{"id":37764,"date":"2023-02-27T00:26:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T00:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/?p=37764"},"modified":"2023-02-26T19:26:45","modified_gmt":"2023-02-26T19:26:45","slug":"toby-whithouse-wouldve-loved-to-be-doctor-who-showrunner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2023\/02\/27\/toby-whithouse-wouldve-loved-to-be-doctor-who-showrunner\/","title":{"rendered":"Toby Whithouse &#8220;Would&#8217;ve Loved to be Doctor Who Showrunner&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ttr_start\"><\/div>\n<p>Toby Whithouse has revealed that he would&#8217;ve loved to be the showrunner on <em>Doctor Who<\/em>, but apparently wasn&#8217;t approached for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Toby has written a number of episodes, including <em>School Reunion, A Town Called Mercy<\/em>, and <em>Under the Lake\/ Before the Flood<\/em>. He even appeared in Peter Capaldi&#8217;s final episode, <em>Twice Upon A Time<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whithouse <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/toby-whithouse-doctor-who-rumours-exclusive-newsupdate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>&#8220;I\u2019d love to have done it. I really would &#8211; it\u2019s such a perfect show.<\/p><p>&#8220;I\u2019m so thrilled to have been a contributor on it. Whenever I would do an episode, I&#8217;d tell my kids and they would always ask &#8216;can you make it scary?&#8217; because they genuinely loved that. It\u2019s a very kind of safe introduction to being scared, that fearful adrenaline.<\/p><p>&#8220;It\u2019s very lovely that there was a portion of the fandom that were having those conversations about the idea of me as showrunner. I can absolutely say those conversations were never happening at the BBC!<\/p><p>&#8220;I don\u2019t really think I was ever in contention, but I\u2019d really love to have done it. It always made me laugh when somewhere like the Daily Mail wrote &#8216;Doctor Who is too scary, it\u2019s frightening.&#8217; Children loved it being scary &#8211; that\u2019s why they watched it!&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This comes as something of a surprise to at least this DWC writer: having been showrunner on <em>Being Human<\/em>, Whithouse feels a perfect fit for <em>Doctor Who<\/em>, and it seemed like Chris Chibnall took on the job somewhat begrudgingly, with certain conditions including a set number of series spread over a few years and the loss of the Christmas specials. (I know Thirteenth Doctor fans will disagree with that, but hey, that&#8217;s how I felt about the past few years.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nonetheless, Chibnall obviously loves <em>Doctor Who<\/em> and was committed to it; it just feels weird that Toby wasn&#8217;t even approached. And again, speaking personally, Whithouse is a favourite of mine &#8212; <em>The God Complex<\/em> is especially beautiful, but I loved all his episodes, so would&#8217;ve loved to see where he took the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, with Russell T Davies back in charge, you have to wonder if Toby will be back for another story&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ttr_end\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And he would&#8217;ve fully embraced Doctor Who&#8217;s scary side!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"Toby Whithouse \"Would've Loved to be #DoctorWho Showrunner\"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[205],"tags":[411,47,711,12,712,101,2627,1696,52,2849],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Toby-Whithouse-Matt-Smith-Karen-Gillan-SDCC.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":37762,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2023\/03\/07\/toby-whithouse-looks-back-at-being-humans-success-and-how-doctor-who-paved-the-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":37764,"position":0},"title":"Toby Whithouse Looks Back at Being Human&#8217;s Success and How Doctor Who Paved the Way","author":"Jonathan Appleton","date":"7 March 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Whithouse has written a number of Doctor Who stories including School Reunion, A Town Called Mercy, and The Lie of the Land.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Toby-Whithouse-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Toby-Whithouse-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Toby-Whithouse-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Toby-Whithouse-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Toby-Whithouse-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18497,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2019\/02\/10\/doctor-who-series-9-10-and-11-scripts-available-on-bbc-writers-room\/","url_meta":{"origin":37764,"position":1},"title":"Doctor Who Series 9, 10, and 11 Scripts Available on BBC Writers&#8217; Room","author":"Andrew Hsieh","date":"10 February 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The scripts for episodes of\u00a0Doctor Who Series 9, 10 and 11, starring Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor and Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth, can now be enjoyed online. Now available to download from BBC Writers' Room, the scripts for\u00a0Under the Lake\/Before the Flood\u00a0and\u00a0The Lie of the Land\u00a0by Toby Whithouse, who is best known\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/342C5ABC-3574-4F31-9CDA-B728B1F78A6C.