According to the UK tabloid The Sun, Matt Smith will be bowing out of Doctor Who after the 2013 Christmas special and a 50th anniversary year for the program that includes a celebration episode in November, when his contract is reportedly set to expire.
Of course, it could just be tabloid gossip — not uncommon for the long-running British sci-fi drama — but we’ll be watching closely and will let you know if it turns out to be something more.
Smith is the 11th actor to officially play the heroic Time Lord, taking over for David Tennant in 2010.
The final half of Doctor Who’s seventh season (since it returned from a long hiatus in 2005) is set to air starting March 30 on BBC America. The next day, another in an ongoing series of 50th anniversary retrospectives will air on the network, looking at Jon Pertwee’s time in the TARDIS.
