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{{short description|Scottish television writer and producer}}
{{short description|Scottish television writer and producer (born 1961)}}
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|11|18|df=y}}<ref name="dob" />
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|11|18|df=y}}<ref name="dob" />
| birth_place = [[Paisley, Renfrewshire|Paisley]], Scotland
| birth_place = [[Paisley, Renfrewshire|Paisley]], Scotland
| occupation = Television writer, television producer and screenwriter
| occupation = Television writer, television producer, and screenwriter
| period = 1988–present
| period = 1988–present
| alma_mater = [[University of Glasgow]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Glasgow]]
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}}
}}


'''Steven William Moffat''' {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɒ|f|ə|t}};<ref>As pronounced by Moffat in his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqIyDTx53fM&t=50s 2016 Oxford Union Address].</ref> born 18 November 1961)<ref name="dob">{{Cite magazine |last=Moffat |first=Steven |title=Production Notes |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=405 |page=11 |date=4 March 2009}}</ref> is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the second [[showrunner]] and [[head writer]] of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and co-creating and co-writing the contemporary crime drama television series ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'', based on [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s [[Sherlock Holmes]] stories. In the [[2015 Birthday Honours]], Moffat was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) for his services to drama.<ref name=GBR>United Kingdom: {{London Gazette |issue=61256 | date=12 June 2015 |pages=B14| supp=y}}</ref>
'''Steven William Moffat''' {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɒ|f|ə|t}};<ref>As pronounced by Moffat in his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqIyDTx53fM&t=50s 2016 Oxford Union Address].</ref> born 18 November 1961)<ref name="dob">{{Cite magazine |last=Moffat |first=Steven |title=Production Notes |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=405 |page=11 |date=4 March 2009}}</ref> is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the second [[showrunner]] and [[head writer]] of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' (2010–17), and for co-creating and co-writing the BBC crime drama television series ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'' (2010–17). In the [[2015 Birthday Honours]], Moffat was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) for his services to drama.<ref name=GBR>United Kingdom: {{London Gazette |issue=61256 | date=12 June 2015 |pages=B14| supp=y}}</ref>


Born in [[Paisley, Scotland]], Moffat, the son of a teacher, was formerly a teacher himself.<ref name="McLean">{{cite news |first=Gareth |last=McLean |title=Steven Moffat: The man with a monster of a job |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/22/stephen-moffat-doctor-who |work=The Guardian |date=22 March 2010 |access-date=22 March 2010}}</ref> His first television work was the teen drama series ''[[Press Gang]]''. His first sitcom, ''[[Joking Apart]]'', was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage. Later in the 1990s, he wrote ''[[Chalk (TV series)|Chalk]]'', inspired by his own experience as an English teacher. Moffat, a lifelong fan of ''Doctor Who'', wrote the comedic sketch episode ''[[The Curse of Fatal Death]]'' for the [[Comic Relief]] charity telethon, which aired in early 1999. His early-2000s sitcom ''[[Coupling (UK TV series)|Coupling]]'' was based upon the development of his relationship with television producer [[Sue Vertue]].
Born in [[Paisley, Scotland]], Moffat, the son of a teacher, was formerly a teacher himself.<ref name="McLean">{{cite news |first=Gareth |last=McLean |title=Steven Moffat: The man with a monster of a job |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/22/stephen-moffat-doctor-who |work=The Guardian |date=22 March 2010 |access-date=22 March 2010}}</ref> His first television work was the teen drama series ''[[Press Gang]]''. His first sitcom, ''[[Joking Apart]]'', was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage. Later in the 1990s, he wrote ''[[Chalk (TV series)|Chalk]]'', inspired by his own experience as an English teacher. Moffat, a lifelong fan of ''Doctor Who'', wrote the comedic sketch episode ''[[The Curse of Fatal Death]]'' for the [[Comic Relief]] charity telethon, which aired in early 1999. His early-2000s sitcom ''[[Coupling (UK TV series)|Coupling]]'' was based upon the development of his relationship with television producer [[Sue Vertue]].
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In March 2004, Moffat was announced as one of the writers for the revived ''Doctor Who'' TV series. He wrote six episodes during [[Russell T Davies]]' first era as head writer, which aired from 2005 to 2008. Moffat's scripts during this era won him three [[Hugo Awards]], a [[BAFTA Craft Award]], and a [[BAFTA Cymru]] Award. Between episodes, he wrote and produced the modern-day drama series ''[[Jekyll (TV series)|Jekyll]]'', based on the novella ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]''. In May 2008, it was announced that Moffat would succeed Davies as showrunner, lead writer and executive producer of ''Doctor Who''. Around the same time, he dropped his contract with film director [[Steven Spielberg]] for a film trilogy based on artist [[Hergé]]'s character [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]]. Part of the lone script he wrote was used in Spielberg's film ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (film)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'', eventually released in 2011.
In March 2004, Moffat was announced as one of the writers for the revived ''Doctor Who'' TV series. He wrote six episodes during [[Russell T Davies]]' first era as head writer, which aired from 2005 to 2008. Moffat's scripts during this era won him three [[Hugo Awards]], a [[BAFTA Craft Award]], and a [[BAFTA Cymru]] Award. Between episodes, he wrote and produced the modern-day drama series ''[[Jekyll (TV series)|Jekyll]]'', based on the novella ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]''. In May 2008, it was announced that Moffat would succeed Davies as showrunner, lead writer and executive producer of ''Doctor Who''. Around the same time, he dropped his contract with film director [[Steven Spielberg]] for a film trilogy based on artist [[Hergé]]'s character [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]]. Part of the lone script he wrote was used in Spielberg's film ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (film)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'', eventually released in 2011.


