Matt Smith has signed up to return to Doctor Who as the Timelord in a run which will include 13 episodes and a Christmas special.

BBC One executive Sam Hodges tweeted: “Doctor Who is returning. Fourteen new episodes have been commissioned with Matt Smith as The Doctor.”

Executive producer Steven Moffat added: “14 eps + Matt DEFINITELY. I’ve got a plan and I’m not telling you what it is. Now hush or River shoots you with her Spoiler Gun. (sic)”

The news will come as a welcome relief to fans after the 28-year-old actor – who shot to fame when he replaced David Tennant as the Time Lord – fuelled speculation he wants to leave the show saying he was planning to pursue a Hollywood career and had even set up meetings with movie bosses in Los Angeles.

He said: “I’m going over to Los Angeles this week to dip my head in the pond. I am going to be having loads of meetings with film people and that sort of stuff. I have a lot of ambitions. I would like one day to direct and I just want to keep doing quality work. LA is kinda groovy – I really like it out there … Would I get a big part, who knows? Sadly, that is not up to me. That all depends on people in the American film industry and whether they want to put me there.”