Actor Peter Capaldi announced yesterday that series 10 of Doctor Who will be his final season in the show’s lead role.
Capaldi has played the role of the 12th Doctor since 2013 when he made his first appearance in 50th anniversary episode of the long-running BBC sci-fi series, The Day of the Doctor. He announced that he would be leaving the show when his contract ends at the end of 2017 on BBC Radio 2.
"I feel it’s time to move on," he told interviewer Jo Whiley, "I feel sad, I love Doctor Who, it is a fantastic program to work on... One of the greatest privileges of being Doctor Who is to see the world at its best.”
Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s showrunner, reassured fans through the BBC’s announcement about Capaldi stepping down: "Peter's amazing, fiery, turbulent Doctor is still fighting the good fight, and his greatest adventures are yet to come.”
Moffat, who has been lead writer and executive producer on the show since 2010, will also be leaving the show after series 10, making this a significant shakeup for Doctor Who viewers: a new doctor and a new show runner.
Series 10 will, however, introduce a new companion for the titular Doctor who will undoubtedly provide a certain amount of continuity for fans when she carries over to series 11: Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie. Television writer Chris Chibnall (Torchwood, Broadchurch) will take take the role of Doctor Who showrunner in series 11. The BBC has made no official announcement of who will succeed Capaldi as the Doctor, an alien time traveler who regularly “regenerates,” allowing for a succession of more than twelve actors to have played the character over more than fifty years.