Does Doctor Who have nerves of steel?

(BBC1, 6.25pm)

It feels as though just a moment has passed since Jodie Whittaker stepped out of Peter Capaldi’s shoes in Twice Upon a Time, this long-running sci-fi saga’s 2017 Christmas special, but it’s been announced that she’ll soon be bowing out.

Jodie will star in a six-part event serial airing this autumn and two specials planned for 2022, before bowing out in a final, feature-length adventure, before the Doctor regenerates once more, but there’s no news about who will replace her.

Although Chris Chibnall’s tenure as showrunner hasn’t been a universal hit with fans, and there was the predictable backlash against a woman Doctor, it has still managed to scoop armfuls of awards since he joined the team, including Visionary Awards TV Show of the Year, and the Canadian Rockie Award from the BANFF Television Festival for best sci-fi and genre series, while Mandip Gill and Vinay Patel won Eastern Eye Awards.

As if that wasn’t honour enough, Jodie was voted Second Most Popular Doctor of all time in 2020, coming within a whisker of her pal David Tennant, in a Radio Times poll of more than 50,000 fans.

She clearly looks back on her time in the Tardis with fondness, saying: “In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes. I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them. My heart is so full of love for this show, for the team who make it, for the fans who watch it and for what it has brought to my life, and I cannot thank Chris enough for entrusting me with his incredible stories.

“We knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever.”

Chibnall says: “Jodie’s magnificent, iconic Doctor has exceeded all our high expectations. She captured the public imagination and continues to inspire adoration around the world, as well as from everyone on the production. I can’t imagine working with a more inspiring Doctor – so I’m not going to!”

We have been given a glimpse of the future for Doctor Who, after the announcement that Russell T Davies, the man responsible for breathing new life into the series in 2005, is back to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who in 2023.

He said: “I’m beyond excited to be back on my favourite show, but we’re time-travelling too fast, there’s a whole series of Jodie Whittaker’s brilliant Doctor for me to enjoy, with my friend and hero Chris Chibnall at the helm – I’m still a viewer for now.”

So, before we start dabbing away tears and waving our sodden hankies in farewell, let’s turn our attention to the goodies in store for season 13.

It’s Halloween, and terrifying forces are stirring in the Arctic circle, while in Liverpool, Dan Lewis (played by comedian John Bishop) is about to become the Doctor’s latest travel companion.

Let’s hope he has nerves of steel, as this series set to feature Cybermen and Weeping Angels, as well as new monsters, including the nattily named Karvanista.