Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor in "Doctor Who"
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor in "Doctor Who" bbc.co.uk

Matt Smith is reportedly appearing in the “Doctor Who” Christmas Special. According to witnesses, he was seen on the set of the episode where current Doctor, Peter Capaldi, will regenerate into the Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker.

Lewis Jefferies from Creators.co reports that Smith, who played the Eleventh incarnation of the titular Time Lord, was spotted during the show’s filming. As the journalist quoted a couple of tweets saying so, there is no confirmation that Smith would indeed appear in the Christmas Special.

It is possible but if the only proof that Smith would be in the show were tweets, then the rumour should be taken with a grain of salt. As one Twitter user pointed out, filming for the Christmas Special wrapped on July 10.

Smith stars in the Emmy Award-winning Netflix drama “The Crown,” wherein he plays Prince Philip, the husband of the 1950s Princess Elizabeth (Claire Foy). However, it has been recently announced that the show will replace all its actors in season 3. This is because the story will be moving into a different timeline, and using prosthetics on the existing cast to age them would be time-consuming.

The Eleventh Doctor is not the only one rumoured to be coming back in the episode. His companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), who eventually became Twelve’s companion as well, is also said to be appearing in the Christmas Special. She will apparently come back for a cameo to give Capaldi a proper send-off.

Clara’s reported appearance is not far-fetched. After all, her predecessor, Amy Ponds (Karen Gillan), also had a cameo just before Eleven regenerated. And when the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) was about to regenerate, all his previous companions – including Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) – returned to help him close his storyline.

As for Capaldi’s Doctor, his recent companion, Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), will be returning for a proper goodbye. It can be recalled in the last episode that Bill left before Twelve woke up, and therefore Twelve could not be aware that Bill survived. The Christmas Special will be their chance to catch up with each other’s lives.

“Doctor Who” will return on Christmas day in the UK on the BBC. It will be aired on Dec. 26 in Australia on the ABC.