His writing in the 2010s consisted mainly of his period as the head writer of ''Doctor Who'' during the [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth]] through [[Doctor Who (series 10)|tenth series]], in which he won another Hugo, and ''Sherlock'', which won Moffat a BAFTA Craft Award and two [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s. Both of these aired from 2010 to 2017.
Moffat's work in the 2010s consisted mainly of his period as the head writer of ''Doctor Who'' during the [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth]] through [[Doctor Who (series 10)|tenth series]], in which he won another Hugo, and ''Sherlock'', which won Moffat a BAFTA Craft Award and two [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s. In the 2020s, he wrote the BBC and [[Netflix]] drama co-productions ''[[Dracula (2020 TV series)|Dracula]]'' (2020) and ''[[Inside Man (2022 TV series)|Inside Man]]'' (2022), the [[HBO]] sci-fi romance mini-series ''[[The Time Traveler's Wife (TV series)|The Time Traveler's Wife]]'' (2022), and the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] comedy-drama ''[[Douglas Is Cancelled]]'' (2024). In 2024, he returned to ''Doctor Who'' to write two episodes for Davies' second tenure as showrunner.

In the 2020s he wrote the BBC and [[Netflix]] drama co-productions ''[[Dracula (2020 TV series)|Dracula]]'' (2020) and ''[[Inside Man (2022 TV series)|Inside Man]]'' (2022), and wrote another ''Doctor Who'' episode for Davies' second era as head writer which is scheduled to air in 2024. He was also the playwright of the 2022 play ''[[The Unfriend]]''.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
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=== ''Joking Apart'' ===
=== ''Joking Apart'' ===
[[File:Steven Moffat JA Comms 1.jpg|thumb|Moffat records DVD commentary for ''Joking Apart'' (2006)]]
[[File:Steven Moffat JA Comms 1.jpg|thumb|Moffat records DVD commentary for ''Joking Apart'' (2006)]]
By 1990, Moffat had written two series of ''[[Press Gang]]'', but the programme's high cost along with organisational changes at backers [[Central Independent Television]] cast its future in doubt.<ref name="big finish" /> As Moffat wondered what to do next and worried about his future employment, [[Bob Spiers]], ''Press Gang''{{'}}s primary director, suggested that he meet with producer [[Andre Ptaszynski]] to discuss writing a sitcom.<ref name="ott" /> Inspired by his experience working in education, Moffat's initial proposal was a programme similar to what became ''[[Chalk (TV series)|Chalk]]'', a sitcom set in a school that eventually aired in 1997.<ref name="2.1comm">Ptaszynski, Andre; Moffat, Steven, ''Joking Apart'', Series 2, Episode 1 DVD audio commentary</ref> During the pitch meeting at the [[Groucho Club]], Ptaszynski realised that Moffat was talking passionately about his impending divorce and suggested that he write about that instead of a school sitcom.<ref name="2.1comm" /> Taking Ptaszynski's advice, Moffat's new idea was about "a sitcom writer whose wife leaves him".<ref name="fool">''Fool if You Think It's Over'', featurette, ''Joking Apart'', Series 1 DVD, Dir. Craig Robins</ref> Moffat wrote two series of ''[[Joking Apart]]'', which was directed by Spiers and starred [[Robert Bathurst]] and [[Fiona Gillies]]. The show won the [[Rose d'Or|Bronze Rose of Montreux]]<ref name="ott">{{cite web |first=Graham |last=Kibble-White |title=Fool if you think it's over |work=Off the Telly |url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm |date=May 2006 |access-date=22 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209070115/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm |archive-date=9 December 2006}}</ref> and was entered for the [[Emmys]].<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |first=Shane |last=Jarvis |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3652217/Farce-that-rose-from-the-grave.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3652217/Farce-that-rose-from-the-grave.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Telegraph |title=Farce that rose from the grave|date=8 May 2006 |access-date=1 March 2007}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
By 1990, Moffat had written two series of ''Press Gang'', but the programme's high cost along with organisational changes at backers [[Central Independent Television]] cast its future in doubt.<ref name="big finish" /> As Moffat wondered what to do next and worried about his future employment, [[Bob Spiers]], ''Press Gang''{{'}}s primary director, suggested that he meet with producer [[Andre Ptaszynski]] to discuss writing a sitcom.<ref name="ott" /> Inspired by his experience working in education, Moffat's initial proposal was a programme similar to what became ''[[Chalk (TV series)|Chalk]]'', a sitcom set in a school that eventually aired in 1997.<ref name="2.1comm">Ptaszynski, Andre; Moffat, Steven, ''Joking Apart'', Series 2, Episode 1 DVD audio commentary</ref> During the pitch meeting at the [[Groucho Club]], Ptaszynski realised that Moffat was talking passionately about his impending divorce and suggested that he write about that instead of a school sitcom.<ref name="2.1comm" /> Taking Ptaszynski's advice, Moffat's new idea was about "a sitcom writer whose wife leaves him".<ref name="fool">''Fool if You Think It's Over'', featurette, ''Joking Apart'', Series 1 DVD, Dir. Craig Robins</ref> Moffat wrote two series of ''[[Joking Apart]]'', which was directed by Spiers and starred [[Robert Bathurst]] and [[Fiona Gillies]]. The show won the [[Rose d'Or|Bronze Rose of Montreux]]<ref name="ott">{{cite web |first=Graham |last=Kibble-White |title=Fool if you think it's over |work=Off the Telly |url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm |date=May 2006 |access-date=22 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209070115/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm |archive-date=9 December 2006}}</ref> and was entered for the [[Emmys]].<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |first=Shane |last=Jarvis |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3652217/Farce-that-rose-from-the-grave.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3652217/Farce-that-rose-from-the-grave.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Telegraph |title=Farce that rose from the grave|date=8 May 2006 |access-date=1 March 2007}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


