Peter Capaldi has been preparing to play Doctor Who all his life. The Scottish actor, who is the twelfth person to play the Time Lord, was once an obsessive fan of the series. As a teenager he wrote so many letters to the BBC that producers wished that the Daleks would exterminate him. During production of the long-running show’s new season, he told people not to bother explaining how to operate the props. “I know how to work the Tardis. I’ve known for a long time.”
Capaldi takes over as the Doctor from Matt Smith, and show-runner Steven Moffat has said that the regeneration will have “frightening” consequences. Moffat also says that Capaldi’s take on the Doctor will be very different from previous actors, including not being quite as animated as previous incarnations of the character. “He didn’t dance or run around the console. He’d say ‘no, I’m just going to stand here.’ Instead of coming to the room, he let the room come to him.” The new season of Doctor Who premieres on BBC America on August 23rd.
