Richard Curtis, screenwriter, director, and creator of “The Blackadder”, will write an episode of the new season of “Doctor Who” with Matt Smith’s version of The Doctor, according to The Sun newspaper.  His primary motivation to be involved with the “Doctor Who” franchise stems from his children who are fans of the show:

“It’s tremendously good fun and a treat for my children. …These days the things you can watch together as a family are much fewer.  So when you get something like Doctor Who or the X Factor, it is such a pleasure to sit down as a family.”

Curtis is more well known for his romantic comedies (“Four Weddings And A Funeral, Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary), but he has been intrigued by the concept of time travel and is currently at work on a low-budget film on the topic.  Regarding to subject of time travel, Curtis says:

“Maybe it’s a desire to get out of being old. Sometimes you do just love the idea that you could go back in time and change things.”

But what kind of plotline will the UK’s most successful screenwriter be working with on Doctor Who?  Curtis tells the BBC:

“It features something very nasty and I hope it will be scary, funny and a bit touching…  Writing Dr Who is such a joy.  I started off overwriting him a bit, and Steven Moffat came to me and said ‘He doesn’t talk like that, he’s informal, he’s modern’.  So I’ve crushed it down and added in a few colloquialisms and it’s really fun. …There are slices of comedy in it.  I’ve been aware because the plot is so strong that I can fool around and then frighten.  I wrote a chase today which is the most fun I’ve ever had.”

Curtis’ “Doctor Who” episode will begin filming in November.

[Source] BBC, Daily Record