Michelle Gomez is also leaving Doctor Who

Gomez plays Doctor Who‘s current incarnation of The Master—though she prefers the name Missy—and while it’s surely a disappointment for fans, it shouldn’t be especially surprising. Presumably, Chibnall will want to come into the show with a clean slate, so it would be weird for Doctor Who to lose its showrunner and lead actor but not the actor playing a recurring villain. However, in the interview, Gomez made it sound like this was entirely her decision, saying she’s leaving because her “pals are going,” so maybe there was a chance Missy would stick around longer than the current Doctor.

Anyway, this news should also raise the stakes for the end of this season of Doctor Who, since we previously reported that John Simms’ version of The Master will also be getting a chance to stop by and have some evil fun alongside Missy in what will be the show’s first-ever multiple-Master story.