When Will Steven Moffat And Matt Smith Leave Doctor Who?
This article is more than 2 years old
With Doctor Who celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, there have been no shortage of rumors surrounding the series, from which past actors might be returning, to speculation on the true nature of new companion Clara Oswin Oswald. With the show celebrating such a monumental birthday, there have also been rumblings about whether showrunner Steven Moffat and/or Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith will depart the series. There’s still nothing official on that front, but we’ve got the latest buzz on the love-them-or-hate-them pair.
First up is Smith, who’s been a very divisive lead since taking over from the much-beloved Tenth Doctor, David Tennant. Many fans have grown to love him, but all you have to do is check out comments section anytime we mention him to learn that many Who fans out there likely have voodoo dolls in his likeness. Now the British paper The Sun is claiming that Smith will be leaving after this year’s Christmas episode, with the Doctor regenerating into his twelfth incarnation. Citing unnamed insider sources, the Sun says that Smith is keen to focus on making movies, and that the Powers That Be already have an idea of who they want to replace Smith.
The BBC isn’t taking the bait, denying the rumors in the following statement:
Sorry folks but even we don’t know what’s going to happen at Christmas. It’s not been written yet! But Matt loves the show and is to start filming the unmissable 50th anniversary, and the new series starting on Easter Saturday.
Of course, that’s what they’d likely say either way. It is worth noting however that the Sun isn’t the most reliable of sources when it comes to this sort of thing. Time (lord) will tell.
Next onto the subject of showrunner Steven Moffat. His tenure as head of Doctor Who has also been a controversial one. (In my opinion, he’s a much better writer than he is a showrunner.) Asked by EW about how long he plans to stick with the show, Moffat said that he’s “nearer the end than the beginning” of his time on Doctor Who. It wouldn’t be surprising if Moffat is thinking of his future beyond the show. The current seventh season is his third as showrunner, and he was a writer for the show from the first season of its modern incarnation. Previous showrunner Russell T Davies left after four seasons. Still, Moffat isn’t confirming or denying anything at this point. He tells EW, “I just take it a year at a time. I think the feeling of it being done for you is quite unambiguous when it suddenly arrives.”
Doctor Who returns this Saturday, March 30th, on BBC America.
