Why Mark Gatiss is returning for Doctor Who Christmas Special

The Doctor Who Christmas Special is set to feature a couple of notable guest stars, and Mark Gatiss of course is among them. This isn’t the first time that Gatiss, who has previously written for the show, has appeared on the series. Still, this may be the most impactful visit for him — and there’s a good chance that it could be his last. Few actors have closer ties to showrunner Steven Moffat than he does.

In speaking on the subject in a new interview on Lorraine, Gatiss discussed in part what made him want to come back:

“It was Steven last hurrah, the end of many eras – a really touching thing. I created Sherlock with Steven and we have been friends for years.

“I’ve written for Doctor Who since it came back and a few months ago he said ‘would you keep the summer free? … I’ve written a part for you in Peter’s last story, and I want you to be there when I go.”

Gatiss and Moffat will almost certainly work together again in the event that there is a Sherlock season 5, which feels likely even if there isn’t a specific timeline for it just yet. It’s one of those shows that can come back whenever these two plus Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman want for it to — there’s no rush for more episodes.

During the interview Gatiss also noted that many other cast members were in tears after watching the Christmas Special — it marks the end of an era and all of them know it. This episode features Peter Capaldi regenerating into Jodie Whittaker, effectively ending the current era of the show and moving forward into an exciting new one. (Well, it’s at least exciting to us — we know that there are many people out there who are slightly less enthused about change. The show probably needs some time in order to win some of them move.)

Want to get a little more news on the Christmas Special?

Rest assured that we’re going to continue to have you covered! Be sure to head over to the link here to get some more of the latest scoop, and we’ll continue to have you covered until “Twice Upon a Time” actually airs.

Meanwhile, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook just in case you want to score some other news regarding Doctor Who plus some other shows we cover. (Photo: BBC.)