Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episode 3 "Boom".

Summary

• Steven Moffat's Doctor Who season 14 episode pays tribute to his previous work, delighting viewers with a nod to the Eleventh Doctor era.
• Moffat carefully includes references for longtime fans while ensuring new viewers can still enjoy the show's continuity.
• Doctor Who season 14 releases every Friday on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.

Steven Moffat breaks down his Doctor Who season 14 story's call back to the very start of his previous showrunnning tenure during Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor era. The writer made his return for Doctor Who season 14 – marking the first time he's worked on the series since 2017 – with episode 3, "Boom", which saw the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) step on a landmine, forcing him and companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) into a tense, life-or-death situation. Moffat previously served as a writer for the shows revival, becoming showrunner from 2010 to 2017.

With Moffat's Doctor Who season 14 episode leaving viewers exhilarated, the writer opened up to TV Insider about the return of fish fingers and custard. The Eleventh Doctor nod left Moffat looking back on how much time had ed since the moment first aired in "The Eleventh Hour", though he itted he took caution when incorporating the reference in hopes of rewarding fans while not feeling too distracting. Check out Moffat's response below:

Paying tribute to myself, it’s rather odious really, isn’t it? It’s 14 years ago. I hadn’t realized that. Suddenly I thought, ‘My God, that’s 14 years ago.’ That’s a very old episode. I was young. I’m afraid I should have controlled it better than that, frankly, but I do like making a few back references. But I’m always very careful about it because if you’ve never seen the show, they still work.

I mean, just the fact that he likes fish fingers and custard is fine. If one day you’ve become so enthralled by Doctor Who you go and check the old ones, you’ll see, yep, he really does. He actually eats it, but you’re careful with that. It’s like the Bond movies, throwing in sly little references that won’t get in the way of anyone watching it. But the people who love it better know that they’ve had a special little nod.

"Boom" Highlights The Best Of Steven Moffat's Doctor Who

Alongside the fish fingers and custard nod to the Eleventh Doctor, Moffat was also careful to incorporate careful references from throughout his original tenure in Doctor Who's revival era. These include the devices seen across the battlefield being products from the forges of Villengard (first mentioned in "The Doctor Dances"), the fully militarized church sects, and the Fifteenth Doctor calming himself by recalling an adventure first revealed by Missy (Michelle Gomez) during Peter Capaldi's era. However, it isn't just surface level nods that evoke the best of Moffat's showrunnning tenure, as "Boom" embraces many of the era's most well-known themes and styles.

In "Boom", Moffat doesn't hesitate to turn his attention to critiquing war profiteering and the false platitudes of the military-industrialiation complex through Villengard's involvement, alongside the use of the Anglican Marines to critique how people can be limited by faith systems. Despite the clearly defined, somewhat cynical thematic commentary, Moffat's script is also hopeful, as a father's love is able to save the day and bring the bloody conflict to an end, and the Doctor, even under incredible duress, perseveres with nothing but hope in his heart. As such, "Boom" is a welcome microcosm of Moffat's Doctor Who contributions.

Despite the unusual food combination, fish fingers and custard is a beloved Doctor Who moment to this day. Not only is it a character-defining moment for the Eleventh Doctor that showcased his off-beat, good-hearted nature, but it would be used as a pivotal link between him and companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) for many years. As such, Gatwa's Doctor's callback is a heartwarming throwback to a beloved Moffat contribution.

Doctor Who season 14 releases every Friday simultaneously across Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.

Source: TV Insider