Steven Moffat Used His Final Doctor Who Episode To Poke Fun At His Own Legacy

Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who’s “Joy to the World”

Steven Moffat couldn’t resist a parting joke at his own expense in Doctor Who‘s 2024 Christmas special. As the writer responsible for 1999 Comic Relief skit The Curse of Fatal Death, Moffat’s long-running association with Doctor Who began before the British sci-fi franchise even embarked upon its modern era. Later contributing classic episodes such as “The Girl in the Fireplace” and “Blink” during Russell T Davies’ stint as Doctor Who showrunner, Moffat eventually became RTD’s successor in 2010 – a position he held until Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who regeneration in 2017.

Finding it impossible to stay away for too long, Steven Moffat contributed “Boom” to Doctor Who season 14, and also penned 2024’s Christmas special, “Joy to the World.” After that, however, Moffat claims he has no plans to continue his involvement in Doctor Who season 15 and beyond, teasing that “Joy to the Would” could represent his last-ever contribution to the TV institution. Whether Doctor Who‘s future is Moffat-free or not, the former showrunner took the opportunity to crack jokes about his own legacy, possibly for the final time.

Doctor Who’s 2024 Christmas Special Gently Pokes Fun At The Weeping Angels

A Tongue-In-Cheek Moment Of Self-Depreciation From Moffat

The moment in question came during the Fifteenth Doctor’s year with Anita at the Sandringham Hotel. Filling Anita in on the past 60 years of adventures, one particular exchange during their 12-month montage stood out. After the Doctor stressed, “I’m not kidding! Can’t move if you’re looking at them!” Anita, having already accused the concept of being nonsense, responded with “But that’s rubbish!” Clearly, this scene was a callback to the Weeping Angels – a villain Moffat himself concocted.

In the wake of “Blink” airing for the first time, the Weeping Angels were widely praised as one of the best Doctor Who villains in history, with Moffat’s “don’t blink” idea hailed as an innovative and clever gimmick. Moffat himself, speaking through Anita in “Joy to the World,” appears to disagree. By mocking the villains for not being able to move when they’re watched, Anita mocked the very thing that made Moffat’s Weeping Angels feel so creepy and original in “Blink.”

The Weeping Angels Are A Big Part Of Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who Legacy

The Weeping Angels Will Always Be A Sign Of Moffat’s Huge Contribution

Steven Moffat has contributed a great deal to Doctor Who, both as a writer and a showrunner, but as his presence around the franchise lessens, so does his influence upon the current product. Arguably the most visible mark of Moffat’s legacy, however, remains the Weeping Angels. The stony assassins have continued to plague the Doctor since Moffat stepped away, and they will undoubtedly return again before too long.

Precious few Doctor Who writers create a villain memorable enough to become a recurring enemy across all eras, and the Weeping Angels will continue forth as a shining beacon of Moffat’s long-term impact on the show. Still, Anita’s humorous critique has gently placed the Weeping Angels on par with the Daleks. Just like Moffat’s statues, the Daleks were terrifying when first introduced, then gradually became less scary once audiences realized the deadly pepper pots could be foiled by a flight of stairs.

Likewise, the Weeping Angels were chilling in “Blink,” but their inability to move when watched is an even bigger limitation than the Daleks’ mobility, making the angels a lot less effective than they used to be. Just as Doctor Who reinvented the Daleks in 2005 to restore their aura of terror, perhaps future Doctor Who seasons must evolve the Weeping Angels to make them sound less ridiculous to the average hotel manager.