Peter Capaldi is ready to bid adieu to the iconic Time Lord. The Scottish actor, who plays the Twelfth Doctor on the long-running sci-fi series, has formally announced plans to step down from Doctor Who, saying “I feel it’s time to move on.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 2, Capaldi confirmed to host Jo Wiley that the show’s upcoming 10th season will be his last time stepping foot in the iconic TARDIS. The actor, who first picked up the proverbial baton from Matt Smith four years ago, will make his final appearance as the good doctor by Christmas 2017.
Indeed, Capaldi isn’t the only creative driving force poised to exit Doctor Who later in the year; showrunner Steven Moffat (Sherlock) will join Capaldi out the exit door. Moffat’s contribution to the cult series stretches all the way back to 2010, but we understand he’ll soon be replaced by Chris Chibnall of Broadchurch fame.
Here’s confirmation of that announcement, via Twitter:
BREAKING NEWS!
“It (the new series of Doctor Who) will be my last… I feel it’s time to move on.”
– Peter Capaldi
#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/4gx9rTShPZ— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) January 30, 2017
Peter confirms he'll be stepping down in Xmas 2017, but
"I’m still #DoctorWho! We’re doing epic stuff! I’m not done yet!”
– Peter Capaldi pic.twitter.com/OYqTN7qIws— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) January 30, 2017
So, there you have it; Peter Capaldi’s days as Doctor Who are numbered, now that the Scottish thesp is all set to step down before the year’s end. Such a landmark announcement will inevitably spark conversation regarding who will go on to become the thirteenth Time Lord, and we’ll be keeping you right up-to-date as this story develops.
Doctor Who returns to the airwaves this spring when the show’s tenth season premieres across BBC One and BBC America. It’ll herald Capaldi’s last hurrah, but looking further afield, who would you like to see pick up the mantle from here on out? Speculate with us down below.