Jenna Coleman is leaving ‘Doctor Who’ sometime this season and there appears to be some uncertainty behind the scenes of the popular series, but fans can rest assured of one constant: Peter Capaldi will return for at least one more season after the current ninth.

A statement from the BBC reads:

Peter is keen to complete three years playing the Doctor to round off his storylines. That will take us until the end of next year. After that, who knows?

One seeming conclusion that could take away from this statement is that the tenth season will actually be a full season, not another ‘Special Collection’– the series of fewer “specials” that wrapped up Season Four (with the departure of David Tennant) and led up to Season Five (the introduction of Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor). This had been rumored, and those rumors were fueled by Capaldi’s on-the-record statements about the grueling pace of filming the series. But it seems that despite the physical demands, Capaldi is eager to take another spin in the TARDIS at least for one more series.

But that doesn’t mean all is peachy keen with the series. Unfortunately, ratings have dipped. Some point to Capaldi as a possible cause, as he is older than previous Doctors, namely the two prior, the enormously popular David Tennant and Matt Smith. There was talk that the BBC was eyeing a younger replacement should Capaldi not return, specifically Robb Stark himself, ‘Game of Thrones” Richard Madden, the real life boyfriend of Coleman. But that was just talk and Capaldi IS returning, while Coleman is leaving, so it’s probably unlikely that Madden will replace Capaldi whenever he does vacate the role.

Finally, there is talk that the BBC is pressuring longtime showrunner Steven Moffat to step down. There are certainly vocal Whovians that aren’t happy with Moffat’s handling of the series, but as for now, there’s been no word of this actually coming to pass. But with all these alleged sparks flying, there have also been some whispers that Season Ten, whatever form it takes, won’t debut until 2017! That would mean that after season nine wraps up next spring, there will be no new Who for nearly a year at least!

Take all rumors with a grain of salt. At this point, all we know about the future of the series is that Coleman is departing and that Capaldi isn’t. And for the moment, neither is Moffat. And keep in mind, even if the ratings have slipped, the show is still a monster hit!

In the meantime, just sit back and enjoy the current season!

Do behind-the-scenes shenanigans affect your enjoyment of a series? What do you hope to see in the show’s future?

Source: Cinema Blend