‘Doctor Who’ boss Steven Moffat is "a little cross" about claims he blocked a fourth series of spin off show ‘Torchwood’.
The 54-year-old producer has been the subject of claims made by John Barrowman – who starred in the show when it aired from 2006-2011 – suggesting the showrunner prevented the actor from putting plans for a fourth series in place.
In July, 49-year-old John said: "I’m being told that it can’t come back until it’s got approval from certain people involved with ‘Doctor Who’. But that might change when somebody leaves, and when somebody new and wonderful comes in."
The "somebody new" referred to Chris Chibnall, who will replace Steven as the show’s boss next year, and who also produced the first two series of ‘Torchwood’.
Steven has now hit back at the claims he had anything to do with stopping a fourth series of the show, insisting he "wouldn’t be able to block it" even if he wanted to.
He said: "You may be aware that John Barrowman has been saying, publicly, that I’ve been blocking a new series of ‘Torchwood’. To be very clear – I haven’t blocked it; I wouldn’t block it; I wouldn’t even be able to block it. I didn’t even know a revival had been mooted till I read about it on the internet.
"I am bewildered, and a little cross, even to be included in this conversation."
The producer also claimed he was a fan of the show – which followed John’s character Captain Jack Harkness after he left The Doctor to work for a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute – and he was tired of the "hate mail" he had received from the fans of the spin off.
He said: "As John perfectly well knows, it’s not my show and I could no more prevent it happening that he could cancel ‘Sherlock’.
"For the record, I really liked the show and would be very happy to see more – monsters and mayhem, why not?
"But the fact is, it has nothing to do with me. Please pass this on to the anxious and the angry – I’ve had enough hate mail now."
Steven Moffat: I haven’t blocked Torchwood S4
