Tennant to take leave of the TARDIS

Doctor WhoSparking the biggest outcry since Tom Baker’s departure, actor David Tennant announces that the four special Doctor Who episodes in production for 2009 will be his last in the role, after which he’ll hand off the reins to a new actor. Likewise, Russell T. Davies has already announced that he will give up his position as Doctor Who showrunner to concentrate on non-genre projects, and will be succeeded by multiple-Hugo-winning writer Steven Moffat (who has penned such fan favorites as Blink and The Girl In The Fireplace). Naturally, speculation about the actor who will play the Doctor’s eleventh incarnation runs rampant.

Doctor Who: Return Of The Krotons

Doctor WhoBig Finish Productions releases a bonus Doctor Who audio drama starring Colin Baker and India Fisher. (This title was initially exclusive to Big Finish’s subscription program, as an incentive for those whose subscriptions included The Raincloud Man.) Read more

Doctor Who: The Next Doctor

Doctor WhoThe 754th episode of Doctor Who (the 56th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. David Morrisey (David Tennant’s former co-star on Blackpool) guest stars as a man who claims to be another incarnation of the Time Lord, sparking speculation that Morrisey may also be Tennant’s sucessor in the role of the Time Lord. Read more

Doctor Who Unbound: Masters Of War

Doctor Who UnboundBig Finish Productions releases the eighth Doctor Who Unbound audio drama, a limited series of unconnected audios that are also unconnected to the larger continuity of the Doctor Who universe. David Warner (Tron, Time Bandits) stars as an alternate Doctor, with Nicholas Courtney returning as the Brigadier. Read more

Matt Smith is the Doctor

Doctor WhoThe BBC, having masterfully kept its casting decision under wraps for over a week, broadcasts a special edition of the making-of series Doctor Who Confidential, announcing that 26-year-old Matt Smith will be the eleventh Doctor. The youngest actor ever to play the part, Smith’s casting attracts controversy on the basis of little more than a few rushed, disjointed interview segments in Doctor Who Confidential. His first appearance as the eleventh Doctor is virtually an entire year away at the time of the announcement.