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With Doctor Who’s future currently uncertain, countless questions have been plaguing fans, including: Who could be the next Doctor? When will it return to screens? What’s going on with Billie Piper? And who will be at the helm?

The BBC recently announced that the show will be put out to tender this year, with showrunner Russell T Davies stepping back. The series will also no longer be produced by Bad Wolf.

That opens up a fair few possibilities, including changing how the series is made. Perhaps it’ll have a different budget. Perhaps there will be more episodes per season. Perhaps the showrunner role will be done away with completely, in favour of a writers room.

But if the showrunner/head writer role does stick around, who would be best placed to steer the TARDIS into the future?

We asked more than 1,000 Doctor Who fans who their pick would be, with the superfans at Radio Times also weighing in and fighting for their choices.

The differences in opinion were clear. While many fans argued that Doctor Who should continue in a safe pair of hands, with someone who has worked extensively on the series before, many of the Radio Times team felt that someone with a bit of distance from the show should come in to give it a refresh.

Below are a selection of the suggestions from Radio Times readers and staffers. But who among them should get the gig?

The fans say…

J Michael Straczynski

Filmmaker and comic book writer J Michael Straczynski has made no secret of the fact that he’d like to take on the Doctor Who showrunner role. He’s no stranger to helming successful sci-fi series, having created the likes of Babylon 5 and Sense8 – but has shared his concerns that a British audience may not take to an American showrunner.

Those that weighed in didn’t seem to be put off though. One commenter said: “J Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame, for sure! Proven track record of creating excellent sci-fi. Can tell a story over multiple seasons without resorting to deus ex machina resolutions.”

Straczynski received 4 per cent of the vote.

Steven Moffat

If Russell T Davies can come back for more… why can’t his successor, Steven Moffat?! The former showrunner didn’t fully rule out another return when we asked him last year, and his episodes have been some of the most highly-rated of the entirety of New Who.

One commenter suggested: “Moffat was the best show runner Who ever had. If he’d do it.” However, others argued that, while Moffat should return to write one-off episodes, a fresh face would be best for the showrunner role.

Moffat received 3.9 per cent of the vote.

The team behind Big Finish’s stories

Some fans felt the show should be entrusted to the team that have spent years delving into the lore for Big Finish’s audio adventures.

It was previously confirmed that Big Finish’s adventures will continue until 2035, so how this would fit in with the team working on on-screen adventures would have to be worked out.

One commenter said: “Big Finish should take over,” while another added: “Nicholas Briggs would be my choice.”

Big Finish in general received 3.4 per cent of the vote.

Mark Gatiss

Few people know Doctor Who better than Mark Gatiss. He’s written nine stories, has appeared in the show as an actor, and even wrote the beloved docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time.

While he’s not written a story since 2017, he suggested to Radio Times that it was because he simply hadn’t been asked recently. Could that be about to change?!

One commenter said: “Mark Gatiss is the obvious person.”

Gatiss received 2.6 per cent of the vote.

Toby Whithouse

Another Doctor Who veteran, Whithouse is known for writing stories including School Reunion, The Vampires of Venice, and The God Complex. Every time there’s a discussion about who should take over, his name comes up.

In 2023, he told Radio Times he “would have loved” to have taken over as showrunner, adding: “It’s such a perfect show.”

One commenter suggested: “Toby Whithouse. I’ve been saying it for years.”

He received 0.7 per cent of the vote.

RT says…

Joe Barton

When (not if) Doctor Who returns, it needs a clean break. Several former Who writers could do a more-than-solid job as showrunner, but to give the series the best chance of a sustained comeback it needs a completely fresh pair of eyes. It needs an actual reset for new viewers and lapsed Whovians alike. It needs Joe Barton.

Over the past decade, Barton has been quietly building up an impressive list of small-screen hits, hopping between time periods and genres like a certain Gallifreyan – covering fantasy (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself), crime drama (Giri/Haji), spy thriller (Black Doves) and historical romp (Amadeus). But perhaps his best work has come in the world of sci-fi – creating Sky’s excellent (and timey-wimey) The Lazarus Project, as well as writing for Channel 4’s grimly prescient Humans.

Barton’s work is bold and full of ideas, yet he’s also a very safe pair of hands – both crucial attributes for a new showrunner – and it’s only a matter of time until he’s given an established franchise (he’s already written the script for a potential new Jason Bourne film, after all). I say, throw him the keys to the TARDIS and don’t hang around – Christian Tobin, Production Editor.

Jack Thorne

BAFTA-winning Jack Thorne’s output has been eclectic, his back catalogue taking in everything from the bruising This Is England series (with Shane Meadows) and Channel 4’s powerful Operation Yewtree-inspired drama National Treasure to recent slow-burn romance Falling (again for Channel 4) and Netflix’s game-changing Adolescence.

But, importantly, he’s also played in the sandbox of big, bold, family-oriented TV fantasy – and if the next iteration of Doctor Who is looking for a template, it could do much worse than looking to Thorne’s adaptation of His Dark Materials (co-produced by the BBC and HBO), which earned a strong critical response between 2019 and 2022 with its exploration of both complex themes and fantastical worlds.

Thorne also has an affection for the series – he almost wrote for the first season under Steven Moffat’s tenure and contributed to the 2012 charity release Behind the Sofa, which compiled celebrities’ early memories of being a Doctor Who fan – but is perhaps not as steeped in the canon as some other names that get bandied about, ensuring he’d be respectful but not slavish in his adherence to series lore.

If you want a writer/producer who’s talented, in demand, with a proven track record, Thorne’s your man – Morgan Jeffery, Digital Editor.

