Steven Moffatt doesn't think he would "fit in" at 'Doctor Who' anymore.
Steven Moffatt won't be returning to Doctor Who
The 62-year-old writer penned scripts for the sci-fi saga under Russell T. Davies' tenure as showrunner when the programme was rebooted in 2005, before taking the reins himself from 2010 to 2017, and now his friend is back in the hotseat, he has been subjected to rumours of a return but he has insisted the show is "fine" without him.
Asked about a potential return, he told RadioTimes.com: "Look at my ageing face. How can I fit in? And I know, because I've seen the feedback, that people think I'm being evasive on the subject.
"The truth is, if I say anything negative about Doctor Who it goes everywhere, like boom, everywhere, right?
"It doesn't exactly bring joy to the world that I just say something negative about 'Doctor Who'. The fact is, it's fine without me."
Steven insisted Russell and his current team of writers are creating an exciting new era for the show and its Fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa.
He added: "We've got Russell there. We've got a bunch of new writers there. We've got Ncuti there. It's all good."
When he previously worked as a writer on the show, Steven penned fan favourite episodes including 'The Empty Child' and 'The Girl in the Fireplace', and introduced the sinister Weeping Angels to the programme in 'Blink'.
As showrunner, he brought in Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Peter Capaldi as his successor, as well as Karen Gillan and Jenna Coleman as their respective companions.
Steven - who also created 'Sherlock' - was in charge of the show's 50th anniversary special 'The Day of the Doctor', which brought together Matt and David Tennant's Time Lord and introduced the late William Hurt as the War Doctor.
The scriptwriter recently expressed his hope 'Doctor Who' can go on forever and heaped praise on returning showrunner Russell.
He said: “I just want it to go on. I want it to not stop. I want it to, and I know Russell’s going to make use of its infinite adaptability to always be the number one predator in the environment.
"That’s what I want. I want it to go on forever. I believe it can. Like the stories of Robin Hood and King Arthur and Sherlock Holmes. Some things always go on.”
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