Despite being the only person Steven Moffat had in mind for the role of the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi still had to audition. Capaldi will become the newest generation of the Doctor in the Christmas special Dec. 25.

According to Bury Times, Moffat said: "We asked and he was incredibly excited to come and audition. We didn't tell him that he was the only person auditioning because that would be oddly pressuring." Capaldi is a beloved actor who is best known for his role in The Thick Of It as bad-mouthed Malcolm Tucker.

"Nobody has a bad thing to say about him and that's not a minor issue when it comes to casting a Doctor,” Moffat continued. “They've got to be lovely. And he's a huge fan of Doctor Who."

According to The Herald, Jenna Coleman and current Doctor, Matt Smith, knew the casting news a month before it was publicly announced.

Matt Smith said of his replacement, "I had lunch with Peter Capaldi the other day and I think he is going to be incredible. He has the most brilliant ideas and as a fan I am genuinely excited to see what he is going to do because I think he's going to do something extraordinary."

"He's going to be so different to Matt and take the show in an interesting direction," Coleman added.

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