Beth Willis steps down as Doctor Who producer

Beth Willis will be leaving her role as an executive producer of Doctor Who, it has emerged.

Willis has worked alongside follow execs Steven Moffat and the departing Piers Wenger since 2009, overseeing Matt Smith's first two series as The Doctor.

The producer will leave Doctor Who at the end of the month to return to Kudos where she previously worked on the first two series of Ashes to Ashes between 2007 and 2009.

The BBC will be looking for a replacement for Willis before production begins on the Doctor Who Christmas Special next month.

Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC Drama, commented: “Much of its current success is down to her vision and ambition for the show. She has been an inspiring and instrumental force and I know will be much missed by all of us, and especially Matt Smith and Steven Moffat.”

Writer and executive producer Steven Moffat added: “We couldn’t keep her forever, though God knows I tried. She is off to be brave and brilliant in brand new ways, and the sad news for Doctor Who is that it will be somewhere else.”

Jane Featherstone, Creative Director of Kudos Film and Television, said: “I’m chuffed to bits to be welcoming her back to Kudos, where her creative instincts and no-nonsense work ethic will make her a force to be reckoned with in the drama world.”

(Source: Broadcast)