He wrote three episodes of ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'', an anthology series of comedic tales starring [[Dawn French]]. The first ("Overkill", directed by Spiers) was identified by the BBC as a "highlight" of the series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Murder Most Horrid |work=BBC Comedy |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/murdermosthorrid/index.shtml |access-date=12 February 2008}}</ref> His other two episodes were "Dying Live" (dir. Dewi Humphreys) and "Elvis, Jesus and Zack" (dir. [[Tony Dow (director)|Tony Dow]]).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ranker.com/list/tv-episodes-written-by-steven-moffat/reference|title=TV Episodes Written By Steven Moffat|work=Ranker|access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://epguides.com/murdermosthorrid/guide.shtml|title=Murder Most Horrid (an Episode Guide)|website=epguides.com|access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref>
He wrote three episodes of ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'', an anthology series of comedic tales starring [[Dawn French]]. The first ("Overkill", directed by Spiers) was identified by the BBC as a "highlight" of the series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Murder Most Horrid |work=BBC Comedy |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/murdermosthorrid/index.shtml |access-date=12 February 2008}}</ref> His other two episodes were "Dying Live" (dir. Dewi Humphreys) and "Elvis, Jesus and Zack" (dir. [[Tony Dow (director)|Tony Dow]]).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ranker.com/list/tv-episodes-written-by-steven-moffat/reference|title=TV Episodes Written By Steven Moffat|work=Ranker|access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://epguides.com/murdermosthorrid/guide.shtml|title=Murder Most Horrid (an Episode Guide)|website=epguides.com|access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref>
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=== ''Coupling'' ===
=== ''Coupling'' ===
When Vertue asked Moffat for a sitcom, he decided to base it around the evolution of their own relationship.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} ''[[Coupling (UK TV series)|Coupling]]'', produced by Vertue, was first broadcast on [[BBC Two]] in 2000.<ref name="guard-profile">{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Dowell |title=Profile: Steven Moffat |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/may/20/bbc.television4 |date=20 May 2008 |access-date=23 December 2008}}</ref> Moffat's first son Joshua was born around 2000, and his second son Louis was born around 2002. Though he had no ambition to be a father, he instantly loved his sons when they were delivered.<ref name=Lourie /> ''Coupling'' ran for four series totalling 28 episodes until 2004, all written by Moffat. He also wrote the original, unbroadcast pilot episode for the U.S. version, also titled ''[[Coupling (U.S. TV series)|Coupling]]'', although this was less successful and was cancelled after four episodes on the [[NBC]] network. Moffat blamed its failure on an unprecedented level of network interference.<ref name="guard-profile" />
When Vertue asked Moffat for a sitcom, he decided to base it around the evolution of their own relationship.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} ''[[Coupling (UK TV series)|Coupling]]'', produced by Vertue, was first broadcast on [[BBC Two]] in 2000.<ref name="guard-profile">{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Dowell |title=Profile: Steven Moffat |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/may/20/bbc.television4 |date=20 May 2008 |access-date=23 December 2008}}</ref> ''Coupling'' ran for four series totalling 28 episodes until 2004, all written by Moffat. He also wrote the original, unbroadcast pilot episode for the U.S. version, also titled ''[[Coupling (U.S. TV series)|Coupling]]'', although this was less successful and was cancelled after four episodes on the [[NBC]] network. Moffat blamed its failure on an unprecedented level of network interference.<ref name="guard-profile" />


=== ''Doctor Who'' in the Russell T Davies era and ''Jekyll'' ===
=== ''Doctor Who'' in the Russell T Davies era and ''Jekyll'' ===
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=== ''Doctor Who'' and ''Sherlock''===
=== ''Doctor Who'' and ''Sherlock''===
In October 2007, [[Reuters]] reported that Moffat would be scripting a trilogy of films based on Belgian artist [[Hergé]]'s character [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]] for directors [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[Peter Jackson]].<ref>{{cite news |title=British writer on Tintin case |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tintin-idUKN0235596020071002 |work=Reuters |first=Carly |last=Mayberry |date=3 October 2007 |access-date=3 October 2007}}</ref>
In October 2007, [[Reuters]] reported that Moffat would be scripting a trilogy of films based on Belgian artist [[Hergé]]'s character [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]] for directors [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[Peter Jackson]].<ref>{{cite news |title=British writer on Tintin case |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tintin-idUKN0235596020071002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164703/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tintin-idUKN0235596020071002 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 March 2016 |work=Reuters |first=Carly |last=Mayberry |date=3 October 2007 |access-date=3 October 2007}}</ref>


