Two months ago, the BBC announced that Matt Smith would be leaving the role of Doctor Who, having taken over from David Tennant over three years ago. Speculation has been buzzing in the weeks since then, and now the broadcaster have finally set your anticipation to rest, revealing that the new Doctor will be played by Peter Capaldi.
The Scottish actor has, like the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, appeared on the show before in the episode Fires of Pompeii as Caecilius, as well as appearing in Torchwood, so consider a number of fan theories already being drawn up. It’s a fine choice, harking back to the likes of William Hartnell, and it should bring a whole new host of Malcolm Tucker fans to the BBC’s flagship sci-fi show.
Smith was the eleventh actor to take up the role back in 2010, and he will be making his last appearance on the Steven Moffat-run show in the 2013 Christmas Special. The Doctor is set to regenerate once more during the episode, thus revealing Capaldi to be the new Doctor Who.
The anticipated Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special is set to air in 3D on 23rd November, and will be broadcast in over 200 countries, for more than 100 million viewers, and screened in UK cinemas.
And to make the event all the more spectacular, it will see Matt Smith, David Tennant, and John Hurt face off against the Daleks, alongside Jenna Coleman, Billie Piper, and Joanna Page.
Following the 50th Anniversary Special, Smith will make his final appearance in the Christmas Special, and will then hand over the reigns to the Twelfth Doctor, who will go on to lead Series 8 in 2014.
Those already anxious about Smith’s exit from their lives can take comfort in the fact that he’ll soon be seen in Ryan Gosling’s anticipated directorial debut, How to Catch a Monster. Christina Hendricks takes the lead in the fantasy/noir thriller, joined by Smith, Saoirse Ronan, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, and Iain De Caestecker.
