Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi To Be New Timelord Aug 5th 2013, 01:30
Glasgow-born actor and Oscar winner Peter Capaldi has been named as the 12th incarnation of Doctor Who.
Speculation over who would take over from current doctor Matt Smith has been rife, but Capaldi emerged as the front-runner in recent weeks.
He will film his first scenes in the autumn.
The 55-year-old won an Oscar in 1994 for best short film, but made his name as foul-mouthed spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker in political satire The Thick of It.
Capaldi's appointment was revealed during a live BBC show presented by Zoe Ball, which included interviews with Matt Smith, who leaves at Christmas.
Only 10 people were said to have known the identity of the new doctor ahead of tonight's reveal.
Speaking on the show, the actor said it was a relief that the waiting was now over.
"It's so wonderful not to keep this secret any longer," he said.
"But it has been absolutely fantastic in its own way, so many wonderful things have been happening.
"It was quite hard because even though I'm a lifelong Doctor Who fan, I haven't played Doctor Who since I was nine in the playground.
"I downloaded the old scripts from the internet and read those."
Referring to his notorious character in The Thick of It, Capaldi added: "I think Malcolm has been banished from the mirror by this Doctor Who, who certainly would not put up with any of Malcolm's language or attitude."
Matt Smith was named as the eleventh doctor in January 2009, and followed David Tennant, but will now step aside for a more mature timelord.
Smith, 30, will also appear with Tennant, Billie Piper, Jenna-Louise Coleman and John Hurt in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, before his farewell episode at Christmas.
Capaldi is currently filming new drama series The Musketeers, in which he plays Cardinal Richelieu.
He will also appear in upcoming films The Fifth Estate and Disney's Maleficent
The Glaswegian actor becomes the first Oscar winner to step into the doctor's well-travelled shoes.
He won for his writing and directing efforts on short comedy Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life, which starred Richard E Grant.
Fellow actors have also been taking to Twitter to have their say on Capaldi's new role.
Former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan posted: "CAPALDI! Superb choice. Swear I've seen him in Pompeii…"
Stephen Fry tweeted: "Well, at least they’ve chosen a wonderful actor… #DrWho"
Actor John Hurt was also in favour of the twelfth timelord, tweeting: "Congratulations to Peter Capaldi and to the BBC. Another splendid Doctor!"
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