There have been rumblings for a few months about Matt Smith possibly leaving Doctor Who behind, especially after his Hollywood career started potentially taking off when Ryan Gosling cast him in his directorial debut, How To Catch A Monster.

Now Smith has confirmed that he’ll be departing the world of Who after the 50th Anniversary special (co-starring David Tenant) and this year’s Christmas special.

He also released a statement, saying “Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show,” Smith said in a statement released by the Beeb. “I’m incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.”

Doctor Who boss, Stephen Moffat, commented, “Every day, on every episode, in every set of rushes, Matt Smith surprised me. The way he’d turn a line, or spin on his heels, or make something funny, or out of nowhere make me cry – I just never knew what was coming next. The Doctor can be clown and hero – often at the same time – and Matt rose to both challenges magnificently. And even better than that, given the pressures of this extraordinary show, he is one of the nicest and hardest-working people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Whatever we threw at him – sometimes literally – his behaviour was always worthy of the Doctor.”

Of course, Doctor Who isn’t ending, so we can now look forward to months of speculation as to who will be the next Doctor. I’ll predict right now you’ll be seeing stories wondering if we’ll get our first black or female take on the character (although we’ll probably get another white guy).

Moffat added, “Somewhere out there right now – all unknowing, just going about their business – is someone who’s about to become the Doctor. A life is going to change, and Doctor Who will be born all over again. After 50 years, that’s still so exciting.”

So get ready for another regeneration.