The BBC has revealed the actor to play the Twelfth Doctor in the long-running classic science fiction show Doctor Who.  And the name of that actor is..

Peter Capaldi.

Best known for playing the foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker on the BBC comedy “The Thick of It”, he also played a World Health Organization Doctor (WHO) in the movie “World War Z”:  Spin doctor, WHO doctor, Doctor Who.. ‘seems to be a pattern in there somewhere.

And it’s actually a return to the Doctor Who universe for the actor, he played Roman merchant Caecilius in 2008 Doctor Who adventure “The Fires of Pompeii”.

At 55, he is the same age as William Hartnell when he was cast in the role as the first Doctor in 1963.  And let’s face it, today’s 50-somethings are in a lot better condition than a few decades ago, especially actors and newswriters.

The regeneration takes place in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special.