The identity of the Twelfth Doctor is no longer a secret fellow Whovians! The next Time Lord has been chosen and the actor set to portray the new Doctor is Peter Capaldi.
During this afternoon’s worldwide broadcast of the half hour special Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor hosted by Zoe Ball, Capaldi was announced as the successor to Matt Smith and will assume the role of the immortal Time Lord in the iconic sci-fi show, which will soon celebrate its 50th Anniversary.
“It’s so wonderful to not keep this secret any longer,” he said when he was brought out on stage.
Capaldi, a 55-year-old Scotsman is both a Whovian and Doctor Who alumni interestingly enough, having appeared in the 2008 Who episode The Fires of Pompeii as Caecilius. He also had roles in the Who spin-off Torchwood, a memorable part in the UK series The Thick of It and was also recently seen in this summer’s World War Z playing a doctor for the World Health Organization. Yes, a doctor for W.H.O..
“I think Doctor Who is an extraordinary show,” Capaldi said.
“The thing that strikes me about it that it’s still here after all this time. And the reason it’s still here is because of the work of all the writers, and the directors, the producers and the actors. Not just the fabulous actors who have played the Doctor, but also those actors who have sweated inside rubber monster costumes and those who have worn futuristic lurex cat suits. But the real reason, the big reason that Doctor Who is still with us: Every single viewer who ever turned on to watch this show, at age at any time in its history, and in their history, took it into their heart. Because Doctor Who belongs to all of us. Everyone made Doctor Who,” he told the live audience.
Matt Smith has been the face of Doctor Who since 2010, and shocked fans when he announced on June 1st that he would be leaving show at the end of the year. He said in an official statement:
“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.
“I’m incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.”
Smith’s adventures through time in the TARDIS end in the 2013 Christmas Special, where his Eleventh Doctor ultimately meets his demise and will regenerate into Capaldi’s Twelfth incarnation of the Time Lord.
Still on deck for Smith is the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special set to air on November 23rd, which will also guest star his predecessor David Tennant (reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor), former Who companion Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and John Hurt as a mysterious and as yet still undetermined version of the Time Lord.
In a taped interview for Doctor Who Live Matt Smith (who was in LA), revealed he was approached by Capaldi on the street in 2010 after seeing the Who episode The Eleventh Hour, and was complimented on his performance.
“I’m excited because I know whats coming and he’s going to have a blast,” Smith said. “It’s been great man. it’s a really cool job, be hard to top.”
Capaldi is also a long time friend and former bandmate of talk show host Craig Ferguson, also an avid Whovian who keeps a TARDIS on his desk.
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