Doctor Who Live - The next doctor

HURT: After 50 years, and 798 episodes... Doctor Who is the longest-running science fiction series in the world. Born on the planet Gallifrey... How old are you then, 45? -Well... -I'm 903 years old. The Doctor travels in time and space in his TARDIS. What a landing. The man with the sonic screwdriver and two hearts has been assisted by over 40 companions. And in his fight for good over evil he saved the Universe from deadly enemies. -None more so than... -A Dalek. You will be punished. -Exterminate. -Destroy them. -Exterminate. -You will be deleted. Exterminate. Regeneration is the secret of his eternal youth. Since 1963, there have been 11 Doctors. -They call me the Doctor. -Doctor. -Doctor. -Doctor. -Doctor. -Doctor. -Doctor. -Doctor. And tonight, we reveal the identity of Doctor number 12. (DOCTOR WHO THEME) Citizens of the Universe! Please welcome... Zoe Ball. Woo-hoo! Good evening and welcome to a very, very special show. Tonight, live, the BBC around the world, we are going to exclusively reveal the identity of the brand-new Doctor. To share the excitement, I'll be joined by a host of celebrity fans, plus some familiar faces from the TV series. Now, Doctor Who has the best fans in the galaxy, I think you will agree, yes. (AUDIENCE CHEERING LOUDLY) We have plenty of them in the audience. There you go feast your eyes, the Whovians, ladies and gentlemen! They have come to town tonight, and they'll feel right at home here surrounded by the space time vortex. And our very special guest, the TARDIS! It's huge, it is. And since we are live, you can send us your thoughts throughout the show on Facebook, Twitter and join the conversation on the BBC Doctor Who website. So, it was Saturday 1st June that the dramatic news first broke. Now, the actor, Matt Smith, is to leave Doctor Who after four years in the role. The 11th Doctor will bow out at this year's Christmas special. The story made all the news headlines and ever since speculation has been rife about the identity of his successor. We'll have an exclusive interview with Matt a little bit later on. So, who is the next Doctor? Well, not long until we find out who has bagged the little blue box. The tension is unbelievable. Right now, we have three people who're well acquainted with the series. Please welcome actors Liza Tarbuck, Daniel Roche, and the fifth Doctor himself, Peter Davison. (LOUD CHEERING) -Hello, chaps. -Hello. This is all very, very exciting, isn't it? -Extraordinary. -It is so extraordinary. Can I just ask you this first question, at this moment in time, none of you know who the next Doctor is? Absolutely not. -Honestly, Davison? -Honestly. He's so good. Peter, I'm so excited to have you here. You played the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in a program that's become a worldwide phenomenon. People say it's the best job in television. Is that true? In a way it's the longest job in television. Because you could say it's wonderful because it's a whirlwind time while you are doing it... But then it continues after you've left. I'm still here today, the fifth Doctor. It's fantastic. Have you noticed that in the audience there's quite a few people dressed up like you? There are a lot of people dressed as all sorts of people! (LAUGHING) -Very worrying. -There's a Dalek. She may need help later on. And there's also another lovely connection with you and Doctor Who, isn't there? A family one? Yes, I'm the patriarch of a dynasty. I've started a dynasty as my daughter's married to David Tennant, the tenth Doctor. I love it it's complicated, she played his daughter then married him? I'm all confused. Its brilliant. I was giving the father of the bride speech it became very confusing! Brilliant. Liza, I know you are a huge fan of the show. Why do you think it's so successful? I think it's a sort of marker for television generally. I think it allowed us to sit and watch television with our family. Or in fact sneak a look at it when you weren't meant to, and consequently scare the living bejesus out of yourselves. I say that as a Yeti, I'm still scared of the Yeti. Um, and I think there was something for everyone. Everyone's got a window to a particular Doctor, that does a particular thing for you. -It was great telly wasn't it? -Yes. It's good to be scared as well. Great to be scared. Daniel very excited about you being on the show tonight. Hello! When did you first start watching? What is your first memory of Doctor Who? Well um... The classics were recommended to me by my Mum. Because she watched them with her brother when she was younger. I tuned into the first episode on a Saturday night not knowing what it was and I loved it so much. It was with the Nestene Consciousness, and the Autons. It was just so different to everything else. I just started watching it from then on and I've watched every episode since. -Who was that Doctor? -Christopher Eccleston. Do you ever fancy yourself as a companion, Daniel? They