Legendary Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat is returning to the show after a seven-year break, having penned what may be his most dramatic episode yet.
Before taking over the series as showrunner in 2010, the writer became known for penning some of the scariest episodes in the revival’s run, and introducing iconic characters such as Captain Jack Harkness and River Song.
Steven then took the reins of the series during Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi‘s runs on the show, and penned a feature length special in honour of the show’s 50th Anniversary in 2013.
Despite stepping down from the series in 2017, Steven hinted that he would be open to writing another episode in the future, and on Saturday viewers will get to see his latest effort titled Boom.
The episode sees the current Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) travel to an alien planet gripped by war, but the Time Lord is placed in a terrifying situation when he steps on a land mine.
So, as fans prepare to tune into what could be Moffat’s most dramatic episode yet, takes a look-back at some of his most iconic tales in the Who-niverse.
Legendary Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat is returning to the show after a seven-year break, having penned what may be his most dramatic episode yet
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (2005)
Steven’s first story for New Who came during the first series 19 years ago, and is still considered one of the scariest episodes in the show’s history
It also introduced one of the franchises’ most iconic characters, Captain Jack Harkness, who at the time is an charming alien conman attempting to discover his lost memory
Steven’s first story for New Who came during the first series 19 years ago, when Christopher Eccleston took the reins as the Ninth Doctor.
The two-parter is still considered one of the scariest episodes in the show’s history with the introduction of terrifying ‘gask mask zombies’ after The Doctor and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) travel to World War Two-stricken London.
In the episode, the pair investigate the spread of a mysterious plague that transforms people into zombies pleading for their mummy.
It also introduced one of the franchises’ most iconic characters, Captain Jack Harkness, who at the time is an charming alien conman attempting to discover his lost memory.
Played by John Barrowman, the immortal rogue took centre stage in the spin-off Torchwood, and returned to Doctor Who several times throughout its run.
The Girl In The Fireplace (2006)
Long considered one of the best episodes in the show’s history, The Girl In The Fireplace saw The Doctor come close to breaking the one rule he’d forever kept in place: Falling in love
Long considered one of the best episodes in the show’s history, The Girl In The Fireplace saw The Doctor (David Tennant) came close to breaking the one rule he’d forever kept in place: Falling in love.
The episode saw The Doctor, Rose and Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) journey to a futuristic spaceship run by clockwork droids, who are stalking a French aristocrat from the 18th Century in the hope of using her head to repair the broken ship.
The Doctor comes dangerously close to falling for Reinette (played by Sophia Myles), after travelling through a time window on the spaceship using a fireplace.
He dreams of taking Reinette with him to travel through the stars, but in heartbreaking scenes, a faulty time window means he’s too late, and returns to France following her death.
Inspired by Audrey Niffenegger’s novel The Time-Traveler’s Wife, the episode ends with The Doctor reading an emotional letter from Reinette, and it’s still praised by fans nearly 20 years after it hit screens.
Blink (2007)
Airing during New Who’s third series, Blink was a stark deviation from other episodes in David Tennant’s tenure, as he barely featured during its runtime
Considered a ‘Doctor-lite’ episode, Moffat delivered one of the show’s scariest ever efforts, and another considered one of the best to ever hit screens
Airing during New Who’s third series, Blink was a stark deviation from other episodes in David Tennant’s tenure, as he barely featured during its runtime.
Considered a ‘Doctor-lite’ episode, Moffat delivered one of the show’s scariest ever efforts, and another considered one of the best to ever hit screens during Russell T Davies’ first stint as showrunner.
Years before her break in Hollywood, Carey Mulligan starred as Sally Sparrow, who encounters the terrifying Weeping Angels, who transport victims back in time to live out the rest of their lives alone.
The one-off episode focuses on the sinister Weeping Angels, who only move when they’re not being seen… or when you blink, inspiring the episode’s title.
The Angels went onto become a staple during Moffat’s tenure as showrunner, returning several times throughout his run
Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead (2008)
In his final two-part story under Russell’s stint as showrunner, Moffat set the stage for one of his biggest mysteries, the origin of River Song (Alex Kingston)
The episodes saw The Doctor and Donna Noble travel to a planet called The Library, where they discover the terrifying creatures called Vashta Narada
In his final two-part story under Russell’s stint as showrunner, Moffat set the stage for one of his biggest mysteries, the origin of River Song (Alex Kingston).
The episodes saw The Doctor and Donna Noble travel to a planet called The Library, where they discover the terrifying creatures called Vashta Narada.
Preying on a classic childhood fear, the creatures devour anyone who braves stepping into the shadows and out of the light.
River is introduced as an archaeologist, and it soon becomes clear that she is a crucial part of The Doctor’s future, as she knows more about his life than even he does.
While she meets her maker at the end of the episode, Moffat leaves viewers with plenty of questions about her origins, which would be answered in later series.
The Eleventh Hour (2010)
Following David, and Russell’s departures from Who, Moffat took over the series as showrunner, and penned the opening episode for the new Doctor, Matt Smith
Viewers saw the ‘raggedy’ Time Lord come face-to-face with his new companion, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), first in childhood and later as an adult
Following David, and Russell’s departures from Who, Moffat took over the series as showrunner, and penned the opening episode for the new Doctor, Matt Smith.
Considered another classic of the modern era, a post-regeneration Doctor is faced with the threat of escaped alien Prisoner Zero, with the Atraxi threatening to destroy Earth if he goes uncaptured.
Viewers saw the ‘raggedy’ Time Lord come face-to-face with his new companion, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), first in childhood and later as an adult.