In May 2008, the BBC announced that Moffat would be succeeding Davies as lead writer and executive producer of ''Doctor Who'' for the show's [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth series]], to be broadcast in 2010,<ref name=RTDgone>{{cite news |title=Doctor Who guru Davies steps down |website=BBC News |date=20 May 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7411177.stm |access-date=20 May 2008}}</ref> although Davies had initiated discussions with Moffat regarding this as far back as July 2007.<ref>Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook, ''Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale'' (London: BBC Books, 2008), p. 188, reproducing the initial e-mail Davies sent Moffat addressing the issue.</ref> He had intended to complete work on the ''Tintin'' trilogy before resuming work on ''Doctor Who'', but delays caused by the intervening [[2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike]] meant he could only submit part of a script for the first film.<ref name="bbc tintin">{{cite news |author=Staff writer |title=Dr Who writer denies Tintin row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7517423.stm |work=BBC News Online |date=21 July 2008 |access-date=21 July 2008}}</ref> Moffat told ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2012 that Spielberg was "lovely" about his decision to walk away from his three-film ''Tintin'' contract to return to ''Doctor Who''.<ref name="clue">{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Jeffries |title='There is a clue everybody's missed': Sherlock writer Steven Moffat interviewed |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jan/20/steven-moffat-sherlock-doctor-who |date=20 January 2012 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> The script for the first film in the trilogy, ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (film)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'' (released in 2011), was completed by [[Edgar Wright]] and [[Joe Cornish (comedian)|Joe Cornish]],{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} with a part of Moffat's script used in the film.<ref name="clue" />
In May 2008, the BBC announced that Moffat would be succeeding Davies as lead writer and executive producer of ''Doctor Who'' for the show's [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth series]], to be broadcast in 2010,<ref name=RTDgone>{{cite news |title=Doctor Who guru Davies steps down |website=BBC News |date=20 May 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7411177.stm |access-date=20 May 2008}}</ref> although Davies had initiated discussions with Moffat regarding this as far back as July 2007.<ref>Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook, ''Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale'' (London: BBC Books, 2008), p. 188, reproducing the initial e-mail Davies sent Moffat addressing the issue.</ref> He had intended to complete work on the ''Tintin'' trilogy before resuming work on ''Doctor Who'', but delays caused by the intervening [[2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike]] meant he could only submit part of a script for the first film.<ref name="bbc tintin">{{cite news |author=Staff writer |title=Dr Who writer denies Tintin row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7517423.stm |work=BBC News Online |date=21 July 2008 |access-date=21 July 2008}}</ref> Moffat told ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2012 that Spielberg was "lovely" about his decision to walk away from his three-film ''Tintin'' contract to return to ''Doctor Who''.<ref name="clue">{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Jeffries |title='There is a clue everybody's missed': Sherlock writer Steven Moffat interviewed |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jan/20/steven-moffat-sherlock-doctor-who |date=20 January 2012 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> The script for the first film in the trilogy, ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (film)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'' (released in 2011), was completed by [[Edgar Wright]] and [[Joe Cornish (comedian)|Joe Cornish]],{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} with a part of Moffat's script used in the film.<ref name="clue" />
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In June 2015, Moffat was appointed an Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] for his services to drama.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33113409 |title=Sherlock writer Steven Moffat 'astonished' at honour |website=[[BBC News]]|date=12 June 2015 |access-date=12 June 2015}}</ref> In January 2016, Moffat announced he was stepping down as ''Doctor Who'' lead writer and executive producer after the [[Doctor Who (series 10)|2017 series]], his sixth series as showrunner, with [[Chris Chibnall]] succeeding him at the start of the [[Doctor Who (series 11)|eleventh series]] for broadcast in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dowell |first=Ben |date=22 January 2016 |title=Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat quits to be replaced by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-01-22/doctor-who-showrunner-steven-moffat-quits-to-be-replaced-by-broadchurch-creator-chris-chibnall/ |work=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=9 July 2019 }}</ref> The fourth and most recent series of ''Sherlock'' finished production around August 2016,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=C. Molly |date=24 July 2016 |title=Comic-Con 2016: Sherlock panel reveals 3 key names to tease season 4 |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/07/24/comic-con-2016-sherlock-panel/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref> and aired in January 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Paul |date=14 December 2016 |title=Full schedule of Sherlock series 4 air dates confirmed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-14/full-schedule-of-sherlock-series-4-air-dates-confirmed/ |work=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref> "[[Twice Upon a Time (Doctor Who)|Twice Upon a Time]]"—the 2017 [[List of Doctor Who Christmas and New Year's specials|''Doctor Who'' Christmas special]], and Moffat's last episode as lead writer and showrunner—finished production in July 2017 and broadcast on Christmas that year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Ben |date=11 July 2017 |title=Full schedule of Sherlock series 4 air dates confirmed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-14/full-schedule-of-sherlock-series-4-air-dates-confirmed/ |work=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref>
In June 2015, Moffat was appointed an Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] for his services to drama.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33113409 |title=Sherlock writer Steven Moffat 'astonished' at honour |website=[[BBC News]]|date=12 June 2015 |access-date=12 June 2015}}</ref> In January 2016, Moffat announced he was stepping down as ''Doctor Who'' lead writer and executive producer after the [[Doctor Who (series 10)|2017 series]], his sixth series as showrunner, with [[Chris Chibnall]] succeeding him at the start of the [[Doctor Who (series 11)|eleventh series]] for broadcast in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dowell |first=Ben |date=22 January 2016 |title=Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat quits to be replaced by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-01-22/doctor-who-showrunner-steven-moffat-quits-to-be-replaced-by-broadchurch-creator-chris-chibnall/ |work=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=9 July 2019 }}</ref> The fourth and most recent series of ''Sherlock'' finished production around August 2016,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=C. Molly |date=24 July 2016 |title=Comic-Con 2016: Sherlock panel reveals 3 key names to tease season 4 |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/07/24/comic-con-2016-sherlock-panel/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref> and aired in January 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Paul |date=14 December 2016 |title=Full schedule of Sherlock series 4 air dates confirmed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-14/full-schedule-of-sherlock-series-4-air-dates-confirmed/ |work=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref> "[[Twice Upon a Time (Doctor Who)|Twice Upon a Time]]"—the 2017 [[List of Doctor Who Christmas and New Year's specials|''Doctor Who'' Christmas special]], and Moffat's last episode as lead writer and showrunner—finished production in July 2017 and broadcast on Christmas that year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Ben |date=11 July 2017 |title=Full schedule of Sherlock series 4 air dates confirmed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-14/full-schedule-of-sherlock-series-4-air-dates-confirmed/ |work=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref>


In March 2024, Moffat confirmed his return to writing for ''Doctor Who'' in [[Doctor Who (series 14)|Series 14]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doctor Who confirms Steven Moffat's return for season 14 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-steven-moffat-return-newsupdate/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In March 2024, Moffat confirmed his return to writing for ''Doctor Who'' in [[Doctor Who (series 14)|Series 14]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doctor Who confirms Steven Moffat's return for season 14 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-steven-moffat-return-newsupdate/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref> On the episode “[[Boom (Doctor Who)|Boom]]” he was credited as both writer and as an Executive Producer.


