat literally turned his companion into the Doctor. She now doesnt age, has a TARDIS and her own companion and is flying around, completely safe, because her death HAS to happen at Trap Street.
It's almost fanfiction, honestly.
1: The Day of the Doctor - 9.401
2: Heaven Sent - 9.344
3: Blink - 9.329
4: The Empty Child - 9.058
5: The Eleventh Hour - 9.051
6: The Doctor Dances - 9.041
7: Forest of the Dead - 9.009
8: Silence in the Library - 9.004
9: The Zygon Inversion - 8.994
10: The Pandorica Opens - 8.949
A lot of deserving episodes there, though I'm surprised by the adoration for The Zygon Inversion. The Doctor's rhetoric towards the end was very good, but it didn't retroactively excuse the prior 60+ minutes of tedium. Nice to see some love for The Pandorica Opens though, for me season 5's two-part finale was the show at its absolute zenith. It was a confident joy, firing on all cylinders. The fairytale, adventure-ish vibe of Matt Smith's first couple of seasons remains my favourite vision for the series.
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat quits to be replaced by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall
Only a Doctor Who Christmas special will air in 2016. Moffat's final series to be broadcast next year in order to create a “huge event” for fans. Chibnall will begin his tenure in 2018
Steven Moffat has decided that his “timey wimey” as showrunner of Doctor Who has come to an end and he will step down as the show’s lead writer and executive producer after six series at the helm, RadioTimes.com can reveal.
Moffatt will hand over the keys to the TARDIS at the end of the next series in 2017 to Broadchurch writer and Doctor Who fan Chris Chibnall.
BBC1 has decided to air Moffat’s final 12-part series - the 10th of the modern era - in spring 2017. Chibnall’s debut series as head writer and executive producer will launch in 2018.
A Christmas special WILL air this year overseen by Moffat, though it is unclear whether Peter Capaldi’s new companion will feature. The companion, who will replace Jenna Coleman's Clara Oswald, will definitely be in place for the spring 2017 series, say BBC sources.
Explaining the decision to hold Moffat’s last series until next year, BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore said: “I have decided to schedule Steven’s big finale series in Spring 2017 to bring the nation together for what will be a huge event on the channel. 2016 is spoilt with national moments including the Euros and Olympics and I want to hold something big back for 2017 - I promise it will be worth the wait!”
It is unclear if the plan is now to make Doctor Who a series which regularly begins its runs in the spring when Chibnall becomes showrunner. “That is all to be decided,” said a BBC source, who pointed out that it began airing in the spring when it was relaunched by Russell T Davies in 2005.
Moffat said of his decision to quit: “Feels odd to be talking about leaving when I’m just starting work on the scripts for season 10, but the fact is my timey-wimey is running out. While Chris is doing his last run of Broadchurch, I’ll be finishing up on the best job in the universe and keeping the TARDIS warm for him. It took a lot of gin and tonic to talk him into this, but I am beyond delighted that one of the true stars of British Television drama will be taking the Time Lord even further into the future. At the start of season 11, Chris Chibnall will become the new showrunner of Doctor Who. And I will be thrown in a skip.”
Moore, who next month takes over a super controller’s job at the BBC, paid tribute to Moffat and welcomed Chibnall into the Doctor Who fold.
“I want to thank Steven Moffat for everything he has given Doctor Who – I’ve loved working with him, he is an absolute genius and has brought fans all over the world such joy,” she added. “I will be very sad to see him leave the show but I can’t wait to see what he will deliver in his last ever series next year with a brand new companion.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Chris Chibnall, a wonderfully talented writer who I know will bring something very special to the hit series.”
Like Moffat, Chibnall is also a lifelong Doctor Who fan and a multi-award winning writer and executive producer. He has most recently achieved success with the triple BAFTA winning hit ITV series Broadchurch. His other credits include BAFTA nominated The Great Train Robbery, United, Law & Order: UK, Life on Mars and Torchwood.
He said: "Doctor Who is the ultimate BBC programme: bold, unique, vastly entertaining, and adored all around the world. So it's a privilege and a joy to be the next curator of this funny, scary and emotional family drama. I’ve loved Doctor Who since I was four years old, and I’m relishing the thought of working with the exceptional team at BBC Wales to create new characters, creatures and worlds for the Doctor to explore. Steven’s achieved the impossible by continually expanding Doctor Who's creative ambition, while growing its global popularity. He’s been a dazzling and daring showrunner, and hearing his plans and stories for 2017, it’s clear he’ll be going out with a bang. Just to make my life difficult."
Polly Hill, BBC controller of drama commissioning, added: “Like Charlotte I would like to thank Steven for his brilliance, which has made Doctor Who a global hit under his tenure. Chris Chibnall is the perfect successor to take over the reins of this incredible show, so I am delighted that his love for Doctor Who has made it impossible for him to resist ! Chris is an incredible writer and his vision and passion for Doctor Who gives it an exciting future and promises to be a real treat for Doctor Who fans across the world.”