Matt Smith Returning to Doctor Who… as The Doctor?

After leaving Doctor Who to pursue other opportunities, the rumor mill is buzzing that Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith may possibly rejoin the cast of the BBC hit television series in the title role. This would be unprecedented, but has not totally been dismissed outright by current Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffatt. This rumor has been fueled by a recent report from the Mirror. The report was very speculative in nature, but the idea of a former Doctor returning has caught the Internet by storm. In this case though, where there is smoke, there may be some fire. Matt Smith, who played The Doctor from 2009-2013, has been quoted several times recently expressing how much he misses the show. He has expressed this feeling in interviews and in interactions with show fans. Smith has been seen recently in both America and the UK in film roles such as Terminator Genesys and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. He currently appearing on the London stage in Unreachable, and is set to star as a young Prince Phillip in the Netflix drama The Crown in November Longtime Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has also hinted that it is possible that Smith may be the first Doctor to regenerate into a past self, though Moffat will be leaving the show himself after the next season (set to air in 2017). He will be replaced by new showrunner Chris Chibnall in 2018. Chibnall is best known for his work on Doctor Who, as well as his work on Doctor Who spinoff series Torchwood and ITV hit detective series Broadchurch (which, coincidentally, starred former Doctor David Tennant). It is widely believed current Doctor Peter Capaldi will leave the series after the upcoming season, walking away alongside Moffat. With a showrunner change on the horizon, it would ultimately be up to Chibnall whether or not Smith gets invited back into the Tardis for another trip around the galaxy. Would Chibnall be willing to use a popular Doctor that was a hit with the previous showrunner? Stay tuned to find out!