In just a few days from now, the final series for the Twelfth Doctor will begin. It’s a strange thing, watching a new series of Doctor Who, when you already know that the current Doctor’s days are numbered. We didn’t get that with either David Tennant or Matt Smith, as their final full series had both already aired by the time the announcements of their respective departures had been made.
Back in the day, the same was true of both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy – so the only two previous similar cases in my lifetime have been with Peter Davison and Christopher Eccleston. Peter had made it known that he would be leaving well in advance of the season that began with Warriors of the Deep in 1984, and we had also known for several months that Colin Baker was waiting in the wings.
In the case of Christopher Eccleston, the intention had been to surprise the audience with the Doctor’s regeneration at the season’s climax. But sadly we found out that Chris was to be a one-season Doctor mere days after Rose had been transmitted, and shortly after that, it was confirmed that David Tennant would be taking over.