Steven Moffat has spoken briefly to entertainment blog Premium Hollywood about the casting of Sir Michael Gambon in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special. 

“We sent him a script, asked him to do it, and he said, ‘Yes’. Simple as that,” the showrunner explained. “I didn’t get the impression that he was a fan of Doctor Who, except insofar as everyone in Britain is at the moment, but it’s really… with these guys, send them a good part and there’s a really stonking chance they’ll do it.”

He continued: ”I mean, if it’s a good script… and you think it is… they’re being offered prime-time on Christmas Day, really, so there’s a real chance you can get anyone for that. But it’s very exciting. He’s brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. What a voice.”

When asked to divulge some new information about the festive episode, he said: “What you have to keep in mind is that I genuinely lie. I do. I actively lie to people about what’s going to happen in Doctor Who. I’m not officially employed with the BBC. I can say any old thing I like. Even if I told you something, there’s no guarantee that it’s true. Disinformation and the white noise of nonsense is how we get through this!”