Jodie Whittaker to leave 'Doctor Who' after next season - report

British actress Jodie Whittaker will reportedly leave BBC’s Doctor Who after next season.

According to a report by the Mirror, Whittaker has informed the "bosses she intends to stick to the traditional rule of leaving after three stints in the TARDIS, like the majority of her predecessors."

Apart from Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth generation of The Doctor during the series reboot, David Tennant (Tenth), Matt Smith (Eleventh), and Peter Capaldi (Twelfth) all left the show after three seasons.

Whittaker became the first female actress who played the role of The Doctor since the show's debut in 1963. The 38-year-old actress took on the titular role after Capaldi's regeneration at the tailend of Doctor Who's Christmas special in 2017.

“It’s all very hush-hush but it is known on set that Jodie is leaving and they are gearing up for a regeneration," an insider said. “Her departure is top secret but at some point over the coming months the arrival of the 14th Doctor will need to be filmed. It’s very exciting.”

A source claimed that Whittaker will follow the departure of her co-stars Bradley Walsh (Graham) and Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair) while Chris Chibnall will remain as the showrunner. The report said that Whittaker "is keen to take on other roles." 

Whittaker’s second season in the franchise saw a new incarnation of the Master, played by Sacha Dhawan and Jo Martin’s hidden Doctor. Apart from the return of the classic monsters like the Cybermen and the Judoon, the last season’s climactic ending also revealed the dark history behind the emergence of the Time Lords.

With more than 800 episodes spanning five decades and 13 regenerations, BBC’s science fiction program is indisputably the real ‘OG’ of time travel shows. The iconic British series lasted from 1963 to 1989 and undergone a much-needed reboot in 2005.

Doctor Who follows the story of an eccentric Time Lord only known as The Doctor. The two-hearted alien fights monsters, solves mysteries and travels through time and space with his companions using his (and her) Time And Relative Dimension In Space or TARDIS.

The next season of Doctor Who is slated to premiere later this year.

(Image from Doctor Who)