Tony Gilroy… or Doctor Who’s version of him

I don’t want to be one of those boring people who drones on about how Andor was the best Star Wars in years, but… Andor was the best Star Wars in years! And a lot of that came down to hired-gun showrunner Tony Gilroy. An experienced thriller screenwriter who didn’t have too much reverence for the source material, he used the existing world(s) to tell a human, compelling sci-fi story.

I can think of another venerable sci-fi institution that might benefit from similar treatment. Doctor Who made by an outsider, a talented, dedicated but not nostalgic writer, could be the refresh the series needs. Not that you’d cut the fans out entirely – Gilroy had Star Wars experts to consult who’d tell him when to stick to the lore. Doctor Who could have its own Whovians in residence.

But who is Doctor Who’s Gilroy? As you may have gathered from the vague title of this segment, I’m not sure myself. The likes of the aforementioned Barton or Thorne spring to mind – assuming they’d want the gig – though perhaps like Mr Gilroy it’d be someone from outside the sci-fi genre who’d do the best job. Who wouldn’t want to see Lucy Prebble (I Hate Suzie) or Michaela Coel’s (I May Destroy You) take on the TARDIS?

It might be the making of the show. Alternatively, you could get someone in who doesn’t understand the series at all, takes a wrecking ball to everything that makes it great and ruins it forever. But hey – that’s showbiz – Huw Fullerton, Commissioning Editor.

Kate Herron and Briony Redman

If the current showrunner model sticks around, Doctor Who’s going to need someone who can spin 10,000 plates at once. Enter Kate Herron and Briony Redman! The duo have history on Doctor Who, after teaming up to write Rogue, one of the most memorable episodes from Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the Doctor.

But they’ve also got a lot of other successful shows under their belts. Herron is best known for directing and executive producing the incredible first season of Loki, and has also directed episodes of The Last of Us and Sex Education. Redman, meanwhile, made her name in the comedy world, in the trenches at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a writer, producer and actress. Between them, they’ve got experience on the smallest of productions to the very biggest, across multiple different departments.

Sure, there are benefits to having someone distanced from Doctor Who take over, to give it a full refresh. But don’t we also need someone who understands the DNA of this oddball of a TV show? For me, Herron and Redman are the perfect middle ground – and I certainly wouldn’t complain about two women being handed the reins… – Louise Griffin, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor.

Ronald D Moore

A kitsch sci-fi brand with lots of lore and devoted followers, but in need of revitalising, modernising and bringing to a whole new audience with renewed relevance? Well, one man with experience here is Ronald D Moore, the maestro who brought back Battlestar Galactica from its 1970s Saturday morning serial style into one of the most powerful and defining shows of the post-9/11 world.

While Doctor Who doesn’t necessarily need to deal with such weighty themes and darkness, this transformation proved Moore’s adeptness at taking something beloved and reinventing it. His adaptation of the Outlander book series has also produced a legion of happy fans.

Moore himself is a self-professed Doctor Who fan, too. Imagine what insight and passion he could bring! – Lewis Knight, News and Trends Editor.

Joe Cornish

If proof were needed of Joe Cornish’s ability to blend sci-fi scares with a sense of wonder and adventure, look no further than his debut 2011 feature Attack the Block. Like the best episodes of Doctor Who, it takes a fantastical concept involving alien invaders and grounds it in a recognisably British setting – in this case, a south London council estate. The result is thrilling, funny and surprisingly heartfelt, demonstrating many of the ingredients that have kept the Time Lord relevant for over six decades.

Yet Attack the Block is only part of the story. In The Kid Who Would Be King (2019), Cornish crafted a fantasy epic aimed at younger viewers but not at the expense of adults – a tightrope so often also navigated by the Doctor. His screenplay for The Adventures of Tintin (2011), co-written with Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright, showed how adept he is at revitalising beloved characters for modern audiences while remaining true to their essence. More recently, Lockwood and Co (2023) allowed him to exhibit both his visual flair and ability to oversee an ambitious, multi-part television drama.

Perhaps Cornish’s greatest asset, however, is that he’d come to Doctor Who with fresh eyes. Unlike some potential candidates, he arrives without the baggage that can accompany decades of involvement with the programme. Instead, he combines the enthusiasm of a lifelong genre fan with the perspective of an outsider. Add to that his proven collaborative streak – most notably in partnership with Adam Buxton – and it’s clear he possesses exactly the qualities needed to guide Doctor Who into its next era. Few candidates seem better placed to boldly chart its future – David Brown, Deputy Previews Editor.

Chris Clenshaw

After bringing EastEnders back from the brink, surely the only man who could save Doctor Who is Chris Clenshaw. The soap was in a seriously bad way when he took the helm as executive producer in 2022, having been dragged down by bizarre storylines and poor characterisation. Sensationalism was being favoured over reality and longevity, with a series of questionable decisions forcing Clenshaw to act fast and turn it around.

When Doctor Who was revived in 2005, we were given opportunity to properly explore companions’ home lives for the first time. We’d get gloriously mundane “kitchen sink” scenes featuring Jackie and Rose Tyler at home, and received a chance to get to know the characters without The Doctor’s intervention. Later, there was the beautiful relationship between The Doctor and Donna Noble’s grandfather Wilf.

Although we were introduced to Ruby Sunday’s family in recent years, one couldn’t help considering the missed opportunities to know Carla and the fabulous Cherry better.

And what about Belinda Chandra’s clan? We know that her mum was a violinist, and that her father worked in tax, but that was it. We were robbed of an opportunity to get to know them!

With soap operas built upon kitchen sink realism, this is surely something that Clenshaw could inject into a future version of our favourite sci-fi series – Michael Adams, Soaps Editor.