Is Peter Capaldi Leaving ‘Doctor Who’? EP Steven Moffat Reveals His Fate

There has been plenty of people wondering when Peter Capaldi will hand over the keys to the TARDIS. The “Doctor Who” star is currently filming his third season of the British sci-fi show, and the last Doctor, Matt Smith, only lasted three seasons. However, it seems Capaldi is going to outstay his predecessor.

Executive producer Steven Moffat would be the first to know if the Scottish actor wanted to leave BBC America’s hit show. He’d be in charge of finding a new Doctor and writing out Capaldi. Yet it seems he has no such plans.

“I have no reason to suppose that I’m writing out a Doctor,” Moffat told Doctor Who Magazine (via Entertainment Weekly). “Peter is loving the role, and long may he do so.”

This is a relief to Whovians, but Capaldi hasn’t been quite as straight-forward about his future on “Doctor Who.” While promoting last year’s Christmas special, he noted that he wasn’t sure how long he’d play the time traveling alien.

“This could be my final year — it’s terrifying,” Capaldi told the Telegraph in December. “I love ‘Doctor Who,’ but it can be quite an insular world, and I do want to do other things. There will come a time when this is over. But I knew that when I started. I was thinking about my regeneration scene from the outset. That’s my terrible melancholic nature. When you accept the job, you know there’ll come a day, inevitably, when you’ll be saying goodbye.”

Though it seems Capaldi will be sticking around “Doctor Who,” the same can’t be said for Moffat. He’ll step down as showrunner at the end of Season 10. Writer Chris Chibnall will replace him.

“Doctor Who” will return to BBC America on Dec. 25 for a holiday special, but Season 11 will not premiere until 2017.