2. Too Much Self-Indulgence
Doctor Who is the one programme where whoever is in charge of it needs to take care not to end up writing episodes for his/herself rather than for the audience. And there is no episode where that applies more than the 50th Anniversary Special. I'd like to clarify that this is in no way a slight against Steven Moffat or a criticism of his work on Doctor Who. I'm a big fan of his and I'm not suggesting that his writing is inherently self-indulgent, but when any writer is put in the driving seat of a big franchise, they can sometimes start writing for themselves as much as for the audience. It's an extension of people's natural desire for self-gratification. I'll leave you to make the obvious dirty joke there. The Series 4 finale The Stolen Earth/Journey's End is an example of how this can really hurt an episode. That two-parter saw the return of all of the major companions of the Russell T. Davies era up to that point and many of their peripheral characters as well as crossover scenes with spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures (both of which were created by Davies). All of this led to an incredibly cluttered story that, at times, felt like it was Davies writing a love letter to his own work. This is an example of what the 50th Anniversary shouldn't be like. The Hurt Doctor is a Steven Moffat creation and looks to be the episode's primary focus since three series have gone into building up his reveal but if his character and story is done in just the right way, it could work well. But if the Anniversary Special turns out to be full of characters and concepts that Moffat either created or has a personal fondness for without them being weaved into the story well enough, it could spell disaster. That's what needs to be avoided for the Anniversary Special. Not only because unhindered self-indulgence is a bad thing in general when writing television but also because the Anniversary Special needs to be a tribute to all fifty years and not just its writer's creations and preferences.