After four years of playing the eleventh regeneration of the world's favorite (and currently only) Time Lord, Matt Smith has announced that he'll be hanging up his bow tie at the end of the year.

The youngest actor to take on the title role of Doctor Who, Smith released a touching statement today regarding his departure: "Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show... The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I've never seen before."

Smith will appear in the upcoming, highly-anticipated 50th anniversary episode of the show, as well as the Christmas special, where his character will regenerate and pass the Doctor Who torch to someone else.

Steven Moffat, the current showrunner and head writer of the British sci-fli series, teased fans about the next Doctor in a statement: "Somewhere out there right now - all unknowing, just going about their business - is someone who's about to become the Doctor."

Smith is currently filming Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, How to Catch a Monster, in Detroit.