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Image source, James Pardon/BBC Studios
Jodie Whittaker will be seen regenerating at the end of Sunday's episode
By Lizo Mzimba
Entertainment correspondent, BBC News
Jodie Whittaker will make her final Doctor Who appearance in a 90-minute special on BBC One later.
The actress made history in 2017 as the first woman to take on the lead role in the long-running sci-fi drama.
In her final story, The Power of the Doctor, Whittaker will take on three of the Doctor's best known enemies - the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Master.
She will then regenerate at the end of the episode, after playing the role for five years.
The storyline for Whittaker's final episode, which is part of the BBC's centenary celebrations, will also see the return of two companions from the programme's past.
Image source, James Pardon/BBC Studios
Image caption,Ace and Tegan haven't appeared in the show since the 1980s
They are Sophie Aldred's Ace, who last appeared in the show in 1989 alongside Sylvester McCoy's seventh Doctor, and Janet Fielding's Tegan, who appeared with Tom Baker's fourth Doctor and Peter Davison's fifth Doctor.
Fielding's last appearance in Doctor Who was in 1984.
The trailer for Sunday's episode shows the pair firing machine guns at a group of Cybermen, as well as a brief glimpse of Ace plunging to ground wearing a parachute.
Friends and enemies return
The cast also includes characters who have appeared in the show more recently, including Jemma Redgrave's Kate Stewart, the leader of international military organisation UNIT, and Sacha Dhawan's the Master.
The Doctor's current companions, John Bishop's Dan and Mandip Gill's Yaz will also be in the special episode.
The finale also marks the departure of head writer Chris Chibnall, who's been in charge of the show for the entirety of Whittaker era.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,Ncuti Gatwa will take over as the Doctor when the series returns in 2023
After Sunday evening's series finale, Doctor Who will return in 2023, when it will celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Russell T Davies, who was at the helm of the series for its successful return in 2005, will return to the programme as showrunner.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa had been cast as the first actor of colour to lead the drama.
It was also announced that David Tennant, who played the Doctor between 2005 and 2010, had been filming scenes for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary.
He had previously returned for a role alongside the 11th Doctor Matt Smith in the show's 50th anniversary special in 2013.
The Power of the Doctor is broadcast on BBC One at 19:30 BST
English (US)