Peter Capaldi announced as 12th Doctor, over 500,000 tweets sent in lead up to #DoctorWhoLive reveal
Peter Capaldi, the actor known for playing spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, has tonight been revealed at the 12th person to play the role of Doctor Who.He said: “Being asked to play The Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can't wait to get started."Capaldi, who previously had a cameo in episode The Fires of Pompeii, will take over the role from current Doctor Matt Smith, who will leave the role during the Christmas special following four years as the Doctor.Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer said: “It's an incendiary combination: one of the most talented actors of his generation is about to play the best part on television. Peter Capaldi is in the TARDIS!”The Scottish actor was amongst the pundits' favourites for the role: On Friday 26 July, he was 40/1 for the gig however by the time betting was suspended on Friday 2nd he was odds on at 5/6.“Everyone has tried their best to keep it quiet although it looks as though someone may have let the secret slip within the last week or so,” said William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly. “The gamble was not solely on Capaldi however and there were many other contenders for the crown.”According to SecondSync, which provides Twitter analytics for TV, over a quarter of a million tweets were sent about Doctor Who in the time leading up to the big reveal, and over 542,531 in its capture window.
Research from Twitter found that at the moment Capaldi was annouunced, over 16,000 people were tweeting using the term Doctor Who (Doctor Who, #doctorwho, #drwho #doctorwholive), while 11,000 tweeted Peter Capaldi's name.
IT’S OFFICIAL! Peter Capaldi IS the next Doctor! http://t.co/MkFjVldAjv #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/HC0Q9M3H9V
— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) August 4, 2013#DoctorWhoLive Such a contrast from the years when #BBC didn't want to even talk about #DoctorWho & it was left to #Fans & #VirginBooks
— Andrew Haglington (@AHaglington) August 4, 2013#DoctorWhoLive Such a contrast from the years when #BBC didn't want to even talk about #DoctorWho & it was left to #Fans & #VirginBooks
— Andrew Haglington (@AHaglington) August 4, 2013Still not ginger. #DoctorWhoLive #DoctorWho
— The Doctor (@ItsTheDoctor) August 4, 2013