12th Doctor & Series 8 - Latest Rumours

With the announcement that Matt Smith will be leaving the role of the Eleventh incarnation of the Doctor, rumours and unofficial sources have started to surface; focusing on who could be the Twelfth Doctor - also with the possibility that they could be a woman. Providers such as The Sun and Radio Times have also speculated to when the new Doctor will be revealed:

The new Doctor could be handed the keys to the Tardis as early as next month, BBC sources have confirmed - with insiders suggesting Matt Smith’s replacement needs to be announced before the Doctor Who Christmas special begins filming next month.

It would be virtually impossible to keep the identity of the new doctor a secret even if the entire set went into lockdown during filming of the Christmas special, a BBC source told RadioTimes.com.

“The search has begun in earnest and is active now,” the source said, adding that the BBC has not ruled out hiring a woman to replace Matt Smith.

Also in the rumours circle, speculations have occurred to the structure of the next full series of Doctor Who, read on further details:

Series 8, the 12th Doctor’s debut series, will air in August of 2014 and be an uninterrupted run.

The mail, sent [last] Friday, told of plans to air 12 new episodes from August 2014. Crucially, it said: “This will give the new Doctor a chance to develop with the audience.

The new series, expected to be 12 episodes long, begins filming in the autumn and broadcast, with a thirteenth episode acting as the Christmas special for the year to be the final.

A BBC source also moved to squash speculation that showrunner Steven Moffat could also be calling it a day, insisting that he has signed up for at least another year.

All these theories and claims are currently all rumours and not to be taken as facts unless the BBC make such official claim. Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC One HD this Autumn with the show's 50th anniversary special.