ever decide to bring a child in, yes. Call Steven Moffat immediately! Well, I must ask you, who is your favorite, who is your Doctor? If it's possible to choose a favorite? Your favorite, Liza, and why? I'd have to say Jon Pertwee. -With deference to the fifth one. -Absolutely right. -(AUDIENCE LAUGHING) -Possibly because he was mine. But I'd have to have a hefty side order of Chris Ecc. Because without somebody that good to reproduce Russell's work then, we can't have what we have got now. -Russell T. Davies, genius? -Yes. Daniel, your favorite Doctor and why? David Tennant, mainly because he was the one lasting... Because I've only been around, not that long since the start of it so... Yes, he's been around during the majority of the time I've been watching it so he's the one I have the most memories of. Plus, he had this unique thing to him. Some are dark and kooky and he had this fantastic mix of the two which I loved. Perfect. Peter? Your favorite? I suppose that would have to be Patrick Trouton. He had the most difficult job. He was the first regeneration. And nobody had any idea about another actor playing the Doctor at that time. I just remember sitting down with apprehension and watching his first episode. And just being won over. Just in that very first episode. In a way, he was my Doctor. Okay I have to say, you are my favorite, but I say that to all the Time Lords! Big round of applause to our guests! Woo-hoo! Now, earlier on this week, we caught up with the current Doctor, Matt Smith, as he talked about his time in the TARDIS. By the look of it, his time in the barbers. I've loved it. I really have. I'll miss it. But... When you gotta go, you gotta go. (FAST-PACED MUSIC PLAYING) Geronimo! There was a backlash when I was cast. I was 26 and I was unknown and people went, that is not Doctor Who. Blimey. Hair! I'm a girl. I always knew I wanted it to be quite physical. And I wanted the comedy to be quite physical. And I knew I wanted him to feel very clever, but at the same time to not understand the human race. Has anyone ever told you that you are a bit weird? They never a really stop. In my first audition I wore a tweed blazer. -Just because I had one. -Yeah. And put a bow tie on and Steven, Piers, and Beth, went "Oh, no!" And then they were like "Maybe". Nice bow tie. Bow ties are cool. -Yours is very... -Oh thank you., Then it slowly dawns on you that you are actually going to have to do it. Rory! I loved the fez. I literally as soon as I had it, I was like can I have the fez back? Can we get the fez in again? I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool. Oh! I miss playing a character that can bounce from A to Z like that. And that is the cleverest the room. And you know also the silliest in the room. I wear a Stetson now, Stetson's are cool. (GUNSHOT) You know just being the Doctor, it's uh... He's the Doctor, you know? What a character. There's always a part of you that goes, I never want to go. There are no parts like this. I think it's a good time for me to move on and we've got the 50th anniversary. It's the biggest year in the show's history. And I'm playing the part and I pass it on with... With a smile to the next guy and... I say good luck, buddy. You are going to have to work hard. I know who they are. If I had to pick someone... I'd pick him because uh... I think he's great. I think he's great. Weirdly enough, after The 11th Hour... He came up to me in the street and said, mate, well done, I watched your episode last night, it was brilliant, I think you are really good. And I really needed that boost. I never forgot it. Who the man? I'm excited because... I know what's coming and he's going to have a blast. (GROANING) It's been great, man, you know, it's a really cool job. It will be hard to top. Yes, he has a haircut now. Haircuts are cool. Matt Smith there revealing a real mixture of sadness it's an emotional business, isn't it? He's in LA at the moment but I'm sure we all agree he is a brilliant Doctor and will be very much missed. Matt Smith! Now, did my massive ears deceive me, or did I hear Matt using the word "he" and him? Could be awkward if the next Doctor turns out to be a woman. It might happen one day, you never know. Could be. All will be revealed very, very soon, as the next Doctor has entered the building, ladies and gentlemen. The next Doctor is in this building! I'm so scared I'm going to say the wrong thing. We are live and it seems the whole world is watching. Thank you for the messages, the Internet is melting at the moment. It's fair to say Doctor Who's come up with ingenious ideas over the years. But nothing beats the fact that the leading man can change his appearance. It's a process, if you didn't know, called regeneration. Which means when the Doctor dies, his body rejuvenates and he comes back to life with a new look and different personality. Brilliant. From William Hartnell to Matt Smith, the Doctor has been played by 11 actors. And the 