Peter Capaldi’s Replacement May Not Appear Until End Of Doctor Who Christmas Special

There’s been even more mystery than usual surrounding the Doctor’s latest regeneration in Doctor Who. We learned a few months ago that Peter Capaldi would be exiting the TARDIS this year, which sent rumours mills running wild with claims that numerous actors and actresses had been linked with the role.

Besides that, there’ve also been many hints that Capaldi’s replacement may appear earlier than expected. The season 10 trailer teased that the Doctor would regenerate during the final episode (though this turned out to be a ruse) and outgoing showrunner Steven Moffat has said that he worked with his replacement, Chris Chibnall, to come up with a “slightly different” regeneration. So, has the next Doctor already been cast then, with the news kept secret in order to pull off an amazing twist before the season is out?

Well, not quite. At least, not according to a new bit of information that’s surfaced today. Speaking to Radio Times, the show’s costume designer, Ray Holman, was asked about the next Doctor’s outfit and revealed that he hasn’t even thought about it yet as Capaldi’s replacement is still to be cast.

“I think they’ll need me after the Christmas show. As soon as that’s finished in the autumn I will start talking to Chris [Chibnall] – once I know who they’ve chosen to be the Doctor.”

That seems pretty clear cut, doesn’t it? The new Doctor won’t need a new costume until after the Christmas special, most likely because he or she won’t appear until the final moments of that episode, as per tradition. If you recall, both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi also first featured in a cameo appearance in a Christmas special before headlining the show the following year.

If that is the case, though, then where have all these rumours – not to mention Moffat’s comments – come from? There must be more to it than meets the eye, right? Looks like we’ll just have to keep watching to find out.

The penultimate episode of season 10 of Doctor Who airs this Saturday at 9PM on BBC America. Will you be tuning in? Sound off in the usual place and let us know!