New Doctor Who Peter Capaldi has joked that the ancient Timelord will finally look closer to his actual age when he takes over the role on Christmas Day.
55-year-old Capaldi, who shot to fame as foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in political comedy The Thick of It, said, "I'm like, 1,955 years too young for the part really. So no, I think he's going to be quite happy to look his age at last."
Over the years, The Doctor's age has been estimated to be between 900 and up to thousands of years old. Capaldi takes over as the 12th Doctor, replacing 31-year-old Matt Smith, and he says he is honoured to play the role.
"They aren't just one, there are all of these actors and they're all a delight. I think they're all fabulous. I'm lucky to have them in my DNA because I've watching it from year dot. They're great."
Showrunner Steven Moffat joked to PA, "Well, The Doctor is thousands of years old, they've never actually been able to find an actor old enough to play him."
Moffat previously said of Capaldi's casting, "We've got used to two brilliant iterations of the younger, more popular Doctor and they have both been superlative. But now it's time for the old beast to snarl at you for a bit."
