Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat has revealed that new star Peter Capaldi had to audition for his lead role in the show — despite being the only person they had in mind.

Capaldi, famed for his role as the foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in The Thick Of It, will become the latest regeneration of the Doctor in the show's Christmas edition, The Time Of The Doctor, which will screen in Australia on Boxing Day.

"We asked and he was incredibly excited to come and audition," says Moffat, the show's executive producer. "We didn't tell him that he was the only person auditioning because that would be oddly pressuring."

Discussing the casting, Moffat says: "He's one of the best actors in the country and is very beloved... Nobody has a bad thing to say about him and that's not a minor issue when it comes to casting a Doctor. They've got to be lovely. And he's a huge fan of Doctor Who."