12th has some big shoes to fill. (GROANS) The Doctor is an eccentric hero. He's a time-traveling meddler who says he never meddles. He's kind of everything and everything at once. He's old, young, could be your grandfather, brother. I would describe him as the Lone Ranger. Somebody who is a force for good, a force for fairness, and generally has a side kick. Susan and I are cut off from our own planet. Without friends or protection. Heartnell was the wise old gent. He was older and that gave him an air of authority, under a Doctor's flag. There you are, my child, nice to see you so well again. He told everybody with what was what and how to do it. Regeneration is such a clever idea. It's a part that 12 different actors will and have played. This has never been done before and we had no idea, if it was ever going to be accepted. Patrick Truouton did the hard job. He turned it in to something... Different but the same. And we all loved him. He was like the teenager really in an older body. Who is also a bit eccentric, and playing his little flute. My Doctor, Peter Davison... Was more man of action. -Run. -Than had previously been the case. A bit glam actually. Bit handsome. Big scarf. Crazy. I'm going to whisper this... But I think Tom Baker will always be... "The Doctor". Like "the Doctor". You may be a Doctor, but I'm The Doctor. The definite article you might say. If you say Doctor Who, like in one of those free association games... It's like Tom Baker, because everybody has their first Doctor. There was a quirkiness which I find sort of unsettling. Something wrong? Jon's Doctor was flamboyant. He was a dandy. He was quite a maverick as well, he was quite stern. The weapons you have on Earth are quite nasty enough as it is. Give the cloak a flourish, darling. Colin had his frock coat with clown-like colours. -You're not serious. -I'm always serious. When I was asked what kind of costume I would like... I described pretty much what Christopher Eccleston eventually got. When Christopher Eccleston walked out of the TARDIS, I went yes. He was so good, and he was so dark and he was so modern. Why don't you just die! You would make a good Dalek. I've always had a soft spot for Sylvester McCoy. I thought of him a little like Peter Falk in Colombo. I think he was the cutest Doctor. Scatter brained but working it all out underneath. He's the most beautiful of all the Doctors. Drop dead gorgeous. He was a kind of a philosopher Doctor in a way. I'm going to betray Patrick Trouton, because I have to say David Tennant was my favorite Doctor. After Patrick Trouton. He's very on top of things is David. It is very good at opening doors. He's very in command. There's something about Matt Smith. He had the charm of an hyperactive puppy. His physicality was so extraordinary. He's so elastic. Amazing. Ho! I've got to be in the show when we are celebrating its 50th year. And it's wonderful to be part of something that so many people are talking about, and so many love. And so many people are just really excited about. 50 years of incredible telly history. What does the future hold? We are soon to find out. But here to share their love of the show, I'm delighted to welcome two fantastic guests... Please welcome Bernard Cribbins and Rufus Hound. (LOUD CHEERING) Oh, yes. Nice T-shirt, Rufus. It does seem fitting, Bernard, that you are here, because it was your character, Wilf, Donna's granddad, who caused the regeneration of the last regeneration of the Doctors. If you are going to be rude, I'm going to leave. Do you feel guilty about that? No, because my character Wilf was being kind to someone else trapped in there. So he went in and therefore he was trapped. And David made the supreme sacrifice and uh... Released me and he then got clobbered. Terrified me earlier though, Bernard came to my dressing room to say hello. Knocked three times on the door and I thought I was going to die! (ALL LAUGHING) Isn't it four? -It is four, yes. -Four, four... Oh, no! Of all the rooms to get that wrong in! -Here's the other one, ready? -Thank you, yeah. Bernard, would you ever fancy playing the Doctor? I had an interview when uh... -Jon Pertwee was leaving. -Yeah. And I went and saw the producer, Barry Letts. And I sat down he says hello and I said hello. And he said what can you do? And I said I'm a good swimmer. -Yeah. -That's fine, yes. I said I was a paratrooper so I could fight. He said no, no, no the Doctor never fights, no, no, no. Anyway I didn't get the job and first thing I saw Tom Baker do was clobber somebody. Typical. Absolutely typical. Rufus, you are a hard core fan. Although perhaps I'm doubting that now. After saying knock three times, I want to shoot myself in the head. When did you start watching the show, because it wasn't when you were a little boy, was it? No, I'm of the generation that was sort of old enough to watch it after it had been canceled. So I only clocked on with Russell T. Davies, and Peter Eccleston... Because it