The BBC has announced that Russell T Davies will return as showrunner for Doctor Who, starting with the show's 60th anniversary.
Revealed on the Doctor Who website, Russell T Davies will replace exiting showrunner Chris Chibnall, who leaves the show along with current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, next year. Davies will make his return with the 60th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who in 2023, "and series beyond" according to the BBC.
“I’m beyond excited to be back on my favourite show," said Davies. "But we’re time-travelling too fast, there’s a whole series of Jodie Whittaker’s brilliant Doctor for me to enjoy, with my friend and hero Chris Chibnall at the helm – I’m still a viewer for now.”
When his tenure as showrunner begins, Doctor Who will shift production studios to Bad Wolf, the television company founded by Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter. Both Gardner and Tranter were key producers of Doctor Who during Davie's original run on the show.
“It’s monumentally exciting and fitting that Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary will see one of Britain’s screenwriting diamonds return home," said Chris Chibnall. "Russell built the baton that is about to be handed back to him – Doctor Who, the BBC, the screen industry in Wales, and let’s be honest everyone in the whole world, have so many reasons to be Very Excited Indeed about what lies ahead.”
Russell T Davies was responsible for resurrecting Doctor Who in 2005, after it had been off the air for over fifteen years. He was showrunner for four series of the show, plus a number of special episodes. Those years covered the tenures of both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, and are widely considered by the Doctor Who fandom to be the show's best era.
For more from Doctor Who, take a look at our review of the most recent episode, Revolution of the Daleks, and our trio of Doctors interview with David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Jodie Whittaker.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.