‘Doctor Who’ season 7: No decision on future of Matt Smith

In what is the least surprising news of the week, the British press has just begun to speculate yet again on the future of Matt Smith on “Doctor Who.” In case this sounds familiar, it’s probably because this is far from the first time that these rumors have come up: over the years, the talk has been that the show’s star is potentially looking to leave the role behind in order to take on some other roles, much as we saw with David Tennant before him.

The rumors first surfaced with the news that Smith’s contract with the BBC series expires following the Christmas special later this year, which means in theory that the producers would have to then reintroduce a new Doctor moving forward. If this were the time in which Smith decided to say goodbye to the role, it may be serendipitous in a way: this year marks the 50th anniversary of the series, and it could be starting off a new chapter with a new Doctor in tow. You also cannot be upset with Smith leaving considering how much he has given to the role, and the multitude of reports that he lives playing the part.

At the end of the day, though, it’s far too early to tell what is going to happen with Smith’s future on the show. The BBC recently released the following statement, and in it they try to make it clear that we are still far too early in the process to know whether or not the actor will leave:

“Sorry folks, but even we don’t know what’s going to happen at Christmas, it’s not been written yet … But Matt loves the show and is about to start filming the unmissable 50th anniversary, and star in the brand new series on Easter Saturday.”

Would you begrudge Matt if he did choose to leave “Doctor Who” soon? If you want to see what big-name movie director is expressing their interest publicly in directing an episode of the show, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ITV