Peter Capaldi may be leaving Doctor Who according to various U.K. media outlets.
According to The Mirror, “BBC bosses expect Peter Capaldi to leave Doctor Who after the next series – when writer Steven Moffat also steps down. The 57-year-old’s tenure as the 12th Doctor is likely to end in 2017.” Despite its usual editorial content, The Mirror has had a solid track record with Doctor Who rumors. It’s strongly possible that this rumor is true.
It was announced earlier this month that Chris Chibnall would be taking over as the new Doctor Who showrunner. Chibnall would replace Steven Moffat who has acted as the showrunner during the reigns of Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor. Prior to Moffat, Russell T. Davies was the showrunner who brought back the show from extinction. He presided over the reigns of Christopher Eccelston and David Tennant’s Doctors.
The last time there was a shift in showrunners, there was a total housecleaning. There was a new everything: Doctor, companion, producer, showrunner. It would not be unusual for this to happen again. A BBC insider confided to The Mirror that, “They’ve been happy with what Peter has brought to the role but some think it might make sense to give Chris his own choice of actor to play the Doctor.”
Various other rumors swirled last year stating Capaldi was finding the series more physical and strenuous than he had bargained for. After making his mark on the series for two full seasons, Capaldi might be quite content to finish off with a bang on the 2016 Christmas episode, and call it a day.
Chris Chibnall hasn’t written a Doctor Who episode during Capaldi’s time on the show, because he was fully embroiled in the making of Broadchurch series 1 and 2. The two men don’t have a previous working relationship on either Doctor Who or Torchwood. Chibnall might not feel the same sense of loyalty towards Capaldi as he has shown towards other actors from the franchise. Former Doctor Who and Torchwood actors appear in Broadchurch, namely David Tennant, Arthur Darvill, and Eve Myles.
Time will tell if the rumors are true.
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