If that's truly the case why the fuck did he give the next team a big Billie Piper shaped problem at the end of the episode. A fade to black could have done it.
Not only has Russell confirmed his departure, it has also been confirmed that no script was written for the Christmas special and no one was cast.
Incredibly disappointing but again, I'd rather something meaningful than something forced just to bridge a gap
Very sorry to hear about Kenton Moore's death. Terrific in The Ark In Space, but also incredibly funny and charming when I interviewed him for the DVD doc. RIP