Maybe he has writer's block but does not want to admit it.
For my season 8 I had a bit of that, trying to get the main plot idea and tying it in with the season 7 cliff hanger.
I ended up doing a series of notes on the various characters from previous seasons, and then I threw some plot ideas, plus a wish to revisit some loose ends from season one and season four
Now according to this trailer
This starts this festive season, although I have episode one in the can. What would you count as the festive season? Now or Christmas eve?
Maybe I should start a thread in Serious debates on this one 