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Peter Capaldi has been announced as the Twelfth Doctor during a TV special aired earlier this evening live on BBC One and around the world.
Peter Capaldi, said:
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.
When asked about the show’s endurance and it’s fans, he said:
Well I think Doctor Who is an extraordinary show, and the thing that strikes me about it is that it’s still here after all this time. And the reason that I think that it is still here is because of the work of the writers and the directors and the producers who’ve worked on the show, the work of all the actors – I don’t just mean the fabulous actors who’ve played the Doctor, but also those actors who sweated inside rubber monster costumes and those who had to wear futuristic lurex catsuits. But the real reason, the big reason that Doctor Who is still with us is because of every single viewer whoever turned on and watch the show at any age at any time in its history and in their history and have took it into their hearts – Doctor Who belongs to all of us, everyone made Doctor Who.
Matt Smith, said:
I just wanted to wish my successor all the best, and just say good luck and good on you for getting it, ‘cos I know he is both a huge fan of the show and a really nice guy. And I think the casting of it made me really excited, genuinely, and as a fan I think it’s a really canny choice. I think he’ll be a hit so … good luck, man, it’s going to be a thrill!
Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, said:
It’s an incendiary combination: one of the most talented actors of his generation is about to play the best part on television. Peter Capaldi is in the TARDIS!
Doctor Who companion, Jenna Coleman, said:
I’m so excited Peter Capaldi is the man taking on the challenge of becoming the Twelfth 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!
Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, said:
Peter Capaldi has all the genius and versatility needed to take on the mantel of the great Time Lord and make the role his own. He’ll bring his own particular wisdom, charisma and wit to the Twelfth Doctor and take the show into an exciting new era.
Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, said:
We started thinking Peter Capaldi might be the right person to take on this iconic part a few months ago. But it was only when he did a secret audition at Steven’s house under the cover of darkness that we knew we had our man. He’s 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.
BIOGRAPHY
Peter Dougan Capaldi was born in was born in Glasgow on the 4th April 1958. He showed early theatrical flair at primary school where he would stage puppet shows for his classmates and later attended the Glasgow School of Art. He was also the lead singer in a punk rock band called Dreamboys, whose drummer was future comedian Craig Ferguson.
Capaldi has appeared in over forty films and in numerous television series. His film work includes Local Hero, The Lair of the White Worm and Dangerous Liasons. His first TV role was as Luke Wakefield, a closeted gay man who imagines he has witnessed a crime, in the BBC drama series Mr Wakefield’s Crusade. He has also appeared in The Vicar of Dibley, Prime Suspect 3, Psychos, Peep Show, Waking the Dead, Skins, Midsomer Murders and Fallen Angel. He also appeared in Neil Gaiman’s gothic fantasy Neverwhere as The Angel Islington.
In 1995 Capaldi won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film for his film Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, which he directed. This makes him the only Oscar winner to play the Doctor. In the same year he also wrote Soft Top, Hard Shoulder, which won the Audience Award at the London Film Festival, and wrote and directed Strictly Sinatra.
Capaldi is perhaps best known for his role as spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in the BBC sitcom The Thick of It, a role loosely based on Tony Blair’s spin doctor Alistair Campbell. In 2006 Capaldi was nominated for a BAFTA and RTS Best Comedy Actor Award. He won a BAFTA in 2010 for Male Performance in a Comedy Role. He also won the 2010 British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actor. A film spin-off from The Thick of It, entitled In the Loop, was released in 2009.
In 2008 he appeared in Doctor Who playing Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii and returned to the franchise in 2009 playing civil servant John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth.
For the last few years Capaldi has been busy working on projects including the film version of Max Brooks’ epic zombie novel World War Z and appears in the forthcoming films The Fifth Estate and the Disney film Maleficent. In 2014 he can also be seen in a new BBC TV adaptation of The Three Musketeers playing Cardinal Richelieu.
Peter Capaldi will make his first appearance as the Twelfth Doctor in the 2013 Doctor Who Christmas Special and his first full series as the Doctor will hit our screens sometime in 2014.
PLANET MONDAS VERDICT: 12/10