There might still be nine episodes of Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who left to go, but with the star having already wrapped filming, it appears her TARDIS set has already been dismantled.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, user @rhysjonesonfilm posted an image of what appeared to be a piece of the latest TARDIS interior set, accompanied by the message, “When you know someone working on #drwho and you get asked would you like a piece of the #tardis set as it’s being pulled down!!!”
!["Doctor]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/11/Screenshot_2021-11-18_at_17.01.13-2718c92.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C329" "\"Doctor")
When contacted by RadioTimes.com, the BBC declined to comment.
It would make sense, however, for the newest TARDIS set to be pulled down at this point, with filming having wrapped on Whittaker’s final episode – a special to air in 2022 as part of the BBC’s centenary – and Doctor Who set to move from its current home of Roath Lock to Bad Wolf Studios when Russell T Davies returns as showrunner. There are potentially larger implications to this set being struck, however…
Since Doctor Who returned in 2005, every single regeneration scene has taken place on the TARDIS set and if the show’s current head writer Chris Chibnall were to honour the tradition then the fact that the set is being dismantled would seem to suggest that the next Doctor has already been cast and has filmed their part of the regeneration scene.
Of course, this is just speculation at this stage – it’s entirely feasible that Whittaker’s final scenes might deliver something different, taking place outside the TARDIS set. It’s even possible that her final episode might end on a cliffhanger, without revealing the identity of her replacement and so negating the need to film the next Doctor’s first scenes quite so early…
Still, it’s fun to imagine that the next Doctor might already be out there, keeping a rather large secret…
Doctor Who continues its six-part Flux storyline this Sunday at 6.20pm on BBC One. The series will be followed by two specials – including one to air over the festive period – before Whittaker’s final appearance airs in late 2022.
An early synopsis for her last episode reads: “The epic blockbuster special will see the Doctor fight evil across the galaxy one last time but just who will she come up against in her final battle before the Doctor regenerates once more…”
Read more about Doctor Who:
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- Did Doctor Who: Flux already drop another subtle clue about the Doctor’s lost history?