A couple of days later, my excitement grew. The BBC had announced that the actor cast to play the next regeneration of the eponymous Time Lord, the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor, would be revealed on Sunday 4th of August at 7pm. Instantly, I knew what this suspiciously unnamed show, with scant details other than some vague allusions to Doctor Who, was actually all about; there was a very high chance I would be in the studio with the Twelfth Doctor at the time of his reveal. This, for a man with slightly more Time Lord memorabilia than he would like to publicly admit, was an incredibly seductive prospect. I was pleased to have my wild speculation confirmed when chatting with Lizo Mzimba on the way to the studios, as we debated who would be the next actor cast in this most prestigious role.
In the half-an-hour special hosted by Zoe Ball, broadcast live simultaneously in a number of countries, special guests from the show's past and present, as well as some celebrity Doctor Who fans, spoke of their love for the show and imparted advice and best wishes to the Doctor-to-be. It was then announced that The Thick Of It star, Peter Capaldi, would be taking up the mantle as the last of the Time Lords.
"It's so wonderful not to keep this secret any longer. But it has been absolutely fantastic in its own way, so many wonderful things have happened," said Capaldi, speaking for the first time about the prestigious casting. "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."
Of course, Peter Capaldi is no stranger to the Doctor Who Universe. Not only did he feature as Roman marble trader Caecilius in the 2008 episode, Fires of Pompeii, and as John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth, but Capaldi is also a lifelong fan of the show, having written in to the Radio Times in 1973 at the age of 15, hoping that in 1988 they would publish another Special celebrating 25 years of Doctor Who.
When asked about how he prepared for the audition for the role, Capaldi said: "It was quite hard because even though I'm a lifelong Doctor Who fan, I haven't really played Doctor Who since I was nine in the playground. As an adult actor I've never worked on it. So what I did was I downloaded some old scripts from the internet and practised those in front of the mirror."
Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, 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."
Speaking of Capaldi's secret audition, recorded in Moffat's home, the showrunner said: "We made a home video of [Capaldi] being the Doctor and I showed it around and everyone said 'yes, that's the Doctor'."
Current Doctor Matt Smith, who is due to pass the torch on to his successor in this year's Christmas special, welcomed Capaldi's casting and 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."
"The casting made me ready excited and as a fan I think it's a canny choice," Smith said. "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-Louise Coleman (who plays Clara, the Doctor's current companion) also welcomed Capaldi's casting, saying: "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."
Following the announcement, The Thick Of It writer Armando Ianucci took to Twitter to say: "There can't be a funnier, wiser, more exciting Time Lord than Peter Capaldi. The universe is in great hands."
Capaldi is scheduled to film his first scenes for the show this autumn.
I am immensely looking forward to seeing Capaldi's take on the Doctor's twelfth incarnation, and greatly anticipate what he will bring to the role. Congratulations, Peter Capaldi; I have no doubt that you'll be absolutely fantastic!
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Anyone taking bets on how long until the Twelfth Doctor furiously refers to the state of the TARDIS, or even the Universe, as an omnishambles?
