Peter Capaldi To Be New Timelord

Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi To Be New Timelord

Glaswegian Oscar-winner Peter Capaldi is revealed as the new man in the Tardis, taking over from current time lord Matt Smith.

Video: Capaldi is a big Dr Who fan

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  First Doctor: William Hartnell (The Doctor from 1963-66) in an episode called The Chase with Dracula and Frankenstein's monster.
  

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  Second Doctor: Patrick Troughton (1966-69) pictured (centre) in 1967 with Blue Peter presenters John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves.
  

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  Third Doctor: Jon Pertwee (1970-74) with his arch-enemy, a Dalek.
  

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  Fourth Doctor: Tom Baker (1974-81) with Elisabeth Sladen who played companion Sarah Jane Smith.
  

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  Fifth Doctor: Peter Davison (1981-84). His daughter, Georgia Moffett, appeared in a later series and is now married to 10th Doctor David Tennant.
  

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  Sixth Doctor: Colin Baker (1984-86) was the only actor - until Peter Capaldi - to have played another character in the show prior to becoming its star.
  

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  Seventh Doctor: Sylvester McCoy (1987-89), the final doctor in the original series, has since played the wizard Radagast in The Hobbit.
  

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  Eighth Doctor: Paul McGann (1996) played the time lord in a TV film and on radio.
  

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  Ninth Doctor: Christopher Eccleston (2005) was the first star of the revived series. He won praise for his portrayal, but left after one series.
  

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  Tenth Doctor: David Tennant (2005-10) with Billie Piper who played companion Rose Tyler. They will both appear in the 50th anniversary episode.
  

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  Eleventh Doctor: Matt Smith (2010-13) will leave after the 2013 Christmas special.
  

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  Peter Capaldi, 55, who previously had a one-off role in Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, takes over the iconic lead role at Christmas.
  

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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 had 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 the reveal.
Speaking on the show, the actor said it was a relief that the waiting was now over.

Matt Smith leaves the show at Christmas "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."

Jenna-Louise Coleman plays the Doctor's current companion, Clara Oswald 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 the 11th Doctor in January 2009, following David Tennant, but will now step aside for a more mature time lord.
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 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"
John Hurt was also in favour of the 12th time lord, tweeting: "Congratulations to Peter Capaldi and to the BBC. Another splendid Doctor!"