It took us a while to acclimate to an older, more sophisticated Doctor and it took a while for the writers to create better storyline for him, but Peter Capalidi grew on us as Doctor Who and seemed to become one with the role since 2013, since taking it over from Matt Smith.
Official word today was the announcement that Capaldi's last trip on the T.A.R.D.I.S. will be the 2017 Christmas special. During his tenure as The Doctor, Capaldi's character brought us answers to the origin of the Daleks, interactions with "Missy", the female regeneration of The Master, and what may have been the final story between The Doctor and River Song. While Capaldi's Doctor regeneration was an honor bestowed by the Time Lords as a thank you, his character tied up a lot of loose ends that may not have otherwise been answered.
Writer Steven Moffatt (Sherlock) is also leaving the show. Moffatt has been a fixture since the regeneration of Doctor Who in 2005 and even wrote a paradox in 1999.
Whovians were skeptical when Capaldi was originally cast as Doctor Who. He was the oldest actor to be chosen for this coveted role and audiences were used to off key Matt Smith and predecessor, heartthrob David Tennant. Capaldi far exceeded expectations, reeling audiences in by bringing off beat sarcasm to the role with a more mature execution than his predecessors.
