Showrunner Chris Chibnall and the thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, have confirmed they will be moving on from Doctor Who.
With a six-part event serial announced for the autumn and two specials already planned for 2022, BBC One has also ordered an additional final feature-length adventure for the thirteenth Doctor, to form a trio of Specials for 2022, before the Doctor regenerates once more.
After taking the helm of the show in 2017, Chris Chibnall made the groundbreaking decision to cast Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor. He also brought in ‘the fam’ of Tosin Cole (Ryan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham), and cast Sacha Dhawan as the latest incarnation of The Master, plus Jo Martin as the mysterious Fugitive Doctor.
Chibnall is currently writing and producing the 13th series of Doctor Who, consisting of six episodes which will air later this year. It will be followed by three specials the first of which will transmit on New Year’s Day 2022, with another later in spring 2022. The final feature-length Special, where the Thirteenth Doctor will regenerate, will transmit in autumn 2022 as part of the BBC’s Centenary celebrations.
“Jodie and I made a ‘three series and out’ pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast,” says Chibnall. “So now our shift is done, and we’re handing back the TARDIS keys. I wish our successors as much fun as we’ve had. They’re in for a treat!”
Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Over the last four years Chris and Jodie have made Doctor Who history and their time on the show is indelibly marked on our memories. From Rosa Parks to Ascension of the Cybermen, Chris and Jodie have given Doctor Who some of its most life-affirming and tear-jerking moments to date and we are beyond excited to see what they have in store for us in the new series this autumn.”
Matt Strevens, Executive Producer ,will also be leaving the team when all special episodes are complete. Strevens has worked alongside Chris since the beginning of Chris tenure in 2017.
The most recent story, Revolution Of The Daleks was the BBC’s most watched show of New Year’s Day 2021, based on seven-day consolidated figures. Spyfall Part One was one of the most watched episodes of any drama among the 16-34 demographic in the calendar year 2020.
Doctor Who is a BBC Studios production for BBC One and a BBC America co-production. BBC Studios are the international distributors for Doctor Who.
Jon Creamer
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