Just because The Doctor's companions are saying farewell, that doesn't mean Doctor Who's titular character will be going through a regeneration anytime soon.
Doctor Who's Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill to exit series next season
Following the news that Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, who play companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams, would exit the show after the upcoming season, 11th Doctor Matt Smith set the record straight on whether he'd be following them off the series.
"No," he said on The Graham Norton Show's special holiday episode. "I am very happy to stay. I love it and love making the show."
However, Smith stressed that he would miss Gillan, who succeeded previous companions such as Catherine Tate and Billie Piper. "I'll miss Karen because she's my best mate," he said. "She's mad as a box of cats, but she's a firecracker!"
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"I've known for a while," he said of her impending exit, which head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat announced earlier this month. "There comes a time when a story reaches its conclusion, and the essence of the show is that it constantly reinvents itself."
Earlier this year, Smith hinted at this own departure from the series, but he is signed on to appear in at least 14 more episodes, which would premiere sometime in 2012 and run through 2013.
