Warning: this story contains spoilers for the Doctor Who episode, 'The Power of the Doctor'.
Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker has left the Tardis.
The 13th Doctor has regenerated in a 90 minute TV special wrapping up her five year run as the Time Lord of the popular UK sci-fi series.
In 'The Power of the Doctor', the show's current season finale, Whittaker's Doctor had to face her greatest enemies in a story that combined the Daleks, the Cybermen and her arch-nemesis, the Master.
The show also included nods to its long-running history on the BBC with appearances from former Doctors and included two former companions from Doctor Who's 1980s run in the main story, as well as unexpected cameos from past cast members dating back to one of the show's very first companions.
Little had been known about the special extended episode, which aired as part of the BBC Centenary celebrations in the UK and was simulcast live in New Zealand, with UK press screenings of the episode withholding the show's final minutes to maintain the surprise.
Whittaker's last words before she regenerated into a new iteration of the Doctor were: "Tag, you're it."
Seconds later, fans were stunned to see the return of David Tennant to the role. As he arrived, he uttered the words: "I know these teeth."
Also leaving the series were Whittaker's fellow Tardis travellers Yaz and Dan, played by Mandip Gill and comedian John Bishop. Gill had been with the series as long as Whittaker had, joining in her very first episode in 2017. Bishop joined in 2021 when the series' run was severely impacted by production issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Showrunner Chris Chibnall, who wrote for Whittaker in the critically-acclaimed TV drama series Broadchurch, has also left the show, handing over showrunner duties to Russell T Davies.
It was Davies who relaunched the series back in 2005, casting Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion.
Davies announced earlier this year he would be rejoining the series for its 60th anniversary celebrations in 2023, and delighted fans with the news David Tennant and Catherine Tate would be returning to their roles as the 10th Doctor and companion Donna Noble next year on screen.
The Power of the Doctor also answered questions about the 14th Doctor, played by Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa.
Traditionally, the new Doctor appears at the end of the episode in a brief sequence, but with the news Tennant was returning to the role, there'd been speculation there would be no sign of Gatwa appearing until at least 2023.
In May, the BBC announced Gatwa would be the first Black actor to play the lead role in British sci-fi series Doctor Who, and that he would be the 14th incarnation of the Time Lord.
The 30-year-old Scot, a star of Netflix hit Sex Education, posted two hearts plus a blue square - representing the Doctor's Tardis - on his Instagram account before the news was confirmed by the broadcaster to global acclaim.
