Steven Moffat to continue to delight and/or disappoint Whovians for at least 5 more years

It seems like it was only yesterday that Steven Moffat was dashing the dreams of Doctor Who devotees for big-screen TARDIS adventures by throwing some common sense at them. Well, it looks like the showrunner and ever-masterful storyteller might have just been engaging in a little misdirection so that he could wallop fans over the head with the really big news: he’s prepared to lead the show for at least another five years.

In an interview with Radio Times for Doctor Who magazine, Moffat expressed his surprise and satisfaction over the rebooted show’s 10-year success, adding that current plans are to do “a minimum of 15 [series]. I mean, it could do 26!” He even sort of thanked fans by noting that consistently high ratings have inspired enough confidence in BBC execs to maintain the show’s continued existence. Indeed, the BBC’s head of drama (programming, not office gossip) Ben Stephenson made the giddy statement that, “As long as the people looking after it are passionate about it and the BBC is passionate about it, there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t do another 50 years.”

Moffat went on to hint at his designs for season nine and beyond, which include adding guest stars like Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams and ITV series staple Morven Christie, as well as bringing Torchwood writer Catherine Tregenna into the Galli-fray. Most importantly, the Doctor will have more of a sense of humor going forward—and a yo-yo. Unfortunately, there’s still no official word on whether Jenna-Louise Coleman or the Doctor’s Christmas hoodie are sticking around for the rest of the season.