In what's sure to be sad day for Whovians, it's been announced that the twelfth Doctor -- Peter Capaldi -- will be turning in his sonic screwdriver after the new series of "Doctor Who" airs.  He'll be following long-time showrunnner Steven Moffat out the door after season ten runs its course this year.  The news broke this afternoon when Capaldi was interviewed by Jo Whiley on her BBC Radio 2 show, and was later tweeted out by the official "Doctor Who" Twitter account.RELATED: Guardians of the Galaxy’s Karen Gillan Is Willing to Return to Doctor Who

The account clarified that Capaldi's last episode will be the 2017 Christmas Special:

While the news was largely met with expected disappointment in a number of replies, it shouldn't come as a particular shock to most fans.  The tenth season of "Doctor Who" will mark Peter Capaldi's third helming the TARDIS -- and the third season for a new Doctor seems to mark a common point for departure.  Fan-favorite Matt Smith left "Doctor Who" after his third season and so did David Tennant, who followed his three full seasons with a series of five extra-length episodes before calling it a day.

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Capaldi's performance as the latest Doctor has largely been met with acclaim by fans despite dwindling ratings and the general consensus that writing for the series hasn't been up to snuff. The question now is who will step into the role when the next showrunner, Chris Chibnall ("Broadchurch"), takes the reins in 2018?  Let the speculation begin.