“Thus, Sayeth the Moff!” News Blast!

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

To some, his words are the very bane of souls. To others, everything he says is a clue and a map to where our good Doctor is headed next. More tightly packed than the curls on our current show runner’s head, the Kasterborous News Blast is bursting with new commentary from the infamous Steven Moffat! From taking on the show’s critics to stoking the fires of hope for a return from some beloved characters, the Moff has been busy on the Last Christmas press tour and we have the best bits just for you, dear reader! Let us begin!

Moffat: “Children are dark and serious people.”

It is no secret that Doctor Who and Steven Moffat have been leveled with the charge of making the beloved television programme too dark for younger viewers. Personal feelings aside, it would be hard to argue that Series 8 wasn’t a move towards a darker, more serious show. Moffat has finally responded to those criticisms. When speaking with TV and Satellite Week (via NerdBastards), he made these remarks:

“I wish those people would do a bit of research. Go and discover what children are reading now. Harry Potter’s very dark. All the Young Adult literature is very dark. And children are dark and serious people.”

Valid points; it would be hard to make a case that the Hunger Games or Divergent contain super positive outlooks on the world and they’re also filled with dark moments. Yet, especially here in the US, these books and movies are incredibly popular with younger children and teens. Moffat has also rightly noted that for the darkness in Series 8, there were also very light and funny moments (he cited Robot of Sherwood and In the Forest of the Night in another interview with SFX). Time will tell if the narrative choices were the right ones, but from this writer’s perspective, Series 8 made some great moves to increase the stakes of the plot.

Moffat Teases Return of Jack and River?

While some consider Jack Harkness and River Song to be stalwarts of the Tennant and Smith Eras and should remain in the past, there is a strong contingent of the fandom that would love to see these two characters return in a future storyline. Those particular fans might be supremely interested in what Steven Moffat had to say on the matter. Zap2It caught up with the busy showrunner and broached the subject with him:

“It’s never, ever closed off. It’s all about, ‘Do you have a story that’s worth it?’ Unless you have a story that is absolutely informed and invigorated by their presence, just bringing a character back in an ordinary story won’t do. Both River Song and Jack Harkness are massive characters in ‘Doctor Who’ mythology. Their returns would have to be seismic, not routine. One of the things you always want to say is ‘leave them wanting more.'”

I am more than happy to share that I hope this kind of talk actually leads us somewhere. If you’re keeping score, there was some similar discussion about bringing the Master back just prior to Series 8. Like most things where Steven Moffat is concerned, it’s best to keep some salt nearby.

Moffat on Clara: “She thinks the show is called Clara”

The other major criticism that Series 8 faced is that the show became too Clara focused, a criticism that got turned around on the fandom with the opening segement of the Series 8 finale (Clara Who and Jenna’s eyes in the visuals). Nerdist talked Clara’s rise into prominence in the latest series with Moffat:

“The thing about Clara is she thinks the show is called Clara. She really does. She has no idea she’s number two in the credits, which is why we did that joke in ‘Death in Heaven.’ She’s got a high opinion of herself, not in a conceited way, but in a correct way. She knows she’s extremely clever and capable, and she doesn’t feel like she particularly fits in the world that she lives in. She’s a bit more like the Doctor in the first place. She’s not really very good at living a normal life. The other companions, like most people, like you and me, can be quite good at living normal lives.

I’m very happy living my normal life, I’m sure you are too. Going to the shops seems fine for an adventure, but Clara’s not like that. When I first wrote Clara, I thought, ‘Oh, this is fun. If the Doctor were a young woman living in contemporary Britain, it’d be a bit like her.’ Clever and presentable and funny but also thinking when is something interesting going to happen? The interesting thing between the Doctor and Clara is she can sort of play the same game he does. She can absolutely do that, she’s terribly clever, she’s got a wayward ego. Her botched love affair with Danny is heartbreakingly proof of that. He’s a lovely man with a traumatic secret, and she just screws it up because she doesn’t really give it enough attention. It’s just a little bit less exciting than running off in the blue box. You have to be a bit of a loony to think that way. I think for the first time, the Doctor’s traveling with someone who’s a bit of a loony like him, and that’s quite fun…The Doctor always thinks he knows better; Clara always thinks she knows better.

So what they do at the end is a perfect summation of their relationship. They lie and endure pain and loneliness in order to protect the other because they think they know better. Amy would never have done that; she’d have told him what happened. But, people who are more controlling than that think they know what’s good for everybody else aren’t like that. So, Clara’s not the Doctor; she’s not the same person as the Doctor, but – the traditional thing is to say the hero and the archenemy are mirrors of each other. Are they? Are they though? Not really. I think it’s more likely that friends are mirrors of each other. If you watch any close friendship, the extent to which they start to duplicate each other is quite interesting, even with Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes. While they’re different people, they have similar appetites. So, yeah, it was the perfect way to say goodbye in that episode; each one doesn’t think the other can cope with the truth.”

By far the most convincing case for the way Clara’s character and arc were framed this series. It would be a lie to say there weren’t moments that made my eyes roll where the Clara-Danny-Doctor dynamic was concerned, but far more hits than misses in my humble estimation.

Details on Troughton, Frost, and a return tease for Missy

Like the ongoing Sony Pictures hacking, the Moffat press machine is the gift that keeps on giving! Talking Last Christmas with Radio Times (via Den of Geek), Moffat had a few choice details to deliver.

On casting Michael Troughton: “He doesn’t play the son of Doctor Who or anything, he plays a scientist.”

On Nick Frost and bringing Santa into the Whoniverse: “Santa is written in properly, in a science-fiction way, into Doctor Who. Nick is ideal. He’s what Santa should be in Doctor Who land.”

Missy making a comeback?: “I’ve already asked Michelle to come back. The Master is never dead, no matter what happens to him or her. She’s entirely unzappable!”

It’s always a welcome addition to have the offspring of the Doctors’ visit in an episode here and there. I’m looking forward to Michael’s turn in the Christmas special. Jury is still out on the Missy return; I welcome another story with the Master/Mistress, but I do hope her presence has a little more substance this time around.

Series 8 Q&A Panel Highlights

I thoroughly enjoy a good panel discussion. I especially love one that involves Steven Moffat and current stars of Doctor Who. Throw in Frank Skinner as a moderator, and you’re bound to have a cracking good time. Fortunately for those of us who couldn’t be there in person, the BBC have released a highlight real featuring some great stuff from the Moff, Capaldi, Coleman, Anderson, and Gomez in celebration of the release of the Series 8 DVD/BluRay:

That brings us to a close, dear readers! Please feel free to share your thoughts on Moffat’s thoughts down below.

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