It was no secret going into Sunday that  that would be the day the BBC would officially announce the next actor to play the iconic starring role in Doctor Who. British character actor Peter Capaldi was announce to be the next doctor during a BBC America live broadcast.

Capaldi is best known in the UK for his comedic co-starring role in British series The Thick of It. We here in the United States have most recently seen him in World War Z playing a World Health Organization doctor (W.H.O. doctor, go figure).

Apparently, Capaldi was seriously considered to play the 11th doctor, but obviously lost out to Matt Smith. With Steven Moffat pulling the trigger on Capaldi this go around, it certainly is an interesting choice. At age 55, Capaldi is notably older than previous actors to play the doctor in this iteration of Doctor Who.  His age is more in keeping with the average  age of the doctor during the series’ original iteration.

Perhaps this will signal what direction the popular science fiction series will take in the coming years. Peter Capaldi will make his debut as the Doctor in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special. What are your thoughts on the new Doctor?  Let us know in the comments below.