Squid Game had the perfect streaming success story. The Korean series somehow vaulted its way to the number one spot on the streamer through word of mouth and its deceptively simple — but deadly — premise. With each episode and each character's death, fans got incredibly invested in the story of Seong Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) journey from gambling son and struggling father to the steely-eyed hero with a renewed sense of justice.

Now, two years later, Gi-hun is back and the result is — on paper — impressive. The path back to the Games feels exciting and earned, but sadly, the long-awaited Squid Game Season 2 falls short with its pacing and new mechanics. In the world of Squid Game, preventing the sophomore slump may be the hardest game of all.

Nineteen years ago, TV magic happened: Steven Moffat wrote his first Doctor Who story for showrunner Russell T Davies — a two-part episode called “The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.” The episode, a World War II adventure which saw the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) find themselves caught in the London Blitz while being pursued by a strange, scarred child, was met with immediate acclaim, kicking off a creative partnership that would span almost two decades. Moffat would continue to write more critically acclaimed episodes under Davies’ reign as showrunner, before taking on the stewardship of Doctor Who himself, starting with the Matt Smith-led Season 5.

After Moffat departed the show, it would seem like both of them had closed out that chapter in their careers. But, unexpectedly, Davies would return in 2023 to shepherd the 60th anniversary specials and several seasons beyond. So, naturally, he brought back Moffat for one last episode. Er, maybe one more episode.

“The greatest joy for me in the world is receiving a new Steven Moffat script,” Davies tells Inverse. Would he ever let Moffat stop writing those scripts? “Not while I have power, not while I have breath in my bones,” he says wryly.

Moffat wrote “Boom,” a “Season 1” episode for Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor, last year, but made no plans to continue writing for the show. When Davies called him up to write the 2024 Christmas special, Moffat had already decided he wouldn’t do any more Doctor Who. But he signed on to pen this year’s special, with the thought that it may be his last — though even he’s not sure if that’s the case.

Inverse spoke with Moffat and Davies together over Zoom, in a meandering conversation about this year’s Christmas special, “Joy to the World”; why Christmas perfectly matches Doctor Who; and what’s the secret to a great multi-Doctor special.

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