As part of the writing staff since 2005, former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat wrote for all of the modern Doctors up to Peter Capaldi, as well as a bunch of the others he brought back from time to time. He handed over the reins of the show to successor Chris Chibnall back in 2017, who then cast Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, but now, Moffat is able to add Whittaker to the list of Doctors he’s covered, as a new short story from the writer has been shared online.
The tale, titled “The Terror of the Umpty Ums,” was published on the BBC’s Doctor Who website earlier today. It begins with an alien being called Karpagnon in the guise of a young boy called David. To say any more would be to spoil it, as – like we know to expect from all Moffat’s work – the story is filled with surprising twists and turns. Go ahead and read it by following the link at the bottom of the page
Moffat does a brilliant job of capturing Thirteen’s voice here, nailing her use of slang and her chatterbox ways. There are also enough references and easter eggs in there to please fans – the weapon forges of Villengard, for instance, were mentioned in Moffat’s first Who episode, “The Empty Child,” and were finally visited in his last, “Twice Upon a Time.” Ultimately, it’s a smart, sweet short that’s intended to cheer us all up a little.
Of course, this is just the latest new bit of fiction from Who writers past and present to be shared over the past few weeks. The Doctor Who community as a whole has been hugely positive and creative during these troubling times, with watchalongs of classic episodes happening weekly. Moffat himself penned a fun intro for “The Day of the Doctor” watchalong, performed by star Dan Starkey and a Sontaran doll. This is just the sort of wholesome content we need to banish the terror of the umpty ums. Woo-hoo!