Russell T Davies reveals the reason he decided to return to Doctor Who

‘Everyone lies when they leave Doctor Who and says ‘Oh, I’ve moved on!’’ says the sci-fi showrunner

Russell T Davies has opened up about his decision to return to Doctor Who after more than a decade away.

The Queer as Folk creator was responsible for bringing the classic sci-fi series back to television in 2005, working as head writer on the BBC One show until he left in 2009.

“The truth of it is, everyone lies when they leave Doctor Who and says ‘Oh, I’ve moved on!’ I’ve been thinking about it since I was three, so there’s no way you stop thinking about it,” he told Radio Times.

“There are things coming up that are brand new ways of telling stories that have never been done before, so it just feels new – I wouldn’t have gone back if it wasn’t feeling new.”

Davies is taking over from Chris Chibnall, who succeeded Steven Moffat as showrunner in 2018.

Jodie Whittaker, the current actor to play the Doctor, is set to step down before Davies returns, with the next Doctor still yet to be announced.

“The reason why I’ve worked on 34 programmes in my life is that I don’t normally like continuing series. That’s why It’s A Sin came to an end and I just moved on.”

He concluded: “I just like looking at a new set of challenges every time and another blank page, but Doctor Who is always a blank page.”