Peter Capaldi named as the 12th Doctor Who

Glasgow-born actor and Oscar winner Peter Capaldi has been unveiled as the 12th incarnation of Doctor Who.

Capaldi, who was the bookies' favourite, was revealed as the new Doctor during a live television show on Sunday evening.

The Scottish actor, famous for his role as foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in political comedy The Thick of It, is a lifelong fan of the show and wrote a letter to the Radio Times about the Daleks when he was a teenager.

Outgoing Doctor Who, Matt Smith, welcomed the decision to cast Capaldi.

He said: "I just want to wish my successor all the best and just say good luck and good on you for getting it, because I know he is both a huge fan of the show and a really nice guy.

"The casting of it made me really excited genuinely, and as a fan I think it's a really canny choice, so good luck mate, it's going to be a thrill."

Others took to Twitter to welcome the appointment:

55-year-old Capaldi won an Academy Award in 1994 for the best short film (Live Action) for Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life, but Capaldi really became a household name thanks to his performance as foul-mouthed spin-doctor Tucker.

He has also written several shows including a documentary about 500 years history of Scottish portrait painting and Cricklewood Greats - a spoof about the heyday of the British film industry.

Capaldi has appeared in Doctor Who before - playing Caecilius in the episode The Fires of Pompeii in 2008.

He will film his first scenes for Doctor Who this Autumn, but will appear in forthcoming films The Fifth Estate and Disney's Maleficent.

He is also currently filming new BBC One drama series The Musketeers, in which he plays Cardinal Richelieu which will launch in early 2014.