It just goes to show that, when it comes to working on something as popular as Doctor Who, then whatever you do some fans will end up hating you for it. By the time The Day of The Doctor was broadcast, Gallifrey had been dead and gone for eight-and-a-half years and was even written out a second time in The End Of Time. Which also established that, over the course of the war, the High Council of Gallifrey had become omnicidal maniacs bent on destroying all of reality. But one of the lesser though still notable elements of the Steven Moffat era has been the attempt to further bridge the gap with the Classic series through the inclusion of more obscure foes and references, as well as the eventual inclusion of the Eighth Doctor. But that was just the warm-up act. Moffats grand plan was the restoration of Gallifrey. Although The Day Of The Doctor was highly praised, some of the more hardline Russell T. Davies fans were distinctly unhappy with the newly revised resolution to the Time War because of the rather spurious view that it invalidated the Ninth and Tenth Doctors eras and was influenced by Moffats ego. Forums and message-boards were filled with cries that Moffat was wiping away the RTD era to make way for his own vision and, although the episode was written in a way that doesnt invalidate previous episodes, the split opinions over the restoration of Gallifrey arent likely to abate anytime soon.
JG Moore is a writer and filmmaker from the south of England. He also works as an editor and VFX artist, and has a BA in Media Production from the University Of Winchester.
