Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat has told fans at Comic-Con expect new monsters when he becomes the programme's new showrunner and head writer.

Moffat, who will be replacing Russell T Davies in the role, is not aiming to use too many appearances from old characters. "We're not in the business of being nostalgic, we're making nostalgia for the future - new monsters and new friends."

In responding to fan's questions about the possiblilities of various past characters returning, he responded "Doctor Who is at its best when it's brand new and you've always got to remember that there's a new bunch of eight-year-olds watching every year and it has to be original - it has to belong to them."

However, he did add that when old characters did return he found it easy to keep up with the much cherished continuity - "Having taken the precaution of having memorised every single event in Doctor Who's history, it's fairly easy for me to keep continuity because I remember it all. In the end, a television series which embraces both the ideas of parallel universe and the concept of changing time can't have a continuity error - it can't. It's impossible for Doctor Who to get it wrong because we can just say 'he changed time, it's a time warp, it happens'."

Steven Moffat has written some of the most well-received and memorable episodes of Doctor Who since it's return to television in 2005, including the Bafta winning "Blink", and he was long considered by fans and critics to be the best person to take over the reigns from Davies.

The writer claims the premise of taking over for the fifth series, due to be shown in 2010, was "just exciting". Davies is to remain in charge through to the end of 2009, including this year's Christmas Special and three more "holiday specials" next year.

Also during the panel, Moffat denied recent reports in The Sun newspaper that he had quit his work on Steven Spielberg's upcoming Tintin film because of the Doctor Who job. "That the newspaper suggested I had turned down a two-film deal with Spielberg was a bit misleading", he told the audience. He had planned to complete work on Tintin before starting Doctor Who but was delayed due to the WGA strike earlier in the year.

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