Fans of long-running sci-fi series Dr Who have reportedly urged producer Steven Moffat to “bow out” ahead of the eighth series of Dr Who.
The BBC has apparently faced criticism that the show has taken a “creative nosedive” with increasingly “dodgy storylines,” and that Moffat has run out of good ideas.
A Daily Mail source from the BBC said: “The 50th anniversary episode seems a good opportunity for him [Moffat] to bow out. Either way, something dramatic needs to take place to improve ratings.”
Some episodes of the drama have pulled in only 4.6 million viewers, although the BBC insists it regularly attracts close to eight million, two million less than when the show was first brought back on screen in 2005.
As such, speculation is mounting whether Moffat will be replaced following the 50th anniversary episode in November.
He appeared to rubbish the suggestion at the BAFTA's last week, saying of the eighth series: "It is real and it's happening - it's [taking up] most of my time at the moment."
He added that some of the rumours circulating about 50th anniversary storyline are "absolutely mental" but that "some of them, I think, are actually quite good ideas. I might use them in future!"