As we wait impatiently for the next series of Doctor Who in 2020, former showrunner Steven Moffat has shared a major regret from his time on the series.

And no, it's not those giant primary-coloured Daleks.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Moffat revealed that his one big regret was wasting the talents of Olivia Colman, who is currently in the running for an Oscar for her performance in The Favourite.

Fans with long memories will recall that Colman appeared in Matt Smith's first ever episode as a shape-shifting alien with very sharp teeth.

YouTube BBC

Yet with limited screen time and not much to do besides utter threatening dialogue, Colman had little chance to showcase her acting talent.

Steven said: "In my first series there was Olivia Colman... just a heartbeat before she was stratospheric.

"I think, 'Oh we wasted that, didn't we!' Bloody hell."

BBC

Related: Which Doctor Who lived the longest?

Meanwhile, Moffat's Sherlock co-creator and fellow Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss also remembered one of his own episodes which was bursting with future stars.

Gatiss's 2013 episode 'Cold War' involved Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman being menaced by an Ice Warrior on a Soviet submarine – and many of the supporting cast have since become big names in film and TV.

"Peter, who's killed off in the opening titles, is Josh O'Connor from [2017 film] God's Own Country; he's a big star now," Gatiss said.

"And [Grantchester's] James Norton is one of the sailors, and [Outlander's] Tobias Menzies. It's an amazing submarine of stars now."

Doctor Who airs on BBC One.

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