Moffat: Who fans have right to complain

Steven Moffat has said that Doctor Who fans have a right to complain about the show.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, he discussed being a Doctor Who fan and how that makes it difficult for him to write for broader audience needs.

"The first thing you have to do is shut out [your own] fan voice," he explained. "You have to [ignore] your own whiny little voice saying 'But in 1977...' - which it does all the time, believe me! You absolutely have to address the mainstream audience, the kids and the people who watch it in families."

Moffat admitted that he wants the show to retain its "mainstream hit" status and tries to "aim the show at absolutely everybody".

"We had 15 years of being an obscure thing that people thought we were strange for watching," he said, "so [the fans are] all very happy with me doing that.

"In a way, the forums and these obsessive fan conversations... I shouldn't listen to them - that's eavesdropping," he added.

"[Fans] should be allowed to sit and complain about Doctor Who - what is the point in loving something if you can't complain about it incessantly?"