seemed like... Christopher Eccleston! (ALL LAUGHING) Taxi! Time to go home! He's just excited. As we all are. Honestly, I promise you I've been sitting in the car on the way here going... Whatever you do in that room, don't get the facts wrong. Oh, bless you! -I'm absolutely dying inside... -It didn't work. No, it didn't. Why do you think it's so... What makes Doctor Who so special, Rufus, redeem yourself? Right, what I think makes Doctor Who so special is that Sci-Fi, allows you to look at really human problems... But with a degree of distance from it. So the Doctor is able to talk to us about life, and death, and meaning. What it is to be a child, what it is to grow old, what it is to be different. We're able to understand all of those stories without... In a way that seems fantastic but is able to define... Those things that are true of the human experience. That was beautiful. And I think that that's the power of the show. What's more powerful about Doctor Who than any other Sci-Fi shows... -Is that it's British. -Yes. And so we have this... -Brilliant, brilliant. -We have this uniqueness there. And can we just say while were here... The voice of the Wombles, the Tufty Club adverts and the Railway Children. This year, Bernard Cribbins celebrates 70 years in showbiz. (LOUD CHEERING) Looking lovely! Give it up for Bernard Cribbins and Rufus Hound. Okay now, we are now getting closer to the moment of truth. Here is one man who knows who's Who. Not least because he made the decision. It's the executive producer, head writer and guardian angel, Steven Moffat. Every day in the rushes when Matt's working, he will do something absolutely barking mad. He will do something so bold and clever that I won't see it coming. And I'll miss that brilliance and that invention. I'm definitely a mad man with a box. The Doctor is an icon. People are hugely invested in who the new Doctor is. Everybody is wildly speculating, it's fun, isn't it? It's like electing the next Prime Minister. It could be a disaster. I'm really terrified that it's Harry Styles. The selection requires some processes that you see lots and lots of people. And that's what we did last time, but oddly enough most occasions on Doctor Who, it hasn't happened that way... It didn't happen that way this time. We all had an idea, we all had the same idea... And it was a quite different idea. So we got our notional number 12 'round to my house. And we made a home video... Of that person being the Doctor and showed it around, showed the people who... Need to be in on that decision because it's like appointing the President or something. And everyone just said well yes, that's the Doctor. It would be interesting to see an established actor. Maybe who's a little bit older but also someone with gravitas. (IMITATING A DALEK) The Doctor has to be British. With all parts like the Doctor, or... James Bond or Sherlock Holmes. There comes a right time for the right person to play it. Oddly enough, this person... Briefly flicked through my mind last time. And I didn't think they were right. And this time, just wow, it's... That moment has arrived. I would love some sort of... Twist that we are not expecting. It would be amazing if the next Doctor was a woman. With a male assistant. We've established that Time Lords can change gender, so it's completely not against the rules. As to whether or not that's what we are doing well, that's what you are watching the show for. I like that Helen Mirren has been saying we should have a female Doctor. I would like to go on record, I think it's time that the Queen was played by a man. I suspect it will be another young male. Could go older again. Someone who's dark and frightening. I would like if the new Doctor was funny. I would like the Doctor to be best friends with Clara. Uh, three words to describe the new Doctor. Different from Matt. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Well, he is the main man and he's giving nothing away, is he? So if Steven won't spill the beans, I guess it's down to me. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the end, but the moment has been prepared for. I know you are beside yourselves with excitement, the tension is unbearable and the wait has been excruciating. Some of the audience are biting into their sonic screwdrivers. It is finally time to put a new face to the old name. He may be 1,000 years old but he's about to get a whole new lease of life. Here we go, the big reveal, the crunch moment we've all been waiting for. Joining us now live in the studio exclusively on the BBC. Please welcome the 12th Doctor, a hero for a whole new generation, it's... Peter Capaldi! (LOUD CHEERING) (DOCTOR WHO THEME PLAYING) Peter, oh! -Congratulations. -Thank you. Oh, wonderful, join us, join us. Oh, I think it's safe to say they like ya! Um... -Peter, congratulations. -Thank you very much. Your first official appearance as the 12th Doctor. How relieved are you? It's so wonderful not to keep the secret