Peter Jackson Would Direct A Doctor Who Episode For Free

By Nick Venable | Updated 2 months ago

For genre fans, seeing two powerhouse pieces of pop culture come together is more the exception than the rule. Peter Jackson, a lifelong Doctor Who fan, has made it very clear in the past that he is interested in directing an episode of the cult BBC show.

And yet somehow, Peter Jackson has not yet directed an episode of Doctor Who. What gives?

When Peter Jackson appeared in a 2013 edition of Entertainment Weekly within the issue’s pages he offered his services to the series’ (at the time) head writer/executive producer, Stephen Moffat.

In his article, Peter Jackson mentions running into Moffat over the previous Christmas holidays and reaffirming his interest in helming an episode. Presumably, it would have been a solitary episode, and not three episodes filmed at the same time and released once every few months. Lord of the Rings fans will get us there.

“They don’t even have to pay me,” Jackson said, not without an air of greed. “But I have got my eye on one of those nice new gold-colored Daleks. They must have a spare one (hint, hint).”

Peter Jackson already has two of the famed mutants used on the show, but the third time is the charm, especially if it leads to Jackson’s involvement.

When contacted about the offer, Moffat replied, “You’d never get any information like that out of me!” But he is indeed keen on working with Jackson for an episode. “We’re theoretically on board for anything,” he says, “provided we’ve got a great story.”

Even if I had an upcoming episode that was just the Doctor reading magazines in a waiting room, I’d want Jackson to make it the most interesting waiting room-centered science fiction there ever was.

If and when this collaboration happens, we can only hope Peter Jackson returns to his history of insane practical effects—as seen in the over-the-top insanity of Braindead—rather than the CGI motion-captured world of The Hobbit.

In the time since this original Peter Jackson interview, he’s expressed more interest in directing a Doctor Who episode. In 2015, he hinted that he might be working on something with Peter Capaldi. In 2018, while promoting his film Mortal Engines, he mentioned it again. Will it ever happen? It doesn’t seem likely, but fans can always hope.

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