=== ''Dracula'' ===
=== ''Dracula'' ===
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|''[[Doctor Who]]''
|''[[Doctor Who]]''
|
|
49 episodes, 4 mini-episodes (2005–2017, 2024):
50 episodes, 4 mini-episodes (2005–2017, 2024):


*"[[The Empty Child]]" / "[[The Doctor Dances]]" (2005)
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*"[[World Enough and Time (Doctor Who)|World Enough and Time]]" / "[[The Doctor Falls]]" (2017)
*"[[Twice Upon a Time (Doctor Who)|Twice Upon a Time]]" (2017)
*"[[Twice Upon a Time (Doctor Who)|Twice Upon a Time]]" (2017)
*"[[Doctor Who series 14|Boom]]" (2024)
*"[[Boom (Doctor Who)|Boom]]" (2024)
*"[[Joy to the World (Doctor Who)|Joy to the World]]" (2024)
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[[Category:Hugo Award-winning writers]]
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[[Category:Scottish comedy writers]]
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[[Category:Scottish male television writers]]
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[[Category:Scottish science fiction writers]]
[[Category:Scottish television producers]]
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[[Category:Scottish television writers]]
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Latest revision as of 06:27, 17 November 2024

Steven Moffat

Moffat in 2017
Moffat in 2017
BornSteven William Moffat
(1961-11-18) 18 November 1961 (age 63)[1]
Paisley, Scotland
OccupationTelevision writer, television producer, and screenwriter
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
Period1988–present
GenreComedy, drama, adventure, science fiction
Spouse
(m. 1997)
Children2[2]

Steven William Moffat OBE (/ˈmɒfət/;[3] born 18 November 1961)[1] is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the second showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television series Doctor Who (2010–17), and for co-creating and co-writing the BBC crime drama television series Sherlock (2010–17). In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Moffat was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama.[4]

Born in Paisley, Scotland, Moffat, the son of a teacher, was formerly a teacher himself.[5] His first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage. Later in the 1990s, he wrote Chalk, inspired by his own experience as an English teacher. Moffat, a lifelong fan of Doctor Who, wrote the comedic sketch episode The Curse of Fatal Death for the Comic Relief charity telethon, which aired in early 1999. His early-2000s sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his relationship with television producer Sue Vertue.

In March 2004, Moffat was announced as one of the writers for the revived Doctor Who TV series. He wrote six episodes during Russell T Davies' first era as head writer, which aired from 2005 to 2008. Moffat's scripts during this era won him three Hugo Awards, a BAFTA Craft Award, and a BAFTA Cymru Award. Between episodes, he wrote and produced the modern-day drama series Jekyll, based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In May 2008, it was announced that Moffat would succeed Davies as showrunner, lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who. Around the same time, he dropped his contract with film director Steven Spielberg for a film trilogy based on artist Hergé's character Tintin. Part of the lone script he wrote was used in Spielberg's film The Adventures of Tintin, eventually released in 2011.

Moffat's work in the 2010s consisted mainly of his period as the head writer of Doctor Who during the fifth through tenth series, in which he won another Hugo, and Sherlock, which won Moffat a BAFTA Craft Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In the 2020s, he wrote the BBC and Netflix drama co-productions Dracula (2020) and Inside Man (2022), the HBO sci-fi romance mini-series The Time Traveler's Wife (2022), and the ITV comedy-drama Douglas Is Cancelled (2024). In 2024, he returned to Doctor Who to write two episodes for Davies' second tenure as showrunner.

Early life

Moffat was born in Paisley, Scotland,[5] where he attended Camphill High School.[6] He studied at the University of Glasgow, where he was involved with the student television station Glasgow University Student Television.[7] After gaining a Master of Arts degree in English from Glasgow,[8] he worked as a teacher for three and a half years at Cowdenknowes High School, Greenock.[9] In the 1980s he wrote a play entitled War Zones (performed at the 1985 Glasgow Mayfest and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe[10]) and a musical called Knifer.[11] He is an atheist.[12]

Career

Press Gang

Moffat's father Bill was a head teacher at Thorn Primary School in Johnstone, Renfrewshire;[2] when the school was used for Harry Secombe's Highway in the late 1980s, Bill mentioned to the producers that he had an idea for a television series about a school newspaper. The producers asked for a sample script, to which Bill agreed on the condition his son Steven write it.[2][13][14] Producer Sandra Hastie said that it was "the best ever first script" that she had read.[15] The resulting series was titled Press Gang, starring Julia Sawalha and Dexter Fletcher, and it ran for five series on ITV between 1989 and 1993, with Moffat writing all forty-three episodes. The programme won a BAFTA award in its second series.[16]

During production of the second series of Press Gang, Moffat was experiencing an unhappy personal life as a result of the break-up of his first marriage. The producer was secretly phoning his friends at home to check on his state.[17] His wife's new lover was represented in the episode "The Big Finish?" by the character Brian Magboy (Simon Schatzberger), a name inspired by Brian: Maggie's boy. Moffat brought in the character so that all sorts of unfortunate things would happen to him, such as having a typewriter dropped on his foot.[18]

Joking Apart

Moffat records DVD commentary for Joking Apart (2006)

By 1990, Moffat had written two series of Press Gang, but the programme's high cost along with organisational changes at backers Central Independent Television cast its future in doubt.[18] As Moffat wondered what to do next and worried about his future employment, Bob Spiers, Press Gang's primary director, suggested that he meet with producer Andre Ptaszynski to discuss writing a sitcom.[19] Inspired by his experience working in education, Moffat's initial proposal was a programme similar to what became Chalk, a sitcom set in a school that eventually aired in 1997.[20] During the pitch meeting at the Groucho Club, Ptaszynski realised that Moffat was talking passionately about his impending divorce and suggested that he write about that instead of a school sitcom.[20] Taking Ptaszynski's advice, Moffat's new idea was about "a sitcom writer whose wife leaves him".[21] Moffat wrote two series of Joking Apart, which was directed by Spiers and starred Robert Bathurst and Fiona Gillies. The show won the Bronze Rose of Montreux[19] and was entered for the Emmys.[22]

He wrote three episodes of Murder Most Horrid, an anthology series of comedic tales starring Dawn French. The first ("Overkill", directed by Spiers) was identified by the BBC as a "highlight" of the series.[23] His other two episodes were "Dying Live" (dir. Dewi Humphreys) and "Elvis, Jesus and Zack" (dir. Tony Dow).[24][25]

