Doctor Who's Chris Chibnall reveals least favourite script

Doctor Who's Chris Chibnall has revealed his least favourite script from his tenure as showrunner.

The show boss is set to depart the series alongside current Doctor actor Jodie Whittaker later this year and has reflected on his time overseeing the sci-fi show.

One low moment he admits to is series 11 finale 'The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos', which marked the end of his and Whittaker's first series and received a mixed reception when it debuted in 2018.

BBC

Reflecting on his "least favourite" script, Chibnall told Doctor Who Magazine (via Radio Times) that he "spent a lot of time helping other writers" during his first series, adding: "We had some problems towards the end and I had to go back and do some big rewrites.

"Which meant that the version of episode 10 ['The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos'] that we filmed was a first draft," he continued. "But I just didn't have time to do a second draft. It didn't feel enough like a season finale, and that was entirely down to time."

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Chibnall added: "So that's my least favourite script of mine. But I really attacked [follow-up episode] 'Resolution', so hopefully I made up for it with that one."

doctor who, series 11, episode 10 'the battle of ranskoor av kolos'

BBC

Following his exit, Chibnall is set to be replaced by returning showrunner Russell T Davies and Chibnall revealed recently that he learned about his successor only 36 hours before it was made public.

"[The BBC's] Piers [Wenger] and Charlotte [Moore] told me," he recalled. "I had a suspicion, because Russell hadn't texted me for a while. And he's never been that quiet."

Chibnall added that he's now back in touch with Davies, teasing: "I know a little about what's going to happen, but not very much. Really I don't want to know, because I just want to go back to enjoying watching the show as a viewer."

Doctor Who's next special premieres in Autumn 2022 on BBC One in the UK. In the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max.

For more information on Doctor Who: Time Fracture, head this way – tickets are also available via retailers including LOVEtheatre, London Theatre Direct, Fever and Ticketmaster.

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Sam Warner

Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.