There’s been a rumor out and about all across the Internet that Peter Capaldi’s replacement as the Doctor, has already been cast, and has filmed the “change” scene. Kris Marshall, known for his roles in “Death in Paradise” and “Love Actually,” has become the rumored replacement, and the next actor to take on the role of the Doctor. But why are we learning this so early? The premiere episode of Season/Series 10 has just aired this past Saturday. Why ruin the fun with shoving a new actor in the fans’ faces?
The speculation began with Kris Marshall leaving the show “Death in Paradise.” This was odd to some, and those select “some” jumped to the conclusion that this must mean he was going to replace Peter Capaldi. In actuality, he left the show due to strain on his family life (kept moving the family to where the show was filmed and back again). However, this speculation has been circulating for so long, that people are now convinced that Kris is the new Doctor.
In the Series 10 trailer, it shows Peter Capaldi’s Doctor clutching his chest, with regeneration energy around his hand. There is another scene where he is in “full-blown regenerating mode” with yellow energy flowing from his hands and head. It is established in truth that Peter is not supposed to officially regenerate until the Christmas Special. Knowing the Modern era of Doctor Who, the regeneration shown in the promo trailers could be a ruse. David Tennant’s Doctor regenerated into himself, and the Eleventh Doctor – Matt Smith – almost regenerated at the very beginning of Season 6. Peter Capaldi’s regeneration could be a ruse, or not really him, a trick, or maybe he does regenerate and the Christmas special takes place in some sort of limbo – but this isn’t the reason to jump to conclusions about the next Doctor.
Lately, British online magazines and news outlets have been sharing spoilers, as well as “spoilers,” meaning they weren’t true. Now, while John Simm returning as the Master turned out to be true, that doesn’t mean every spoiler will, meaning we must take the speculation of Kris Marshall becoming the Thirteenth Doctor with a grain of salt.