There are a great many layers to Doctor Who's titular Time Lord, regardless of which version we're talking about. Every actor has brought something different to the role and showrunner Steven Moffat was at the helm of both the Eleventh (Matt Smith) and Twelfth's (Peter Capaldi) stints in the TARDIS.
His eight-year run was considered a success among fans and, considering the fact he also contributed to the series during Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant's respective runs, it's fair to say he has a pretty good grasp of what makes this Time Lord tick.
During an interview with The Times (via SFFGazette.com), Moffat shared his belief that there's a dark side to the Doctor which is often - and needs to be - masked behind the character's comedic nature.
"If you write funny then you have to be in the present tense," the writer explained. "I was writing studio sitcoms like Coupling, then Doctor Who came along. Suddenly, people were saying I write serious drama. What are you talking about?"
"Even the Weeping Angels had two sitcom characters with funny names, Sally Sparrow and Kathy Nightingale. Russell [T Davies] writes like that, too. If there's a page without a joke in it, it feels wrong."
"If you take the comedy away, the Doctor is terrifying," Moffat shared. "This guy’s running into the middle of every fight he can find and deciding who should win. People get one chance, then he exterminates their species."
There's been speculation about him potentially returning to Doctor Who in some form and last year, Moffat responded to rumours he might be back to write an episode or two. "It's really very recent that I quit Doctor Who. Look, I love, I absolutely adore Doctor Who, it's the most wonderful show. But it's in very safe hands with Russell [T Davies]."
"I always stay in touch with Russell and ask him what he's up to and so on, of course I do," he continued. "That doesn't mean I'm dashing off to Cardiff on the train tomorrow - unless I am..."
Doctor Who is the longest-running action-adventure television series in the world spanning 60 years and winning over 100 awards. This quintessentially British show has a massive global following, with 9.6 million fans across social platforms/channels and 100 million video views on YouTube in the last year alone.
Following last month's Christmas Special, it was confirmed that Doctor Who will return with new episodes on BBC and Disney+ this May. You can watch the teaser below: