Peter Capaldi is the Doctor!

After months of rumours and anguish for Doctor Who viewers across the world, today in the specially-dedicated programme Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor it was revealed that the twelfth incarnation of the greatest alien on television is to be played by Peter Capaldi! Unlike his predecessor, Capaldi, 55, is an established actor, currently most well-known as foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in acclaimed BBC sitcom the The Thick of It. However, he's soon to be universally seen as the Doctor...
Capaldi's no stranger to the Whoniverse, having appeared in both Doctor Who and Torchwood. Although he didn't get much of a chance to show of his acting chops in 2008's 'Fires of Pompeii' he was the standout performance in mini-series Torchwood: Children of Earth the following year, heading the supporting cast as conflicted politician Mr Frobisher. As an excellent example of his acting range and confirmation that he can play sci-fi credibly, the series should definitely be watched. Apart from his onscreen links to Who, though, the man is a lifelong fan of the show; he even wrote a fan letter to the Radio Times as a teenager.
Quite the big name and one of the oldest actors to take the part, it's a brave choice to appoint Capaldi but, in many ways, absolutely the right one. Immediately his age and experience set him apart from Matt Smith and so he fills the quota of the new Doctor being different from the last one. Intriguingly, head writer and 'guardian angel' of Doctor Who Steven Moffat mentioned in the live show that he wanted to do 'something a bit different' with the new Doctor, his tone suggesting that Capaldi's take may be quite radical for the show. Although only a fool would speculate, I'm going to make a prediction now: I'm perhaps expecting him to be on the more sombre side of the Doctor spectrum, closer to, say, Christopher Eccleston's Doctor than David Tennant's. But Who knows...
What is for sure is that Doctor Who has regenerated and the show is brand-new once again. It's an anxious time for a Who fan but, as an old Doctor once said, it's change, my dears, and not a moment too soon.

And I'll leave you now in the company of Doctor Number Twelve to sign us off. Welcome, please, Mr Peter Capaldi...