Peter Capaldi Will Be The Next Doctor Who, BBC Says
Peter Capaldi will in fact be the Twelfth Doctor Who. Ending weeks of debate and speculation, the BBC came forward Sunday afternoon to reveal who would play the highly coveted part.
Despite a last minute reminder from show runner Steven Moffatt that Time Lords could change genders, he didn’t. Instead, the 55-year-old Scottish favorite was indeed the chosen man.
It’s an emotional experience for Peter Capaldi as well as the show’s fans. He has been a Doctor Who fan himself since age nine. In a twist, he played a WHO doctor in World War Z. Now he will play Doctor Who.
Doctor Who is of course the very-long running science fiction series that made BBC history. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary in November.
Earlier this summer, Eleventh doctor Matt Smith announced that he would leave Doctor Who at the end of this year’s fourth season. But he won’t go before he appears in the highly anticipated 50th anniversary episode on November 23.
During the BBC ceremony to announce the Twelfth doctor on Sunday, Smith said that there was a part of him that didn’t want to let go at all. He even expressed a bit of envy for the incoming Doctor Who: “I’m excited because I know what’s coming, and he’s going to have a blast.”
The longevity of the Doctor Who series is possible in part because the time-traveling doctor regularly regenerates into new bodies. There have been almost 800 episodes over 33 seasons of Doctor Who since the story began in 1983.
The speculation about who would take the part has ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. At one point Helen Mirren was rumored to be in contention.
She laughed it off, saying that it was time for a black, gay, female doctor:
Eleventh doctor Matt Smith will regenerate into Twelfth doctor Peter Capaldi in a special Christmas episode. It will be the last time Smith plays the part.
Here are some tweets from Sunday’s announcement:
“If I had to pick someone I’d pick him…. I’m excited because I know what’s coming & he’s going to have a blast.” Matt Smith. #DoctorWho
— BBC One (@BBCOne) August 4, 2013
“I knew I wanted him to feel very clever but at the same time to not quite understand the human race.” Matt http://t.co/WojJ7QtyLT
— Doctor Who on BBCA (@DoctorWho_BBCA) August 4, 2013
Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi: "I just want to wish my successor all the best. As a fan, I think it's a canny choice." #DoctorWho
— anglophenia (@anglophenia) August 4, 2013
"#DoctorWho is still with us because of every single viewer who's taken it to their hearts. It belongs to all of us." – Peter Capildi #DrWho
— WhovianNet (@WhovianNet) August 4, 2013
“It's an incendiary combination: one of the most talented actors of his generation is about to play the best part on television” – S Moffat
— BBC One (@BBCOne) August 4, 2013
And here’s a look at the Scottish doctor who is the same age that First doctor William Hartnell was when he stepped into the iconic role.
What do you think about the choice of Peter Capaldi for the next Doctor Who?
[Peter Capaldi photo by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]
