Steven Moffat is set to make a sensational return to Doctor Who and write adventures for new Time Lord Ncuti Gatwa.
The 61-year-old screenwriter acted as showrunner on the BBC One series between 2010 and 2017, having previously been a writer on the show during Russell T Davies' original tenure.
Russell has taken control of the TARDIS once again after being the man responsible for bringing Doctor Who back to screens in 2005, after it was cancelled in 1989, and he has asked his friend Moffat to create some episodes for 15th Doctor Ncuti for the 2024 series.
Before he was in charge of Doctor Who, Moffat was responsible for writing fan favourite episodes like The Empty Child, The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink - which introduced the Weeping Angels into the programme’s carnival of monsters - and Davies wants Moffat to be part of the Doctor Who revolution now that the BBC has teamed up with Disney+ to take the show around the world on an unprecedented scale.
A source said: “Russell’s on a mission to make Doctor Who great again, event television not to be missed, which is what it was for many years during his and Steven’s tenures in charge of the show.
“One of the ways he can do that is to ensure he has the best possible people writing for the programme.
“He has nothing but respect for what Steven achieved with the show and was a fan of his vision as showrunner. He approached him about returning in just a writing capacity because he knows Doctor Who inside out and has a brilliant imagination for adventures in space and time.
He took some convincing but the chance to contribute to a show he has loved since childhood and see it blossom in a new era with a new Doctor was just too much to resist.”
Moffat was responsible for introducing the audience to the hugely popular Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor - who had the big shoes of Tenth Doctor David Tennant to fill - and now Marvel star Karen Gillan as his companion Amy Pond and then Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as his main companion Clara Oswald.
Moffat also helmed the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor which brought together Matt and David’s Doctors and introduced the late William Hurt as the War Doctor for a multi Time Lord adventure.
Moffat - who also created Sherlock and Dracula with Mark Gatiss - recently admitted he hopes Doctor Who will go on forever like other English heroes such as Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes.
He said: “I just want it to go on. I want it to not stop. I want it to, and I know Russell’s going to make use of its infinite adaptability to always be the number one predator in the environment.
"That’s what I want. I want it to go on forever. I believe it can. Like the stories of Robin Hood and King Arthur and Sherlock Holmes. Some things always go on.”
The BBC declined to comment when asked about Moffat returning.
