The Star are reporting that a “big fan favourite” makes a cameo appearance to Matt Smith’s Doctor just as he is about regenerate in the Christmas special. They don’t say who it is, but key details and a line from the regeneration scene are mentioned.

It states:

A GHOST from Christmas past and a big fan favourite visits The Doctor just as he is about to die and regenerate into a new-look Time Lord.

BBC bosses are staying tight-lipped about the identity of the returning legend. But since the sci-fi show is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, fan speculation will run wild about the mystery figure.

Millions of viewers will be tuning in to the Christmas Day episode, called The Time Of The Doctor. They will see the Time Lord (Matt Smith, 31) face a deadly battle with his old foes The Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels.

And it doesn’t end well. At the close of the show, The Doc will reveal his time is up and he is dying. However, in a spine-tingling moment just before he regenerates, the spectre of a huge favourite from the past appears in the Tardis.

Who says: “Times change and so must I but I will always remember when The Doctor was me.” And the spook tells him: “Good night.”

Fans will then see him transform into a new Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, 55.

Companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman, 27) looks on in shock as the Time Lord gets a new face and a new personality. Show boss Steven Moffat 52, said: “It was very emotional saying goodbye to Matt.

“It’s the end of an era. But we move on. We have just done a read-through of the first episode or Peter and he is amazing.”