The upcoming departure of Steven Moffat from Doctor Who has led to the question of whether or not the show will continue to succeed without him. How is this a question?
The one constant on Doctor Who is change. The companions change. The Doctor changes. Recurring characters come and go, passing through the Doctor’s story and then being left behind. Even the TARDIS changes. Change, on Doctor Who, is inevitable.
That change will naturally move on to the other side of the camera. There have been quite a few writers over the years, and directors are seemingly interchangeable. Even the role of showrunner changed once before in NuWho, with Steven Moffat taking over from Russell T Davies. Naturally, there should not be any surprise that Moffat will be departing from his role.
This departure, however, is leading to the question of whether or not Doctor Who will be able to continue its success. The show has certainly had an impressive increase of popularity over the past few years, and Moffat has been at the forefront of this improvement. It is easy to associate him with this success, and ask whether or not it is sustainable once he departs following the next season.
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Let’s face facts – no one, aside from Moffat’s family, is watching Doctor Who for Steven Moffat. They are watching because the show has an interesting story, and because they enjoy the program itself. Doctor Who is an institution, and has become a major part in people’s lives. So long as the scripts are good and the show remains entertaining, the BBC could get a trained monkey as the showrunner for all anyone would care.
The departure of Moffat will not break Doctor Who. His leaving will not suddenly make millions of fans walk away, disappointed that the Moff is no longer running everything. In fact, given the general criticism that seems to surround Moffat, his departure may even be a boost for the show, with a new voice and fresh ideas coming in in the near future.
Next: What to do in a year without Doctor Who
Everyone leaves Doctor Who at some point in time, and the show continues to endure. Steven Moffat stepping aside as showrunner will not be the one change that ends the success of the show.