Chris Chibnall only found out that Russell T Davies would be replacing him as showrunner on Doctor Who 36 hours before the official announcement!

Mind you, Chibnall did suspect something was up…

In a new interview for Doctor Who Magazine, Chibnall said:

“Piers [Wenger] and Charlotte [Moore] told me. I had a suspicion, because Russell hadn’t texted me for a while. And he’s never been that quiet!”

Chris’ remarks about Davies’ return were very last minute too then! We presume that’s why Moore and Wenger told him when they did.

And while he didn’t know beforehand, he’s at least been in regular contact with Russell since the announcement — though not necessarily about Doctor Who. Chibnall said:

“I know a little about what’s going to happen, but not very much. Really I don’t want to know, because I just want to go back to enjoying watching the show as a viewer.”

Davies, of course, was showrunner on Doctor Who from 2005 to New Year’s Day 2010, handing over to Steven Moffat from Series 5 (also 2010). Moffat stayed until Series 10 in 2017 before Chris Chibnall became the new head writer and executive producer.

RTD is now firmly in charge again, with production on the 60th anniversary episode(s) apparently underway at Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff. Davies is set to be showrunner on further series, although we don’t know how many or when they will air.

Chris Chibnall’s last Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker’s swansong as the Thirteenth Doctor, is set to air late this year.