Steven Moffat's scariest Doctor Who episodes

Steven Moffat is returning to Doctor Who, and judging by recent remarks made by stars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, as well as showrunner Russell T Davies, it promises to be another emotional rollercoaster.

Moffat, who helmed the BBC series during Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi's eras as the Doctor, has been an integral part of the franchise for decades, not only as showrunner but also as a screenwriter as he is behind some of the most terrifying episodes of Modern Who. And he will hope to repeat this with the forthcoming episode Boom, which premieres on Saturday, 18 May.

Read more: Doctor Who's Russell T Davies says fans will talk about Steven Moffat's new episode "for years"

But before viewers are left on the edge of their seats, or cowering behind sofa cushions, with that episode, let's look back at Moffat's scariest episodes to date.

Steven Moffat's scariest Doctor Who episodes

Moffat has written for Doctor Who since its first reboot back in 2005, writing episodes for Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Smith and Capaldi's respective Doctors. In total he has written 49 episodes and 4 specials, and Boom marks his return to the series since leaving the role of showrunner in 2017.

For each of the Doctors he wrote for there has been an episode to stand out, if not more than one.

5 | Asylum of the Daleks

During Smith's tenure as the Eleventh Doctor, viewers were left terrified by Asylum of the Daleks which brought a new meaning to the Time Lord's most formidable enemies. The episode begins with the Doctor and companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) being transported to Skaro, the Dalek's home world, where they reveal they don't want to exterminate the Time Lord but ask for his help.

It is revealed that the Daleks are at risk of unleashing a horde of insane counterparts, and in order to stop them from wreaking havoc across the galaxy the Daleks need the Doctor's help to deactivate the force shield so they can destroy the others.

When the Doctor agrees to do so and enters the asylum he encounters a human named Oswin who was trapped there, and thus begins the chilling tale Moffat laid out for viewers. The story culminates in one of the most shocking plot twists in the franchise, in an episode that was purposefully made to make the Daleks scary again.

4 | Listen

Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor also had a few gripping episodes in his time, and the scariest that was written by Moffat is Listen. More of a suspense thriller than in-your-face horror, the episode sees the Doctor try and face a monster that has perfected the ability to hide.

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Listen explores the fear of what the creature hiding under the bed might be. The episode is all about what can't be seen, with the story building tension slowly so that it becomes an excruciating watch.

3 | Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead

Moffat is known for his sweeping story arcs that take multiple episodes, and multiple seasons to pay off and the first example of this was the appearance of River Song (Alex Kingston). The character was introduced to Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the episodes Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead, which on its own proved terrifying because of its villain which is the embodiment of darkness.

The creature gave new meaning to the idea of being scared of the dark, and the episode sees the Doctor try and help River Song —who has known him for years whereas this is his first time meeting her— as she is terrorised in an abandoned library. The episode is creepy, and tense, and when combined with every other episode featuring River Song proves an emotional end to their story. Why, you ask? Spoilers.

2 | The Empty Child

No quote in Doctor Who has become quite so traumatic as the question "are you my mummy?", which is a key part of Moffat's first episode for the franchise: The Empty Child. The episode —and its follow-up The Doctor Dances— are part of Eccleston's era as the Ninth Doctor, and is still to this day seen as one of the scariest episodes of the franchise.

Set during the London Blitz, the Doctor and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) investigate a time travelling object only to discover a child in a gas mask who has been terrorising people across the city. There's something off about the child though, and this soon becomes apparent when people start having their faces turn into gas masks and they start asking the same questions. It's creepy, frightening and every word you can think of to describe a perfect horror story.

1 | Blink

Moffat's best episode for Doctor Who though is hands down Blink, an episode that funnily enough gives the least screen time to the Time Lord himself (played by Tennant). Blink introduced fans to the Weeping Angels, an entirely new villain to the franchise that only moves when you're not looking at them.

The episode follows Sally (Carey Mulligan), whose best friend has mysteriously disappeared in an abandoned house and decides to investigate with her friend's brother Larry (Finlay Robertson). There they comes across strange statues, and are guided by the Doctor who only appears via video link and warns them to never look away, to never blink, or the Weeping Angels will get them.

There's a lot of things that make Blink one of the best, if not the best, episode of the Modern Who era, but first foremost it is thanks to the strength of the writing. Moffat's script skilfully weaves a terrifying fable that features genuinely horrifying monsters that left viewers cowering for days.

New episodes of Doctor Who season one premiere on BBC iPlayer at midnight every Saturday, and Boom will air at 6.50pm on BBC One.