Steven Moffat has defended Doctor Who against accusations that some of its story arcs have been too complicated.

The showrunner has responded to critics who have in recent years slammed his writing for being hard to follow for the younger or casual viewer. “We haven’t had complaints from the general audience at all,” the showrunner told Vulture. “I think people just say things, because not one single piece of audience feedback mentions its complexity. Doctor Who can be complicated at times, it absolutely can be.”

He continued:”It’s supposed to be. You’re supposed to pay attention. I’m also addressing children who are demanding of that complexity. We do complicated stories then we also do incredibly simple stories. I don’t care if it is complicated or too scary or too grown-up or too childish or whatever they are saying this week, so long as they never say it’s too boring. When anyone says “It was a bit dull this week” is when the series starts to die.”

The latest series is less arc based, opting for a blockbuster “movie of the week” format.