Lets be honest, this shouldn’t be the biggest of shocks, because they’ll be preparing to start filming the Christmas Special next month, and we know at some point we’ll see the new Doctor during that filming. It’s also to note that Jenna-Louise Coleman was announced as the new companion nearly 6 months prior to her showing up in Asylum of the Daleks, and a full year before she was actually the proper companion in The Bells of Saint John so in terms of announcing new casting, we’re right about on schedule.
The Radio Times is reporting:
The new Doctor could be handed the keys to the TARDIS as early as next month, BBC sources have confirmed – with insiders suggesting Matt Smith’s replacement needs to be announced before the Doctor Who Christmas special begins filming next month.
It would be virtually impossible to keep the identity of the new doctor a secret even if the entire set went into lockdown during filming of the Christmas special, a BBC source told RadioTimes.com.
“The search has begun in earnest and is active now,” the source said, adding that the BBC has not ruled out hiring a woman to replace Matt Smith.
The decision will be made by a small team of BBC executives and kept under wraps. It will be decided by showrunner Steven Moffat, Danny Cohen, the BBC’s new head of television, controller of drama commissioning Ben Stephenson, casting director Andy Pryor and the show’s incoming executive producer Brian Minchin.
The same article also confirms that Steven Moffat isn’t going anywhere and has signed up for “at least another year.”