Dr Who regenerates on live show

UK pubcaster BBC unveiled the new lead actor for its hit sci-fi franchise Doctor Who on a live show broadcast simultaneously in Britain and the US.

Peter Capaldi

Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It, In The Loop) was named as the new Doctor in front of a studio audience on Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor, which was shown simultaneously on BBC America and BBC One.

The current Doctor, Matt Smith, said in June he would quit the hit show after four years in the role.

Capaldi, who previously appeared in Doctor Who as a merchant in 2008, was interviewed after the unveiling, while exec producer Steven Moffat and Smith also appeared.

Smith will take part in the show’s 50th anniversary episode in November and sign off during a Christmas special, when Capaldi will take up his new role.

Capaldi, who is currently filming BBC drama The Musketeers, will be the 12th Doctor for the BBC Cymru Wales-produced show which first aired in 1963.