Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi ( born 14 April 1958 ) played the Twelfth Doctor in " Doctor Who " and the " Class " episode " For Tonight We Might Die " , as well as a virtual version of the character in " Extremis " , Lobus Caecilius in the " Doctor Who " episode " The Fires of Pompeii " , and John Frobisher in " Torchwood : Children of Earth " . At 55 years of age at both the time of his casting and the time of filming his first scenes as the Doctor in the 50th anniversary special " The Day of the Doctor " , Capaldi was the same age as William Hartnell had been in his place , and the oldest actor since Hartnell to begin playing the Doctor on a regular basis ( John Hurt was older by almost 20 years when he first appeared in the role , but his War Doctor incarnation was never intended to be ongoing ) . Capaldi is the third Scottish actor to be cast as the Doctor , after Sylvester McCoy and David Tennant . Like McCoy , but unlike Tennant , he played the part with his natural Scottish accent . He is also the first actor to play the Doctor to have the same first name as one of his predecessors ( Peter Davison ) . Relationship with " Doctor Who " . During the Jon Pertwee years of " Doctor Who " , young man Capaldi sent scripts to the production office . Barry Letts began a correspondence with Capaldi , which eventually resulted in an invitation for the youngster to visit BBC Television Centre . Capaldi met Letts , Terrance Dicks and Pertwee . He later cited the incident as formative to his career as a professional actor , writer and director . ( BBC DVD : " The Monster of Peladon " ) Capaldi was announced as the Twelfth Doctor in a simulcast worldwide on 4 August 2013 . His appearance on the programme was notable for his striking a pose identified with William Hartnell ' s First Doctor — adjusting his lapels — as he took the stage . His debut appearance during the climax of " The Day of the Doctor " was kept a surprise from viewers as the BBC had indicated he would debut at Christmas . His initial appearance , lasting only one and a half seconds , revealed little other than his hand pulling a lever in his TARDIS and an extreme close - up on his eyes . According to interviews with David Bradley and Mark Gatiss , Capaldi visited the set of the 50th anniversary docudrama , " An Adventure in Space and Time " , prior to his being cast as the Doctor . In November 2015 , he appeared with Peter Jackson in a spoof video called " Home Invasion " in which he , as the Twelfth Doctor , attempts to get Jackson to sign a contract to direct an episode of " Doctor Who " . He also starred as the Twelfth Doctor in " Sprout Boy meets a Galaxy of Stars " . Other notable work . Capaldi is the first Academy Award - winner to be cast as the Doctor . He received the award in the category for starring Richard E Grant and Crispin Letts ( son of Barry Letts ) , which he wrote and directed . Capaldi began his acting career in 1983 with a supporting role in the film " Local Hero " . Prior to this , he attended art school in Glasgow and fronted several musical groups , including one featuring Craig Ferguson , who later became the host of an American talk show , as well as an avid promoter of " Doctor Who " . Outside " Doctor Who " , he is perhaps best known to audiences as the foul - mouthed Director of Communications , Malcolm Tucker , throughout the entire run of the BBC sit - com " The Thick Of It " , which inspired an American series titled " Veep " . He also played this role in the Oscar - nominated spin - off feature film , " In The Loop " . He appeared as Tucker for the last time before taking on the role of the Doctor in 2013 . Capaldi was cast as the Doctor while in the midst of filming the first series of " The Musketeers " , a BBC One series in which he played antagonist Cardinal Richelieu , broadcast in 2014 . Capaldi did not return to the role for " The Musketeers " second series . Around the time of the casting announcement , Capaldi appeared in a small role in the Hollywood disaster movie " World War Z " as a doctor from the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) . After he was cast as the Doctor , media attention was given to the fact that he was credited in the film as " WHO Doctor . " Prior to the broadcast of series 8 , Capaldi was to appear in the Angelina Jolie film " Maleficent " , but his scenes were cut during the editing . Outside of acting , Capaldi is also known for presenting a number of arts - related documentaries , including " A Portrait of Scotland " , and the 2013 production " Inside the Mind of Leonardo " . Being both an actor and an Academy Award - winning director , Capaldi is the only actor to play the Doctor to have significant above the line credits on both sides of the camera prior to taking on the job . Interviews . Peter Capaldi was interviewed in DWM 469 and DWM 477 . In issue 477 , he talked about his previous connections with the TV series as a child . In the DWU . Peter Capaldi also exists within the " Doctor Who " universe , as the Eleventh Doctor said in the comic story " The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who " that he rescued the actor from a Mandrel . Later in the story , during a visit to a parallel universe where the Doctor is a character in a TV series , the Doctor tells actor Matt Smith that Capaldi would be a good choice to play him on TV .