Despite a few time-travelling mishaps, Amy is enticed to travel with The Doctor into outer space, and Matt’s hour-long debut went down a storm with fans.
The episode is also responsible for introducing a staple of Eleven’s tenure… fish custard.
The Wedding Of River Song (2011)
The mystery surrounding The Doctor’s death came to a dramatic conclusion in the sixth series finale, also drawing an end to the long-running saga surrounding River Song’s heritage
It culminated with a moment fans thought they’d never see; The Doctor getting married, as he and River exchanged vows to restart the timeline and stop The Silence
The mystery surrounding The Doctor’s death came to a dramatic conclusion in the sixth series finale, also drawing an end to the long-running saga surrounding River Song’s heritage.
In a tense episode, River’s refusal to kill The Doctor resulted in time grinding to a halt, with the Time Lord himself warning that his passing must take place as fixed point in the universe.
It culminated with a moment fans thought they’d never see; The Doctor getting married, as he and River exchanged vows to restart the timeline and stop the sinister villains known as The Silence.
While this did mean The Doctor met his maker by River’s hand at a lake in Utah, a last-minute twist meant the Time Lord would continue his TARDIS travels, occassionally breaking River out of prison to join him.
The Angels Take Manhattan (2012)
Marking the return of The Weeping Angels, viewers were left in floods of tears when The Doctor bid goodbye to his beloved companion Amy, and her husband Rory
Marking the return of The Weeping Angels, viewers were left in floods of tears when The Doctor bid goodbye to his beloved companion Amy, and her husband Rory, in this dramatic episode.
With the return of River Song, the TARDIS team struggle to escape an army of Angels who have taken over 1930s New York.
While they appear to stop the Angels in their tracks, with Amy and Rory risking their lives in the process, it’s one rogue survivor that ends the couple’s travels with The Doctor, sending them back in time.
A devastated Doctor receives one last farewell from his friends in the form of a carefully placed afterword in a book, young Amelia’s dreams of aventure come to a heartbreaking end in the moving episode.
The Day Of The Doctor (2013)
For Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary, Moffat delivered one of the biggest and most action-packed instalments in the show’s history, with three Doctors on screen together
Joined by his companion Clara Oswald, The Doctor finds himself face-to-face with his previous incarnation as well as a mysterious new figure
For Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary, Moffat delivered one of the biggest and most action-packed instalments in the show’s history, shaking up the famous Time Lord lore in a way that left fans floored.
Joined by his companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), The Doctor finds himself face-to-face with his previous incarnation (David Tennant) as well as a mysterious new face, who would be known as The War Doctor (John Hurt), with guest stars and cameos galore.
As it’s revealed The Doctor was responsible for The Moment, which famously destroyed his home Gallifrey during the Time War, a shocking twist sees all of his incarnations come together to save the planet, freezing it in time.
With the help of a familiar face in the form of iconic Doctor Tom Baker, the current Time Lord has whole new adventures opened for him, as he begins the long journey to discover his planet, setting the stage for decades of stories to come.
Hell Bent (2015)
The finale of Peter Capaldi’s second series as The Doctor remains one of the most divisive in the show’s history, as it saw the Time Lord return to his home planet, Gallifrey
Following Clara’s tragic death two episodes earlier, The Doctor decides to break the laws of time in a desperate bid to save her life
The finale of Peter Capaldi’s second series as The Doctor remains one of the most divisive in the show’s history, as it saw the Time Lord return to his home planet, Gallifrey.
Following Clara’s tragic death two episodes earlier, The Doctor decides to break the laws of time and save her life, trapping her in a permenant second, where she would forever travel the stars to escape her imminent fate.
While the mystery of the Hybrid is finally revealed, fans still claim it’s the weakest story arc during Moffat’s tenure.
World Enough & Time/The Doctor Falls (2017)
Moffat stayed on as Who showrunner when Peter Capaldi received the key to the TARDIS in 2014, and in his third full series, he penned a dramatic two-parter that set the stage for his end
Moffat stayed on as Who showrunner when Peter Capaldi received the keys to the TARDIS in 2014, and in his third full series, he penned a dramatic two-parter that set the stage for his end.
Coming face-to-face with old foe The Master, the episodes act as an origin story for iconic villains The Cybermen.
Companion Bill Potts is (Pearl Mackie) tragically converted into the robot, and The Doctor also reunites with The Master’s later incarnation, Missy.
While Bill’s story ends on a somewhat satisfying note, The Doctor is determined to escape his fate, and in the process makes a shocking discovery… himself, played by David Bradley who starred as the First Doctor in the 2013 film An Adventure in Space and Time.
Twice Upon A Time (2017)
Peter bid a heartbreaking farewell to the role of The Doctor in an episode which saw him meet his first incarnation, played by David Bradley
The episode, also Steven’s last as showrunner, saw The Doctor bid a final farewell to his companions Bill Potts and Nardole
With the news that Jodie Whittaker would be taking over as The Doctor, Steven announced that he would be stepping down from the series that same year, with Chris Chibnall taking over for the new era.
Peter bid a heartbreaking farewell to the role in the Christmas episode, which saw The Twelfth Doctor meet his first incarnation, played by David Bradley, and reunited with his companion Bill.
The episode, which takes place on Christmas Eve in 1914, sees both Doctors determined to escape their looming regenerations.
Both are eventually forced to come to terms with their fate, as they emotionally bid farewell to their current selves, with the Twelfth Doctor delivering a moving speech as he transforms into his new face.