NEW DR. WHO NAMED

It’s not often — if ever — that a half-hour television show is produced to announce the casting of a series star. But such was the case Sunday when the BBC produced a special (simulcast by BBC America) to announce the casting of Peter Capaldi as the new star of the cult favorite sci-fi series Doctor Who. The live telecast, hosted by English TV and radio personality Zoë Ball, featured several other actors who have played the time-traveling doctor, including Capaldi’s predecessor, Matt Smith, who remarked, “I loved it, I’ll miss it, but when you gotta go, you gotta go.” The Glasgow-born actor, who once played drums in a rock band that also included fellow Glaswegian, late-night host Craig Ferguson, will become the 12th actor to play the Doctor since the series debuted in 1963 with William Hartnell in the title role. (Ironically, Capaldi’s most recent movie role was as a doctor for the W.H.O. (World Health Organization) in the zombie flick World War Z.) “Being asked to play the Doctor is an amazing privilege,” he said. “Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can’t wait to get started.”