Doctor Who: 10 Overused Tropes Of The Steven Moffat Era

Part of what makes the Doctor so compelling is that he’s always been shrouded in mystery. Who is this strange man, and why did he flee his own people? In 2005, Russell T Davies deepened this mystery by making us question just what happened to him during the Time War.

Then Moffat took it upon himself, like an over-excited fanfic writer, to explain everything. Around the fiftieth anniversary, we saw not one but two missing regenerations, met the Doctor who fought the Time War, and witnessed its final battle. And actually, as a culmination of the years leading up to it, this all felt appropriate and was handled well.

But then the show embraced classic continuity more and Moffat used this as a licence to put his own stamp on every part of the Doctor’s past. We’ve met the Doctor as a child. We’ve seen him leave Gallifrey, aided by Moffat’s own creation Clara, which was later linked to Series 9’s ‘hybrid’ nonsense. We’ve even meddled with beloved classic serials, with The Magician’s Apprentice serving as both prequel and sequel to Genesis of the Daleks.

And with every gap filled in, the Doctor’s story has grown steadily less interesting.