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BORN
in Paisley
in 1961,
Steven Moffat
started his
career as a
teacher before a
fortuitous chain
of events
allowed him to
create the
hugely
successful
Press Gang
for Richmond
Films. Five
series on and a
couple of top
industry awards
later, he had
established
himself as a
writer who could
stretch the
traditional 25
minute format
into new and
fascinating
shapes, and
drive
astonishing
emotional drama
from what could
have been
'merely'
top-notch humour
for kiddies.
His adult
situation
comedies –
Joking Apart,
Chalk and
Coupling
– have enjoyed
varying degrees
of success. Each
of them demand
considerably
more from the
viewer than the
average comedy
half-hour, with
Coupling
in particular
creating
dizzying new
narrative
templates, and
executed to
perfection in
episodes such as
Split and
Nine and a Half
Minutes.
As a life-long
fan of Doctor
Who, it is
fitting that the
series has given
Moffat his most
mainstream
successes to
date, with the
instantly-iconic
gasmask-wearing
"Are You My
Mummy?" boy from
The Empty
Child/The Doctor
Dances
winning him the
Top TV Moment of
2005, and The
Girl in the
Fireplace
earning him a
second Hugo
award.
2007 brought his
first
post-watershed
drama, in the
form of the
astonishing
Jekyll, and
a bonkers
time-bending
romp in the form
of Time Crash
for Children in
Need.
2008
brought a double
bill of
Doctor Who
episodes –
Silence in the
Library and
Forest of the
Dead – and
delivered two
BAFTA awards for
Blink,
as well as a
third Hugo
Award.
In May 2008 it
was announced
that Steven
Moffat
would be
Lead Writer and
Executive
Producer for
Series 5 of
Doctor Who,
although this
proved to be
at the expense
of his
involvement in
the
TinTin
movies for
Steven Spielberg
and Peter
Jackson.
January 2009 saw
the casting of a
new Doctor, Matt
Smith, followed
in May with the
announcement of
a new companion,
to be played by
Karen Gillan.
Not content with
taking control
of the Who
universe, the
Moff has also been hard at
work on other
projects. Spring 2009 saw the
completion A
Study in Pink,
a pilot
film featuring a
21st century
version of
Arthur Conan
Doyle's
legendary
detective.
2010
was The (First
Annual)
Year of The
Moff, with his
version of
Doctor Who
launched in
April, and the
first series of
Sherlock
transmitting in
the Summer to
great critical
acclaim.
The year ended
on a high with
the very, very
Christmassy A
Christmas Carol,
featuring a
timey-wimey love
story, Marilyn
Monroe and
a giant flying
shark...
2011 has seen
the Doctor
return to BBC1
for a further 13
episodes, three
more episodes of
Sherlock
filmed for early
2012, the
release of
The Adventures
of Tin Tin:
Secret of the
Unicorn
(which retains
his script
credit), and a
plethora of
new awards for the
groaning
mantelpiece.
He is currently
hard at work on
the 2013
Doctor Who
Christmas
Special.
Watch this space
for
more news of
Sherlock,
Adam & Eve,
the (possible)
return of
Press Gang,
and of course
any developments
on Doctor Who.
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