Doctor Who

Doctor Who will keep silent for the better part of 2016, airing nothing but a Christmas Special, but undergo major transition in 2017 with the addition of a new companion and Steven Moffat’s retirement. Even more, Peter Capaldi has been asked to stay on amid all the chaos, but still isn’t sure of a Doctor Who future without Steven Moffat.

Doctor Who has plenty of time to figure out its future, airing only a Christmas Special in 2016 before kicking off Steven Moffat’s final episodes in 2017, that we don’t yet have an official companion to replace Jenna Coleman’s Clara. That said, one report claims EastEnders star Rakhee Thakrar may be in the running.

As Doctor Who fans prepare to face a new era in the sci-fi series’ history, it seems only yesterday that excitement abounded over David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor meeting Matt Smith’s Eleven for the 50th anniversary special. We’d heard that Christopher Eccleston was at least approached to return as Nine, though new storyboards revealed how the three modern doctors might have all come together.

Time and time again, Doctor Who has been fraught with rumors of one or more upsets, including showrunner Steven Moffat’s inevitable exit. Well, it appears that day will finally come, as Moffat confirms his exit post-Season 10, setting his replacement Doctor Who head writer as well.

Did you remember amid the chaos of Clara, Capaldi and showrunner exits that Doctor Who announced a new spinoff with a young adult focus? Neither did we! Now that we’ve settled that, BBC America reveals that American audiences can expect the premiere at some point in 2016.

The long-running, endlessly-renewable nature of the show notwithstanding, Doctor Who has gotten a bit long in the tooth under its current incarnation, a companion down and with both Peter Capaldi and showrunner Steven Moffat alluding to their own exits. Now, Moffat confirms his intend to leave the series behind in the near future, himself “actively” involved in finding the right replacement.

Doctor Who remains in a state of constant flux, with one companion taking her leave while Peter Capaldi himself eyes a future exit, though yesterday’s 2015 Christmas special brought a bit of consistency by returning Alex Kingston’s River Song. And while debate will long range as to whether Doctor Who’s next Time Lord incarnation will change race or gender, Kingston expressed a surprising take on keeping The Doctor male.

Depending when you boarded the TARDIS, Doctor Who fans are always accustomed to the comings and goings of creative talent, most recently losing a fan-favorite companion, while Steven Moffat himself has waffled on remaining. Now, get ready to crank up the Peter Capaldi rumors, as the actor himself questions his future with the franchise.

And lo, another Doctor Who seeason has come to a close (at least until Christmas), and while Jenna Coleman’s Clara put in a sizable return from her apparent death back in “Face the Raven,” Clara’s actual exit still leaves a void for Peter Capaldi’s next TARDIS companion. Capaldi himself wants only for the next companion to be female, however, saying “I’m frightened that they’ll give [a male companion] all the action.”

Doctor Who has plenty of excitement in the nearby future, between this weekend’s upcoming Season 9 finale, and the potential for Peter Jackson to direct an episode, leaving the upcoming Christmas special in between. And before we get “Hell Bent,” Check out the first Baymax-looking poster for The Doctor and River Song’s Christmas reunion, along with the official title!