Executive producer Steven Moffat has announced that he will be leaving Doctor Who and will be replaced as showrunner by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall.
Before Chibnall takes the reins in 2018, Moffat will oversee this year's Christmas special and his final series, which will air in 2017.
During his time in charge, Moffat has overseen the global growth in popularity of the BBC sci-fi show. He introduced Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as the 11th and 12th Doctors respectively and also cast Karen Gillan as companion Amy Pond and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald.
"Feels odd to be talking about leaving when I'm just starting work on the scripts for season 10, but the fact is my timey-wimey is running out," he said.
Moffat - "At the start of season 11, Chris Chibnall will become the new showrunner of Doctor Who. And I will be thrown in a skip"
He added: "While Chris is doing his last run of Broadchurch, I'll be finishing up on the best job in the universe and keeping the Tardis warm for him. It took a lot of gin and tonic to talk him into this, but I am beyond delighted that one of the true stars of British television drama will be taking the Time Lord even further into the future."
Peter Capaldi is the current Doctor
Looking forward to his new role, Chibnal said: "Doctor Who is the ultimate BBC programme: bold, unique, vastly entertaining, and adored all around the world. So it's a privilege and a joy to be the next curator of this funny, scary and emotional family drama.
"I've loved Doctor Who since I was four-years-old, and I'm relishing the thought of working with the exceptional team at BBC Wales to create new characters, creatures and worlds for the Doctor to explore."
He described Moffat as a "dazzling and daring" showrunner who would be "going out with a bang".
"Steven's achieved the impossible by continually expanding Doctor Who's creative ambition, while growing its global popularity," he said.