Doctor Who short fiction

Moffat has been a fan of Doctor Who since childhood.[26] In 1995, he contributed a segment to Paul Cornell's Virgin New Adventures novel Human Nature.[27] His first solo Doctor Who work was a short story, "Continuity Errors", published in the 1996 Virgin Books anthology Decalog 3: Consequences.[28]

Chalk

Between marriages, Moffat claims that he "shagged [his] way round television studios like a mechanical digger."[2] According to an interview with The New York Times, Moffat met television producer Sue Vertue at the Edinburgh Television Festival in 1996.[29] Vertue had been working for Tiger Aspect, a production company run by Peter Bennett-Jones. Bennett-Jones and his friend and former colleague Andre Ptaszynski, who had worked with Moffat on Joking Apart, told Moffat and Vertue that each fancied the other. A relationship blossomed and they left their respective production companies to join Hartswood Films, run by Beryl Vertue, Sue's mother.[14] The couple have two children together: Joshua and Louis Oliver.[2]

Before Moffat left Pola Jones for Hartswood, Ptaszynski produced Chalk, the series that the writer had pitched to him at the beginning of the decade.[14] Set in a comprehensive school and starring David Bamber as manic deputy head Eric Slatt and Nicola Walker as Suzy Travis, the show was based on Moffat's three years as an English teacher.[13] The studio audience responded so positively to the first series when it was taped that the BBC commissioned a second series before the first had aired. However, it was met less enthusiastically by critics upon transmission in February 1997, who had taken exception to the BBC's publicity department comparing the show to the highly respected Fawlty Towers.[14] In an interview in the early 2000s, Moffat refuses to even name the series, joking that he might get attacked in the street.[30]

After production wrapped on Chalk in 1997, Moffat announced to the cast that he was marrying Vertue.[31]

The Curse of Fatal Death

In late 1998, Moffat was approached by Vertue, a producer of Comic Relief, to write a comedic sketch based on the Doctor Who TV series to be aired across Comic Relief's 1999 telethon in several parts on BBC One.[28] The sketch, The Curse of Fatal Death, was written from December 1998 to February 1999,[32] recorded in February,[33] and broadcast in March.[34]

Coupling

When Vertue asked Moffat for a sitcom, he decided to base it around the evolution of their own relationship.[citation needed] Coupling, produced by Vertue, was first broadcast on BBC Two in 2000.[35] Coupling ran for four series totalling 28 episodes until 2004, all written by Moffat. He also wrote the original, unbroadcast pilot episode for the U.S. version, also titled Coupling, although this was less successful and was cancelled after four episodes on the NBC network. Moffat blamed its failure on an unprecedented level of network interference.[35]

Doctor Who in the Russell T Davies era and Jekyll

In December 2003, Moffat received an email offering him to write for Doctor Who, following the announcement of the revival of the series in September.[36] His involvement with the series was announced in March 2004.[37] He wrote six episodes under executive producer Russell T Davies for the 2005 through 2008 series,[35] which were produced from December 2004 to March 2008.[38][39] Moffat won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form for the two-part story "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" (both 2005), as well as the episodes "The Girl in the Fireplace" (2006) and "Blink" (2007).[40][41][42] "Blink" also gained him the BAFTA Craft Award for Best Writer,[43] and a BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Screenwriter.[44]

Between Doctor Who episodes, Moffat wrote and produced Jekyll, a modern-day drama series based on the Robert Louis Stevenson novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, meaning he nearly missed out on writing for the 2007 series of Doctor Who.[45] Written late in the series' run, he quickly based "Blink" on his previously-written Doctor Who short story from 2005, "What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow", as "a desperate way to keep a toehold" in the 2007 series.[46] Jekyll aired on BBC One from June 2007.[47]

In March 2008, Davies said that he often rewrote scripts from other writers, but did not "touch a word" of Moffat's episodes.[35]

Doctor Who and Sherlock

In October 2007, Reuters reported that Moffat would be scripting a trilogy of films based on Belgian artist Hergé's character Tintin for directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.[48]

In May 2008, the BBC announced that Moffat would be succeeding Davies as lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who for the show's fifth series, to be broadcast in 2010,[49] although Davies had initiated discussions with Moffat regarding this as far back as July 2007.[50] He had intended to complete work on the Tintin trilogy before resuming work on Doctor Who, but delays caused by the intervening 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike meant he could only submit part of a script for the first film.[51] Moffat told The Guardian in 2012 that Spielberg was "lovely" about his decision to walk away from his three-film Tintin contract to return to Doctor Who.[52] The script for the first film in the trilogy, The Adventures of Tintin (released in 2011), was completed by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish,[citation needed] with a part of Moffat's script used in the film.[52]

During their journeys from London to Cardiff for Doctor Who, Moffat and writer Mark Gatiss conceived a contemporary update of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories called Sherlock. Vertue advised them to work on the project rather than spend years discussing it. A 60-minute pilot, written by Moffat, was filmed in January 2009.[53] The pilot was not aired but a three-episode series of 90-minute television films produced by Hartswood was commissioned.[54][55]

Production on Moffat's time in charge of Doctor Who began in July 2009.[56] As executive producer and lead writer, he was significantly involved in casting both Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor.[57] As Doctor Who showrunner, Moffat won another Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form for writing the two-part story "The Pandorica Opens" and "The Big Bang" (both 2010).[58] As showrunner for Sherlock , he won a BAFTA Craft Award for Best Writer for "A Scandal in Belgravia" (2012),[59] a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for "His Last Vow" (2014),[60] and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for executive producing "The Abominable Bride" (2016).[61]

In June 2015, Moffat was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to drama.[62] In January 2016, Moffat announced he was stepping down as Doctor Who lead writer and executive producer after the 2017 series, his sixth series as showrunner, with Chris Chibnall succeeding him at the start of the eleventh series for broadcast in 2018.[63] The fourth and most recent series of Sherlock finished production around August 2016,[64] and aired in January 2017.[65] "Twice Upon a Time"—the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special, and Moffat's last episode as lead writer and showrunner—finished production in July 2017 and broadcast on Christmas that year.[66]

In March 2024, Moffat confirmed his return to writing for Doctor Who in Series 14.[67] On the episode “Boom” he was credited as both writer and as an Executive Producer.

