Steven Moffat has admitted that he wanted to keep the news of Peter Capaldi leaving Doctor Who under wraps until at least halfway through Series 10.
Speaking to SFX Magazine, Moffat spoke on why the announcement was made earlier than he had hoped.
“In this world where you can’t keep secrets, where it is absolutely impossible to keep secrets, there was no point in trying. I’d far rather nobody knew until the regeneration. That would be so exciting. But we just can’t do it.
“In terms of announcing that Peter was leaving, we had to make a difficult calculation. We did it when we did it because there was still some time before the series comes back and most real people – as opposed to fans – will stop thinking about who the next Doctor Who is and then watch it. We didn’t want it to leak the week before we put the show on.”
Moffat went on to explain how he could have used the announcement to the advantage of the new series.
“My idea would have been to announce it halfway through the broadcast of the series and get a ratings spike as a result of everyone talking about Doctor Who, just at the time when it’s difficult to get people talking about Doctor Who,” he said.
“You just can’t. You just can’t hold anything anymore, which makes me despair, but that’s the way it is!”
Thinking that the news may now overshadow Series 10, Moffat also admitted that he's worried the public will be more interested in guessing who will become the next Doctor, than appreciating Capaldi's actual performance in what will be his final series.
“I don’t think it’s a good thing,” he said. “There’s a third of his run to go. He’s here till Christmas. He is the Doctor.”
Doctor Who returns to BBC One with 'The Pilot' on Saturday, 15th April, when Peter Capaldi's Doctor will be joined by new companion Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie, as well Nardole, played by Matt Lucas.
Speaking to SFX Magazine, Moffat spoke on why the announcement was made earlier than he had hoped.
“In this world where you can’t keep secrets, where it is absolutely impossible to keep secrets, there was no point in trying. I’d far rather nobody knew until the regeneration. That would be so exciting. But we just can’t do it.
“In terms of announcing that Peter was leaving, we had to make a difficult calculation. We did it when we did it because there was still some time before the series comes back and most real people – as opposed to fans – will stop thinking about who the next Doctor Who is and then watch it. We didn’t want it to leak the week before we put the show on.”
Moffat went on to explain how he could have used the announcement to the advantage of the new series.
“My idea would have been to announce it halfway through the broadcast of the series and get a ratings spike as a result of everyone talking about Doctor Who, just at the time when it’s difficult to get people talking about Doctor Who,” he said.
“You just can’t. You just can’t hold anything anymore, which makes me despair, but that’s the way it is!”
Thinking that the news may now overshadow Series 10, Moffat also admitted that he's worried the public will be more interested in guessing who will become the next Doctor, than appreciating Capaldi's actual performance in what will be his final series.
“I don’t think it’s a good thing,” he said. “There’s a third of his run to go. He’s here till Christmas. He is the Doctor.”
Doctor Who returns to BBC One with 'The Pilot' on Saturday, 15th April, when Peter Capaldi's Doctor will be joined by new companion Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie, as well Nardole, played by Matt Lucas.
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