Doctor Who: 8 Theories About Ryan And Graham's Departure In Revolution Of The Daleks
Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh are leaving Doctor Who, but will they survive the Dalek onslaught?
Doctor Who history is littered with badly-kept secrets - from Christopher Eccleston's regeneration, to John Simm's return in Series 10 - and thankfully, after months of endless whispers, its most recent one has finally been confirmed by the BBC.
The news that companions Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole) and Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh) are leaving Doctor Who in the upcoming New Year's Day special Revolution Of The Daleks won't come as much of a surprise to fans who stay up-to-date with the Whoniverse rumour mill, and it's a genuine relief that we can now stop questioning whether or not they will depart, and start talking about how they will depart instead.
Naturally, the circumstances of their Doctor Who exit are being kept under wraps, and heck, so is most of the episode. But because companion departures are nothing new to Doctor Who, it's possible to make several educated guesses about how Ryan and Graham's conclusion might play out, and what the future might hold for them both.
Will they ride off into the sunset like Indiana Jones at the end of the trilogy? Will they be horribly murdered by a Dalek? There are many possibilities, so let's go over 'em.
8. They Leave The Doctor Of Their Own Free Will
Arguably the least interesting way that Ryan and Graham could exit the show is that they might simply grow tired of travelling with the Doctor, deciding to return to their normal lives at the end of the episode.
It's actually been quite a long time since a companion left like this, with Martha Jones' farewell in 2007's Series 3 serving as the most recent example.
Every other main companion since then (Donna, Amy, Rory, Clara, Bill, and Nardole) has been separated from the Doctor against their will, and because of this, it might feel somewhat refreshing to see a companion departure like Martha's once again, rather than the deaths and memory wipes we've had since 2007.
Ryan and Graham both have friends on Earth and Graham also has his cancer fears, so there are plenty of reasons that showrunner/Revolution Of The Daleks writer Chris Chibnall could use to explain why they'd leave the Doctor voluntarily, and overall, it wouldn't be a total surprise if this is what happens.
That being said, each NuWho showrunner's first companion (Russell T Davies' Rose and Steven Moffat's Amy) has left under quite distressing circumstances, so perhaps Chibnall will stick to this pattern, whether he's intending to or not.