Steven Moffat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steven Moffat OBE
Moffat in 2017
Born	Steven William Moffat (1961-11-18) 18 November 1961 (age 63) Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Occupation	Television writer, television producer, and screenwriter
Alma mater	University of Glasgow
Period	1988–present
Genre	Comedy, drama, adventure, science fiction
Spouse	Sue Vertue ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	2

Steven William Moffat (born November 18, 1961) is a Scottish writer and producer for TV and movies. He is famous for being the main writer and producer for the TV show Doctor Who (from 2010 to 2017). He also helped create and write the detective show Sherlock (from 2010 to 2017).

In 2015, Moffat was given an award called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award was for his great work in drama.

Moffat was born in Paisley, Scotland. His father was a teacher, and Steven also used to be a teacher. His first TV job was writing for a teen drama called Press Gang. He later wrote a comedy show called Joking Apart. This show was inspired by his own life experiences. In the 1990s, he wrote Chalk, which was based on his time as an English teacher.

Steven Moffat has always been a big fan of Doctor Who. In 1999, he wrote a funny short episode called The Curse of Fatal Death for a charity event called Comic Relief. His comedy show Coupling (early 2000s) was about his relationship with TV producer Sue Vertue, who he later married.

In 2004, Moffat was announced as a writer for the new Doctor Who series. He wrote six episodes between 2005 and 2008. These episodes won him several awards, including three Hugo Awards. During this time, he also wrote and produced a modern drama series called Jekyll.

In 2008, Moffat became the main writer and producer for Doctor Who. Around the same time, he stopped working on a movie series about Tintin with director Steven Spielberg. Some of his writing was used in Spielberg's movie The Adventures of Tintin, which came out in 2011.

In the 2010s, Moffat mostly worked on Doctor Who (from series 5 to 10) and Sherlock. Both shows won him many awards, including more Hugo Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards. In the 2020s, he wrote other TV shows like Dracula (2020), Inside Man (2022), and The Time Traveler's Wife (2022). In 2024, he returned to write two more episodes for Doctor Who.

Early Life and Education

Steven Moffat was born in Paisley, Scotland. He went to Camphill High School there. Later, he studied at the University of Glasgow. While at university, he was involved with the student TV station.

After getting his degree in English, he worked as a teacher for three and a half years. In the 1980s, he wrote a play called War Zones and a musical called Knifer.

Writing Career

Starting with Press Gang

Moffat's father, Bill, was a head teacher. He told TV producers he had an idea for a show about a school newspaper. The producers asked for a script, and Bill said his son Steven should write it. The producers loved Steven's script.

The show was called Press Gang. It starred Julia Sawalha and Dexter Fletcher. It ran for five seasons on ITV from 1989 to 1993. Steven Moffat wrote all 43 episodes. The show won a BAFTA award.

Creating Joking Apart

Moffat records DVD commentary for Joking Apart (2006)

After Press Gang, Moffat met producer Andre Ptaszynski. Moffat first suggested a show about a school, but Ptaszynski noticed Moffat was talking a lot about his own life. He suggested Moffat write about his experiences instead.

Moffat's new idea was about "a comedy writer whose wife leaves him." This became the show Joking Apart. It ran for two seasons and won an award called the Bronze Rose of Montreux.

Moffat also wrote three episodes for a comedy mystery series called Murder Most Horrid.

Writing for Doctor Who

Steven Moffat has been a fan of Doctor Who since he was a child. In 1996, he wrote a short story for a Doctor Who book.

In 1998, he was asked to write a funny Doctor Who sketch for Comic Relief. This sketch, called The Curse of Fatal Death, was shown on TV in 1999.

The Show Coupling

Steven Moffat's wife, Sue Vertue, is a TV producer. She asked him to write a comedy show. He decided to base it on their own relationship.

The show was called Coupling. Sue Vertue produced it. It first aired in 2000 and ran for four seasons until 2004. Moffat wrote all 28 episodes. There was also a less successful U.S. version of Coupling.

Doctor Who and Jekyll

In 2003, Moffat was asked to write for the new Doctor Who series. He wrote six episodes for the show between 2005 and 2008. These episodes were very popular and won him several awards.

One of his famous Doctor Who episodes was "Blink" (2007). It won him a BAFTA Craft Award for Best Writer.

Between Doctor Who episodes, Moffat wrote and produced Jekyll. This was a modern TV show based on the classic story Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Leading Doctor Who and Creating Sherlock

In 2008, the BBC announced that Steven Moffat would become the main writer and producer for Doctor Who. He started this role for the show's fifth series, which aired in 2010. He helped choose Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi to play the Doctor.

While traveling for Doctor Who, Moffat and writer Mark Gatiss came up with an idea. They wanted to update the classic Sherlock Holmes stories for modern times. This idea became the show Sherlock.

Sherlock was a big success. Moffat won a BAFTA Craft Award for writing an episode called "A Scandal in Belgravia" (2012). He also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on Sherlock.

In 2015, Moffat was given the Officer of the Order of the British Empire award for his contributions to drama. In 2016, he announced he would leave Doctor Who after the 2017 series. His last episode as the main writer was "Twice Upon a Time" in December 2017. The last series of Sherlock also aired in 2017.

In March 2024, Moffat confirmed he would write for Doctor Who again in Series 14. He was credited as a writer and executive producer for the episode "Boom".

Recent Projects

In 2018, BBC One and Netflix ordered a new TV series called Dracula. Moffat and Mark Gatiss wrote and created this show, based on the famous novel. It aired in January 2020.

In 2020, a play written by Moffat called The Unfriend was announced. It was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but opened in May 2022. The play later moved to London theatres in 2023 and 2024.

Production Credits

Television Shows

Doctor Who Episodes Written

Sherlock Episodes Written

Movies

Stage Plays

Awards and Recognitions

Steven Moffat has won many awards for his writing and producing work. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Steven Moffat para niños