Dracula

In October 2018, BBC One and Netflix officially commissioned Dracula, a TV series written and created by Moffat and Gatiss based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.[68] In March 2019, Moffat revealed that the first night of production was about to start.[69] The series began airing New Year's Day 2020, and was broadcast over three consecutive days. The three episodes were released on Netflix on 4 January 2020.[70]

The Unfriend

On 13 February 2020, Chichester Festival Theatre announced that the play The Unfriend, written by Moffat, was intended to have its world premiere as part of the 2020 Festival Theatre season in the Minerva Theatre.[71] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the play's opening night was postponed until 26 May 2022. It was directed by Mark Gatiss and featured Amanda Abbington, Frances Barber, Reece Shearsmith, and Michael Simkins. Following a successful run in Chichester, the play transferred to the Criterion Theatre, London, in January 2023, and thence, with Sarah Alexander as Debbie, and Lee Mack as Peter, to Wyndham's Theatre in January 2024.

Writing credits

Television

Production Notes Broadcaster
Press Gang

43 episodes (1989–1993)

ITV
Stay Lucky

"The Devil Wept in Leeds" (1990)

ITV
Joking Apart

13 episodes (1991–1995)

BBC Two
Murder Most Horrid
  • "Overkill" (1994)
  • "Dying Live" (1996)
  • "Elvis, Jesus and Zack" (1999)
BBC Two
Chalk

12 episodes (1997)

BBC One
The Curse of Fatal Death

Comic Relief special (1999)

BBC One
Coupling

28 episodes (2000–2004)

BBC Two
BBC Three
Doctor Who

50 episodes, 4 mini-episodes (2005–2017, 2024):

BBC One
Jekyll

6 episodes (2007)

BBC One
Sherlock BBC One
Dracula

Miniseries (co-written with Mark Gatiss, 2020)

BBC One
The Time Traveler's Wife

Miniseries (2022)

HBO
Inside Man[73]

Miniseries (2022)

BBC One/Netflix
Douglas Is Cancelled Miniseries (2024) ITVX

Film

Production Notes Distributor
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Feature film (co-written with Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, 2011)

Stage

Production Notes Theatre
The Unfriend
  • World premiere (2022)
  • First West End run (2023)
  • Second West End run (2024)

Awards and nominations

Year Award Work Category Result Reference
1991 British Academy Television Awards Press Gang Best Children's Programme (Entertainment / Drama) Won [75]
Royal Television Society Awards Best Children's Programme Won [76][77]
1992 British Academy Television Awards Best Children's Programme Nominated [75]
1995 Bronze Rose of Montreux Joking Apart Comedy Won [77]
2003 British Comedy Awards Coupling Best TV Comedy Won [78][79]
2006 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Won [80][81]
Nebula Award Doctor Who: "The Girl in the Fireplace" Best Script Nominated [82]
2007 Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Won [83]
Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award Doctor Who, Series Three Best Soap / Series (TV) (with Chris Chibnall, Paul Cornell, Russell T Davies, Helen Raynor and Gareth Roberts) Won [84]
Nebula Award Doctor Who: "Blink" Best Script Nominated [82]
2008 British Academy Television Award Best Writer Won [43]
Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Won [85]
BAFTA Cymru Best Screenwriter Won [44]
BAFTA Scotland Doctor Who Writing in Film or Television Nominated [86]
2009 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated [87]
Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award Doctor Who, Series Four Television drama series (with Russell T Davies) Nominated [88]
2011 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Won [58]
Doctor Who: "A Christmas Carol" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated [89]
Primetime Emmy Award Sherlock: "A Study in Pink" Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Nominated [90]
Satellite Award The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (shared with Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish) Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
2012 Annie Award Writing in a Feature Production Nominated [91]
Hugo Award Doctor Who: "A Good Man Goes To War" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated [92]
British Academy Television Craft Awards Sherlock: "A Scandal in Belgravia" Best Writing Won [59][93]
Special Award Won [94]
Primetime Emmy Award Sherlock: "A Scandal in Belgravia" Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Nominated [95]
2013 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "Asylum of the Daleks" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated
Doctor Who: "The Angels Take Manhattan" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated
Doctor Who: "The Snowmen" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated
2014 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "The Name of the Doctor" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated
Doctor Who: "The Day of the Doctor" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award Sherlock: "His Last Vow" Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Won [60]
2015 Bram Stoker Award Doctor Who: "Listen" Superior Achievement in a Screenplay Nominated [96]
Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated [97]
BAFTA Scotland Doctor Who Writer in Film or Television Nominated [98]
2016 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "Heaven Sent" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated [99]
Primetime Emmy Award Sherlock: "The Abominable Bride" Outstanding Television Movie Won [61]
2017 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated [100]
2018 Hugo Award Doctor Who: "Twice Upon a Time" Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Nominated [101]

