New 'Doctor Who': It's Peter Capaldi
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
The Scottish-born actor becomes the 12th actor to play the British sci-fi icon.
Executive producer Steven Moffat had considered Capaldi when they were casting the 11th Doctor. "There comes a right time for the right person to play it," he said."We all had the same idea and it was a quite different idea," Moffat added. When he and his team made a video with Capaldi, "everybody saw it and was like, 'That's the Doctor.' "
American audiences most recently saw Capaldi as a World Health Organization doctor in the movie World War Z, and he also has big-screen roles in the upcoming The Fifth Estate this fall and next year's Maleficent.
The half-hour live special on BBC America, hosted by British TV personality Zoe Ball, also featured past Who stars, including Peter Davison, the fifth Doctor (1981-84).
"In a way it's the longest job in television. It's a whirlwind time when you do it, and it keeps on going after," said Davison, whose daughter is married to the 10th Doctor, Tennant.Smith recalled that people initially met his casting with backlash, but fans ultimately came around for him as the Doctor.
"There are no parts like this," he said. "I loved it, I'll miss it, but when you gotta go, you gotta go."
Doctor Who has long been a hit in the U.K., but more recently the Doctor has gained a huge following in the USA, with the show becoming the highest-rated series on BBC America.
Capaldi will make his first appearance in the Doctor Who Christmas Special at the end of 2013, and it marks Smith's final jaunt as the Doctor. Fans get to see him one more time, though, when Smith stars with Jenna Coleman, John Hurt and Tennant in the 50th anniversary special airing on Nov. 23.
The main reason the series is still a fixture in global pop culture is because of anybody who's ever watched it, Capaldi said. "Doctor Who belongs to all of us. Everybody makes Doctor Who."
hosted by Zoe Ball
Actor Peter Capaldi has been announced as the new star of BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who.
The 55-year-old Glasgow-born star will be the 12th actor to play the Doctor, replacing outgoing lead Matt Smith.
Capaldi is best known for his role as foul-mouthed spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker in the BBC series The Thick of It.
"It's so wonderful not to keep this secret any longer, but it's been so fantastic," he said after the news was revealed on a live BBC One show.
The actor had been the bookmakers' favourite to take on the role, with betting on him becoming the next Doctor suspended on Friday.
It is not the first time Capaldi has appeared on the show - he played Roman merchant Caecilius in 2008 Doctor Who adventure The Fires of Pompeii.
At 55, he is the same age as William Hartnell when he was cast in the role as the first Doctor in 1963.
"Being asked to play the Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can't wait to get started," he said.
Secret audition
Steven Moffat, the show's lead writer and executive producer, said casting Capaldi as the Doctor was an "incendiary combination".
"One of the most talented actors of his generation is about to play the best part on television."
Moffat said Capaldi had been cast after a secret audition at his house.
"We made a home video of [Capaldi] being the doctor and I showed it around and everyone said 'yes, that's the Doctor'.
Moffat added the actor had "briefly flicked through my mind" the last time he was casting the role, but he did not think he was right for the part, however "now that moment has arrived".
Capaldi said he downloaded old Doctor Who scripts from the internet and practised the lines in front of a mirror to prepare for the audition.
He revealed he was filming a BBC adaptation of The Three Musketeers in Prague when he found out he got the part.
"I had my phone on silent so I missed the call," he said. "It was my agent and I rang her up and she said 'hello Doctor' - I haven't stopped laughing since."
'Incredible incarnation'
Outgoing Doctor Matt Smith welcomed Capaldi's casting, who pre-recorded a message for the new Time Lord.
"I wish my successor all the best and say good luck and good on you for getting it, because I know he's both a huge fan of the show and a really nice guy," he said.
"The casting made me ready excited and as a fan I think it's a canny choice. If I had to pick someone, I'd pick him because I think he's great. I'm excited because I know what's coming and he's going to have a blast."
Jenna Coleman, who stars as current Doctor Who companion Clara, said: "I'm so excited Peter Capaldi is the man taking on the challenge of becoming the 12th Doctor.
"With Steven's writing and his talent I know we'll be making an amazing show with an incredible incarnation of number 12. I can't wait to start this new adventure."
Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC Drama Commissioning said Capaldi was "an extraordinarily talented actor who can seemingly turn his hand to anything".
"We can't wait to premiere his unique take on the Doctor on Christmas Day and we are sure he's going to become one of the all-time classic Doctors."
Following the announcement, The Thick of It writer Armando Ianucci tweeted: "There can't be a funnier, wiser, more exciting Time Lord than Peter Capaldi. The universe is in great hands."
