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Peter Capaldi will be 'a whole new kind of Doctor' in the Doctor Who 2013 Christmas special

by Emmy Griffiths ,
Peter Capaldi will be 'a whole new kind of Doctor' in the Doctor Who 2013 Christmas special© BBC Pictures

Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who after four years in the role of everyone’s favourite Time Lord, and will be replaced by Peter Capaldi. Show runner Stephen Moffat has opened up about losing Matt but gaining a brand new Doctor, Peter’s style in the role, and the issues that will be faced during the Christmas Day episode The Time Of The Doctor. Is it just us, or is anyone else more excited about this episode than receiving presents this Christmas?

Stephen Moffat has opened up about Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor in the long-running BBC sci-fi series, Doctor Who.

Matt Smith, who is currently portraying the twelve-hundred and something Time Lord, is bowing out to try his hand at new roles – he will be appearing in a musical version of American Psycho over Christmas – therefore passing the torch onto a new Doctor – acting veteran and long-time Doctor Who fan Peter Capaldi.

Although we have already caught a tiny glimpse of Capaldi in the role during the 50th Anniversary episode in a flash of his eyes and fabulous eyebrows (which cued a collective scream of excitement when we sat down to watch it), the 55-year-old actor will make his proper debut as the Doctor on Christmas Day this year.

Show creator Stephen Moffat chatted about Peter and the upcoming episode 'The Time Of The Doctor' at the Official Doctor Who Celebration.

Matt Smith © BBC Pictures
Matt Smith
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He said: “He’s brilliant … he’s an extraordinarily vital and physical performer. People keep talking about this ‘elderly’ Doctor that we’ve cast … he leaps around the place probably more than any other Doctor in that first scene.

“But that’s not how he’s going to play it – that’s just him in post-regeneration madness. It’s something we’re still working on.”

Apparently it’ll be tissues at the ready for Matt’s last adventure though, as Moffat spoke to the Daily Star about how difficult it was to see him go.

He said: “It’s hard to let go. I was watching Matt during his final week on set and he’s heartbreakingly good. You get all excited about the new Doctor and then you remember you’ve got to say goodbye to another.”

We’re getting emotional here as well! We’ve already found Matt’s best moments – we don’t want to say goodbye for good!

​However, it sounds like Peter is more than up for the job and is incredibly enthusiastic about it.

Moffat continued: “Peter only had to do one audition. We knew pretty much there and then. I didn’t think there was much chance he wasn’t going to be brilliant even before we saw him, because of who he is. You just want to check exactly how it will be with that face and that voice.

“Peter’s very excited. He’s thrilled. We basically picked him because he’s brilliant and he wanted the part.
And he’s known for being a huge Doctor Who fan. He’s a genius-level actor and it was the right timing.”

Let’s hope that the story is going to be as good as Peter Capaldi’s acting supposedly is then, as it is a truth universally acknowledged by Whovians everywhere that Moffat has left an awful lot of strings dangling that need to be tied up before Matt departs the show – and the sharper fans have noticed that Matt Smith should be the last Doctor as Time Lords only have 12 regenerations, which have all now been used up.

An insider has revealed to The Mirror: “There have been two David Tennant Doctor Whos technically and with John Hurt playing another Doctor, it basically means he can’t regenerate again.

The riddle of the regeneration problem, something fans have talked about for decades, will be faced head on at Christmas. There is going to be another huge cliffhanger and somehow Peter Capaldi has to join and the series has to continue.”

This has since been confirmed by Stephen Moffat, as he said: “The 12 regenerations limit is a central part of Doctor Who mythology, science fiction is all about rules, you can’t just casually break them.

“So if the Doctor can never change again, what’s Peter Capaldi doing in the Christmas special?”

WE NEED EXPLANATIONS PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

What do you think is going to happen in the Christmas Day special? Tweet us @sofeminineUK!

Emmy Griffiths
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