Novels

  • Moffat, Steven (2018). Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1-78594-329-4.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Moffat, Steven (4 March 2009). "Production Notes". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 405. p. 11.
  2. ^ a b c d e Lourie, Adrian (22 March 2010). "Interview: Steven Moffat, Doctor Who screenwriter". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  3. ^ As pronounced by Moffat in his 2016 Oxford Union Address.
  4. ^ United Kingdom: "No. 61256". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2015. p. B14.
  5. ^ a b McLean, Gareth (22 March 2010). "Steven Moffat: The man with a monster of a job". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  6. ^ Burrell, Ian (17 December 2011). "Steven Moffat: Storyteller in chief". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Come & Join Your TV Station". Glasgow University Student Television. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  8. ^ "TV Shows of My Life". University of Glasgow. January 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  9. ^ John Coulter, Paul (29 January 2016). "Ex-Greenock teacher steps down from Doctor Who role". Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  10. ^ "STA Catalogue – Document Details". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
  11. ^ Staff writer (5 January 1989). "Write first time". The Stage. p. 15.
  12. ^ Correspondent, Matthew Moore, Media (13 September 2023). "Atheist Dracula writers took Christianity seriously". The Times. Retrieved 13 September 2023. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b Herring, Richard (1997). "Interview With Steven Moffat". The Guardian Guide. Retrieved 11 May 2007.
  14. ^ a b c d After the Chalk Dust Settled, featurette on Chalk Series 1 DVD, ReplayDVD.co.uk, prod. & dir. Craig Robins
  15. ^ Paul Cornell (1993) "Press Gang" In: Cornell, Paul.; Martin Day (writer); Keith Topping (1993). The Guinness Book of Classic British TV. Guinness. p. 215. ISBN 0-85112-543-3.
  16. ^ McGown, Alistair. "Press Gang (1989–93)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 21 December 2006.
  17. ^ Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, "Yesterday's News" Press Gang: Season 2 DVD audio commentary
  18. ^ a b Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, "The Big Finish?" Press Gang: Season 2 DVD audio commentary
  19. ^ a b Kibble-White, Graham (May 2006). "Fool if you think it's over". Off the Telly. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  20. ^ a b Ptaszynski, Andre; Moffat, Steven, Joking Apart, Series 2, Episode 1 DVD audio commentary
  21. ^ Fool if You Think It's Over, featurette, Joking Apart, Series 1 DVD, Dir. Craig Robins
  22. ^ Jarvis, Shane (8 May 2006). "Farce that rose from the grave". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2007.
  23. ^ "Murder Most Horrid". BBC Comedy. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  24. ^ "TV Episodes Written By Steven Moffat". Ranker. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  25. ^ "Murder Most Horrid (an Episode Guide)". epguides.com. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  26. ^ Steven Moffat, "The Empty Child", Doctor Who, DVD audio commentary
  27. ^ Cornell, Paul (1995). Human Nature. London: Virgin Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-426-20443-3.
  28. ^ a b Ainsworth, John, ed. (2019). "The Curse of Fatal Death: Pre-production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 90. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. p. 106.
  29. ^ Sternbergh, Adam (7 September 2003). "Selling Your Sex Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  30. ^ Coupling: Behind the Scenes, featurette (2002, prod./dir. Sarah Barnett & Christine Wilson) Couping Season 1 DVD (Region 1), BBC Video, ISBN 0-7907-7339-2
  31. ^ Chalk Series 1 DVD audio commentary, ReplayDVD
  32. ^ Ainsworth, John, ed. (2019). "The Curse of Fatal Death: Pre-production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 90. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. pp. 109–115.
  33. ^ Ainsworth, John, ed. (2019). "The Curse of Fatal Death: Production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 90. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. p. 116.
  34. ^ Ainsworth, John, ed. (2019). "The Curse of Fatal Death: Broadcast". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 90. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. p. 124.
  35. ^ a b c d Dowell, Ben (20 May 2008). "Profile: Steven Moffat". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
  36. ^ Ainsworth, John, ed. (2018). "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances: Pre-production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 50. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. pp. 14, 16.
  37. ^ Ainsworth, John, ed. (2018). "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances: Pre-production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 50. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. p. 16.
  38. ^ Ainsworth, John, ed. (2018). "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances: Production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 50. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. p. 31.
  39. ^ Ainsworth, John, ed. (2017). "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead: Production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 59. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. p. 38.
  40. ^ "2006 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  41. ^ "2007 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  42. ^ "2008 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  43. ^ a b "TV Craft Winners Round-Up". BAFTA. 11 May 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  44. ^ a b Wright, Laura (28 April 2008). "Thank you all for putting up with Dr Who". icWales. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  45. ^ Wright, Mark, ed. (2016). "Blink: Pre-production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 56. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. pp. 54–56.
  46. ^ Wright, Mark, ed. (2016). "Blink: Pre-production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 56. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. pp. 55–56.
  47. ^ Wright, Mark, ed. (2016). "Blink: Pre-production". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol. 56. Panini Magazines/Hachette Partworks Ltd. p. 54.
  48. ^ Mayberry, Carly (3 October 2007). "British writer on Tintin case". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2007.
  49. ^ "Doctor Who guru Davies steps down". BBC News. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
  50. ^ Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook, Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale (London: BBC Books, 2008), p. 188, reproducing the initial e-mail Davies sent Moffat addressing the issue.
  51. ^ Staff writer (21 July 2008). "Dr Who writer denies Tintin row". BBC News Online. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  52. ^ a b Jeffries, Stuart (20 January 2012). "'There is a clue everybody's missed': Sherlock writer Steven Moffat interviewed". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  53. ^ "BBC Drama announces Sherlock, a new crime drama for BBC One". BBC Press Office. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  54. ^ Martin, Dan (23 July 2010). "Sherlock makes Sunday night TV sexy". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  55. ^ "New drama Sherlock commences filming". BBC Press Office. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  56. ^ "The time has come... filming has begun on Doctor Who". BBC Press Office. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  57. ^ Moffat, Steven; Cook, Benjamin (April 2015). "Second Time Around". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 484. Tunbridge Wells: Panini UK Ltd. p. 12.
  58. ^ a b "The Hugo Awards: 2011 Hugo Award Winners". World Science Fiction Society. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  59. ^ a b "Television Craft Awards Winners in 2012". BAFTA. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  60. ^ a b "Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special – 2014". Emmys. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  61. ^ a b "Outstanding Television Movie – 2016". Emmys. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  62. ^ "Sherlock writer Steven Moffat 'astonished' at honour". BBC News. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  63. ^ Dowell, Ben (22 January 2016). "Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat quits to be replaced by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
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Preceded by Doctor Who Showrunner
2010–2017
Succeeded by