any longer. But it has been absolutely fantastic in its own way... So many wonderful things have happened for instance um... For a while, I couldn't tell my daughter who'd be looking on the Internet and discovering that people were saying, so-and-so should be Doctor Who and so-and-so should be Doctor Who. And she was getting rather upset that they never mentioned me. -I said rise above it, darling. -That's absolutely perfect. How did you prepare for the audition, as the Doctor? Well, it was quite hard because even though I'm a lifelong Doctor Who fan, I haven't played Doctor Who since I was nine in a play. So, as an adult actor, I've never worked on it. So what I did was I downloaded some old scripts... From the Internet and practiced those in front of the mirror. Fantastic. But Steven had already been written, some scenes that referred to a Doctor of my ilk. "Of your ilk". Oh, it's all so exciting, I've got clammy palms. Over the last couple of days, fans in their droves have been sending in questions for you. Kelly from Dundee said, what were you doing the moment you found out you were going to be the next Doctor? Well... I was actually filming in Prague... I'm doing the BBC's adaptation of The Three Musketeers over there. Playing Cardinal Richelieu. And I was... I had my phone on silent. So I missed the call. And I looked at it and saw missed call, it was 10 minutes ago, and it was uh, my dear agent and I rang her up, and said... "It's me", and she said "Hello, Doctor". Yes! How exciting. And I just started to laugh. And haven't stopped laughing since. Its a nervous laugh now. Nicola from Stevenage wants to know, have you been practicing in front of a mirror saying... "Hello, I'm the Doctor". Because of course you played a spin doctor. The iconic Malcolm Tucker. A slightly different Doctor to this one you are going to be playing? Yes, well I think Malcolm's been banished from the mirror. By the new Doctor, who wouldn't put up with any of Malcolm's... Language or attitudes, uh... to the world. I don't say I'm the Doctor. I'm surprised now to see Doctor Who looking back. That's what's really strange. You look in the mirror and suddenly strangely... He's looking back and he's not me yet. But he's reaching out. And hopefully we'll get it together. It's still early days. You have been in Doctor Who already. You were in The Fires of Pompeii. And you said yourself you have been a fan for a long, long time. So much so that you actually wrote, to the Radio Times... Years ago. Have a look at this letter, this is the letter that Peter wrote, a young Peter wrote to the Radio Times in 1988... Uh... oh, no, you write... "I hope that in 15 years' time in 1988 you will publish another special "to celebrate 25 years, of wandering in time with the Doctor". "Peter Capaldi. 15 Glasgow". How cute is that? Who would have known? -Is that what got you the job? -Yes, yeah, no. I mean I've... I've hidden that from my wife for about 25 years. And it's the full geek it the full anorak. You are never going to get a girlfriend with a letter like that! Well it just sort of seems now here than in the 50th year of the show, here you are sitting on the hot seat. Do you have a message for all the Doctor Who fans, who are watching? Well, I think Doctor Who is an extraordinary show and the thing that strikes me about it is that it's still here after all this time. The reason is I think it is still here, is because of the work of the all writers, and directors and producers, who've worked on the show, the work of all. And the actors, and I don't just mean the fabulous actors who've played the Doctor, but those actors who've sweated inside rubber monster costumes... And those who wear futuristic lurex cat suits. The real reason, the big reason that Doctor Who is still with us is because of... Every single viewer... Whoever turned on to watch this show. At any age, at any time in its history and their history. And who took it into their heart, because Doctor Who belongs to all of us. -Yes. -Everyone made Doctor Who. That's beautiful! Beautiful! I completely agree. That's a very special message. And we do have Matt Smith who has a special message for you. Now have a look at this. I just want to wish... My successor all the best and um... And uh, just say good luck. Good on you for getting it. Because I know he's both a huge fan of the show... And uh, a really nice guy. I think the casting of it made me really excited. Um... Genuinely and, as a fan I, think it's a really... Canny choice. I think he'll be a hit, so... Good luck, man, it's going to be a thrill. Oh, that's beautiful. So that is it, Peter. A huge thank you to all our guests and to Matt Smith. You can catch him on the Doctor Who prom on 26th August, that's bank holiday Monday. Let's hear it for the newest incarnation of the galaxy's number one hero... He's the 12th Doctor and the whole of time and space awaits. Huge applause please! For Peter Capaldi! (LOUD CHEERING) (DOCTOR WHO THEME)