Russel T. Davies and Steven Moffat were two of the most influential showrunners in the entirety of Chris Chibnall became Doctor Who's showrunner after Steven Moffat left. The differences between Moffat and Davies as showrunners and writers are essential to understand because, although Moffat had control over Doctor Who for several years, he wrote his best episodes while Russel T. Davies was the showrunner.
Steven Moffat wrote a total of six episodes during the Russel T. Davies era of Doctor Who. He started by writing Doctor Who season 1, episodes 9 and 10, “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances.” For Doctor Who season 2, episode 4, he wrote the romantic episode “The Empty Fireplace” and introduced the dangerous Weeping Angels in the terrifying yet brilliant episode Doctor Who season 3, episode 10, “Blink.” He concluded his episodes during Davies' era with the two-part story in Doctor Who season 4, episodes 8 and 9, “Silence in the Library” and “Forest of the Dead,” which introduced the Doctor’s wife, River Song. With the exceptions of "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead", all of Moffat's episodes written during the Davies era won Hugo awards for Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form and have garnered reputations as some of the best and most influential episodes in all of Doctor Who.
After Steven Moffat was promoted to showrunner, his storylines became much larger and more complex as he focused on conspiracies surrounding the Doctor that often took multiple seasons to unfold. Moffat’s best episodes were simple, self-contained, and entertaining. They exemplified what made Russel T. Davies such a successful showrunner. Davies was able to allow writers like Moffat to express themselves while still ensuring the stories were accessible to both new and returning audiences. Davies' restrictions on Moffat were what made his work good. While Moffat's legacy as a Doctor Who showrunner was creating the best and worst of Doctor Who, as a writer under Davies, he only produced quality episodes.
What Doctor Who's Future Looks Like With Davies' Return
Moffat’s most acclaimed episodes were written when Davies was the showrunner of Doctor Who because they were complete, self-contained stories that were easy to follow and reached a satisfying conclusion by the end of the episode. For example, "Blink" followed Sally Sparrow and her dalliance with the Weeping Angels for only one episode because her story had reached a natural end. Moffat’s earlier episodes show that Davies as a showrunner is well-versed in managing the overarching stories of Doctor Who while giving writers room to tell their individual stories. Moffat's more extended form of storytelling can be seen with Moffat's seasons-long development of the mysteries surrounding characters like River Song or Missy as the Master.
Russel T. Davies returning as Doctor Who's showrunner in 2023 is good news for the series because he can give his writers the space and they need to tell their own individual one-off stories, as Steven Moffat's most brilliant episodes demonstrate. Davies can also help reintroduce Doctor Who to a brand new audience with the way he balances one-off episodes combined with overarching season arcs. Moffat’s self-contained episodes prove that with the right leadership, each episode of Doctor Who can be an opportunity to exercise creativity in telling a complete story that is beloved by audiences and critics alike. This balance is why Doctor Who needs Russel T. Davies now more than ever.
Of course, each Doctor Who showrunner brings something unique to the show. Some audiences may prefer the longer story arcs during Moffat's time as showrunner as opposed to one-off adventures. However, the brilliance of Moffat’s early episodes in the Davies era cannot be denied, as the several awards they have garnered can prove. By ing Moffat's best episodes in Doctor Who, audiences should be excited to see what brilliant self-contained stories will emerge under the leadership of Russel T. Davies when he returns as showrunner in 2023.