Every Single Doctor Who Story Steven Moffat Wrote Before Becoming Showrunner Now Has A Sequel

Steven Moffat was writing for Doctor Who even before he took over showrunning duties from Russell T. Davies, and Moffat used his time in charge of the show and his 2024 comeback to continue the stories he had written years ago. Some of Moffat’s best episodes of Doctor Who came before he became the showrunner, and although they seemed like standalone installments at the time, it’s clear now that he was setting himself up for sequels further down the line. Now, Doctor Who‘s modern era is an even more complex web of intersecting plots, in part thanks to Moffat’s efforts.

After stepping away from the show in 2013 and passing the baton to Chris Chibnall, Moffat focused on other projects before eventually coming back during Doctor Who‘s Disney era. He penned two scripts for Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. As a result, Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor remains the modern era’s only version of the Time Lord to whom Moffat hasn’t contributed a storyline. That being said, the writer and former showrunner introduced elements to the Doctor Who universe that still influenced Thirteen’s adventures. However, his efforts to continue his pre-showrunner stories were far more intentional.

How Steven Moffat Has Followed Up All Of His Early Doctor Who Episodes

Moffat has left none of his earlier episodes without a follow-up

Before Moffat became the showrunner at the beginning of the era of Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor, the writer had penned four Doctor Who stories – two of which were two-parters, which meant there were six individual episodes. Most of these respective storylines ended in ways that could have made them self-contained adventures, although some teased Moffat’s eventual intention to revisit certain plots. When he took to the showrunner’s chair, he followed through on this implied plan and gradually started to bring back elements of his earlier installments.

For example, Doctor Who season 1’s “The Empty Child” two-parter was the first time the franchise had mentioned Villengard, but it wouldn’t be the last. Next, “The Girl in the Fireplace” was a Tenth Doctor story, but the episode’s cyborgs returned in Peter Capaldi’s debut as the Twelfth Doctor. “Blink” is the Weeping Angels’ first appearance, and it meant the franchise villains could then return at any time – which they have. Finally, River Song’s timeline began/ended in Doctor Who season 4’s “Silence in the Library” two-parter, and Moffat went on to bring back the Doctor’s wife several times.

Steven Moffat’s Early Doctor Who Episodes Perfectly Set Up His Era (& Beyond)

The Eleventh Doctor and his successors have all faced early Moffat-era threats

Although Moffat didn’t focus on his earlier storylines completely when he became the Doctor Who showrunner, they certainly acted as a solid foundation on several occasions. For instance, River’s time-crossed love story with the Doctor is still one of the most fascinating and cerebral arcs the show has to offer, and it wouldn’t have been possible if Moffat hadn’t planted such a strong narrative seed in Doctor Who season 4. Similarly, the Weeping Angels are one of the best recurring Doctor Who villains of all time, and they have continued to return even since Moffat’s departure.

Moffat also wasted no time returning to some of his more famous early introductions when Davies invited him back to write two episodes for Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. To be precise, Moffat made heavy use of Villengard in Doctor Who season 14, episode 3, “Boom,” as well as in the 2024 Christmas special, “Joy to the World.” It’s unclear just how much of a role Villengard will have in Doctor Who season 15’s story and beyond, but its notable resurgence could be a sign that Moffat’s influence on the show will continue to persevere – even when he’s no longer directly involved.

None Of Steven Moffat’s Follow-Up Episodes Have Matched The Originals

Moffat’s eventual sequels were still good but lacked the initial mystery of their predecessors

It’s been great to see Moffat revisit some of his oldest Doctor Who ideas, but the harsh reality of the situation is that none of the follow-up episodes based on some of his biggest contributions to the franchise have been as good as the original stories. Of course, this is nothing new. Sequels often struggle to live up to the groundbreaking quality of the original, but that doesn’t mean they’re always bad. There’s almost always something to enjoy in a story’s continuation, and that is the case with Moffat’s later installments that spun off from his pre-showrunner arcs.

One of Moffat’s biggest writing hallmarks is introducing a sinister mystery. Or, at the very least, a mystery without a conventional solution. While this is very exciting whenever a new storyline begins, a sequel will often begin with the original at least partially resolved. As such, it can be difficult to be as enthralled the second time around. However, that doesn’t mean Moffat’s follow-up episodes are bad. Instead, he’s just a victim of his own talent when it comes to writing Doctor Who stories with incredibly rewarding or slow-burning reveals.