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/342C5ABC-3574-4F31-9CDA-B728B1F78A6C.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/342C5ABC-3574-4F31-9CDA-B728B1F78A6C.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/342C5ABC-3574-4F31-9CDA-B728B1F78A6C.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/342C5ABC-3574-4F31-9CDA-B728B1F78A6C.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31190,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2021\/02\/18\/toby-whithouse-joins-this-weekends-lockdown-rewatch-of-a-town-called-mercy\/","url_meta":{"origin":37764,"position":2},"title":"Toby Whithouse Joins This Weekend&#8217;s Lockdown Rewatch of A Town Called Mercy","author":"Philip Bates","date":"18 February 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Play the episode at 7pm on Sunday 21st February 2021, and tweet along using #ThyKingdomCome.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/A-Town-Called-Mercy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/A-Town-Called-Mercy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/A-Town-Called-Mercy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/A-Town-Called-Mercy.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/A-Town-Called-Mercy.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15398,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2018\/04\/14\/toby-whithouse-joins-writing-team-on-bbc-adaptation-of-noughts-crosses\/","url_meta":{"origin":37764,"position":3},"title":"Toby Whithouse Joins Writing Team on BBC Adaptation of Noughts &amp; Crosses","author":"Jonathan Appleton","date":"14 April 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Toby Whithouse has secured a new high-profile assignment with the BBC as lead writer on the adaptation of Noughts and Crosses, Malorie Blackman's novel for young adults which takes place in an alternate history where black people, having formerly enslaved white people, retain technological and social superiority. Whithouse may be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/a-town-called-mercy-11th-eleventh-doctor-matt-smith-amy-rory-pond-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/a-town-called-mercy-11th-eleventh-doctor-matt-smith-amy-rory-pond-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/a-town-called-mercy-11th-eleventh-doctor-matt-smith-amy-rory-pond-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/a-town-called-mercy-11th-eleventh-doctor-matt-smith-amy-rory-pond-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/a-town-called-mercy-11th-eleventh-doctor-matt-smith-amy-rory-pond-2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17857,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2018\/11\/09\/doctor-who-writer-toby-whithouse-teams-up-with-neil-gaiman-for-new-gormenghast-show\/","url_meta":{"origin":37764,"position":4},"title":"Doctor Who Writer Toby Whithouse Teams Up With Neil Gaiman For New Gormenghast Show","author":"Andrew Reynolds","date":"9 November 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Doctor Who writer and Being Human creator Toby Whithouse will be teaming up with Neil Gaiman to bring Gormenghast to the small screen. Whithouse will serve as showrunner on a new adaptation of Mervyn Peake\u2019s novel which tells the story of the titular castle and its family of nobles. According\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22156,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2019\/09\/24\/toby-whithouse-and-neil-gaiman-to-adapt-gormenghast-novels\/","url_meta":{"origin":37764,"position":5},"title":"Toby Whithouse and Neil Gaiman to Adapt Gormenghast Novels","author":"David Traynier","date":"24 September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The US premium television network, Showtime, is developing a new fantasy drama series based on Mervyn Peake\u2019s epic Gormenghast novels. In charge of the project will be Toby Whithouse and Neil Gaiman, both well known to Doctor Who watchers. Whithouse wrote School Reunion for Series 2 of the revived series,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7lD76-9P6","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37764"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37764"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37767,"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37764\/revisions\/37767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}