Doctor Who’s New Showrunner: Who is Chris Chibnall?

What can we learn about Chris Chibnall from within Doctor Who?

We heard last year that Chris Chibnall will be taking over Steven Moffat’s position as showrunner of Doctor Who, starting with Season 11, airing next October.

[SPOILER ALERT FOR DOCTOR WHO EPISODES “42”, “THE HUNGRY EARTH”, “COLD BLOOD”, “POND LIFE”, “DINOSAURS ON A SPACESHIP” AND “POWER OF THREE”]

To be completely honest with all of you, when I learned Chris Chibnall was taking over in the new era of Doctor Who, I was … nervous. (and not just because Siri keeps autocorrecting his name to “Chinball” — something I just may keep for laughs.)

Please keep in mind, I got this news before watching Broadchurch, and I only just learned Chibnall also wrote my beloved Life on Mars, starring Doctor Who’s own John Simm (The Master, seasons 3, 4, and 10), so I didn’t have those experiences to appease my fears.

All I knew was he wrote my (then) least favorite episodes of each season of the new series. I didn’t trust him. I wasn’t happy.

So, what to do?? Like the good Whovian I am, I kept an open mind and rewatched them. All of them.

I realized pretty quickly that the beauty of Chibnall’s writing lies in the subtle nuances woven throughout the stories. It’s in the one-liners, the Classic Who nods, and the care he puts into the individual relationships within the story. Chibnall has the capacity to share an entire lifetime in one shared moment between two characters, which is mighty impressive.

With each re-watch, I find myself liking the episode more than the last time. The more details I absorb, the better the episode gets, like a good book or art. I also realize each time just how much of a fanboy Chibnall is— a relief, to say the least.