Capaldi will film his first scenes on the series this autumn
- Peter Capaldi was named the new star of 'Doctor Who' on Sunday
- His first appearance will be in the annual Christmas special later this year
- He takes over for the departing Matt Smith
- Peter Capaldi as new Doctor Who: 12 reasons why Steven Moffat has picked the perfect Twelfth Doctor
- Comments
- ByMatt Goddard
Peter Capaldi as new Doctor Who: 12 reasons why Steven Moffat has picked the perfect Twelfth Doctor
1. The Perfect Age
For the first time since Paul McGann took on the role in 1996 we have a Doctor older than the show – and it’s likely Capaldi will be the last to hold that statistic. The timing couldn’t be better. New pretender John Hurt will undoubtedly set up the older Doctor with panache this anniversary, allowing Capaldi to hit the ground running. As all eyes look to show’s history during its 50th anniversary year, the fact that he’s the same age as William Hartnell was when he became the First Doctor in 1963 is another of Who’s marvellous coincidences.2. Comedy
Comedy is as important to Doctor Who as horror and Capaldi’s shoulders can carry both. He has a proven track record from The Vicar of Dibley through to the The Thick of It. The latter is his best known role for good reason. Malcolm Tucker scooped him the 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Male Performance in a Comedy Role and made him Best TV Comedy Actor at the 2012 British Comedy Awards. That tucker’s a role that combines comic genius and intensity can only be a good thing.All the actors who have played Doctor Who3. The All-Rounder
Since the torrid 2011 Christmas special, The Doctor, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the show has been more and more about the Doctor. Smith’s finely tuned mannerisms and tics have been one stable part of a series that’s been split, chopped and lost companions mid-season. This is a chance to redress the balance, to push the Doctor into wider stories and let the character develop with some good, dark stories. Let’s hope the scripts will meet the challenge.4. Clara
Jenna Coleman’s been a revelation in just one short half season of complicated nonsense. Capaldi really couldn’t hope for a better companion to fly around the cosmos. Also, as the impossible girl has met all of his previous incarnations, there’s no need for cloying explanations of regeneration. Following years of romance, the Eleventh Doctor and Clara’s recent odd flirting was an unnecessary Series Seven low point. An older Doctor will hopefully recall the fatherly aspects of the Doctor which yielded some of the show’s best loved companions such as Jo Grant, Romana and Ace.
Doctor who - Peter Capaldi BBC5. He’s Established
There’s no doubt that all the modern Doctors have been fantastic. While Smith rose to the challenge set by Tennant, it’s unfortunate that he’s left about one season too early to ensure the same legacy. After casting two relative unknowns, it’s good to have an incoming Doctor with some form. We won’t be watching the first moments of the Twelfth Doctor wondering if he’ll be any good. We’ll be watching for the right reason: To see just how brilliant and different his interpretation is.6. He’s got Who form
This will be Capaldi’s third appearance in the Whoniverse. In 2009 he turned in a stunning performance playing a conflicted civil servant in Torchwood: Children of Earth – a role far removed from the spin doctor he’s most famous for. A year earlier, his one episode cameo as Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii left everyone in no doubt that there was far more he could bring to the console room. Worried that he appears in the Whoniverse already? Don’t - there’s previous with Colin Baker having appeared as a Time Lord a year prior to becoming the Doctor in 1984. Sometimes the Doctor’s subconscious just likes a face. Nudge, nudge...Capaldi’s also got experience with Who writers, having previously having spoken the lines of Neil Gaiman and Richard Curtis. Who writers must be grabbing for their quills at the thought of writing Capaldi as the Doctor.7. Oscar-Baiting
Perhaps not the first Academy Award Winner to take the role, if you’re minded to include Jim Broadbent in 1999’s parody The Curse of Fatal Death... But Capaldi won an Oscar for his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life in 1995. He’s a writer and director who was scheduled to put his script for Born to be King before the cameras this year – if that hasn’t been delayed by time distortions. Who prides itself on fine crew and bringing the best new talent in – looks like they’re getting their money’s worth in front of the camera.8. A New Start
Before costumes are chosen and scripts are finished, what can we expect? Well, it can only be a good thing that we’ve surfaced from the longest and most intense period of interlinking stories that Doctor Who’s ever seen. The blockbuster season didn’t quite hit the mark when matched with the Impossible Girl plot strand. With the promise that many loose ends will be tied up as the Eleventh Doctor falls it’s time to wipe the slate clean. The casting of Capaldi may turn out to be Moffat’s real masterstroke.9. Historical experience
King Charles I. Wise Man Balthazar. Caecilius. Capaldi grew up watching the Doctor blunder into historical events, so I wonder how much it informed the historical roles he’s taken on over the years. This is a show about time though. After a patchy few years of historical stories, here’s hoping he can inspire Who to the great historical comeback it deserves.10. Scotland Returns!
It’s been a while since Who was perceived a Home Counties affair. With Cardiff now inextricably linked to Who, it’s worth remembering how much Scotland has contributed to the show. Aside from writers and companions, the last time we had a Scottish Doctor, he turned out to be arguably the most successful in the show’s history. But will Capaldi use the brogue to great effect like Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy or opt for the mockney stylings of David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor?
Yoo-hoo, it's the new Who BBC11. Dark Doctor
It may be a cliché, but the last of the Time Lords has a dark, dark core. In fact, they’re filming an anniversary special about just that. Capaldi’s going to be dominating the schedules next January as Cardinal Richelieu in the BBC’s new 10 part adaptation of The Three Musketeers. Playing one of literature’s great villains while he’s filming his first full series as the Doctor doesn’t just show his depth but that he really can take the Time Lord places he hasn’t been before. Capaldi can bring dark and danger to the character in spades.12. A Life Long Fan
It wasn’t just the letter that a 15 year old Capaldi wrote to the Radio Times in the 1970s. He’d also inundated the Doctor Who office with letters during that time, earning a large gift for his persistence. With two full studio scripts for Third Doctor tale The Mutants, set designs and studio floor plans sent by producer Barry Letts, everything was set for him to take on the role nine incarnations later. He really is a fan, and that worked out very well for Tennant.
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