Peter Capaldi has become the latest actor to take on one of the most iconic roles in British television.

The actor will replace Matt Smith on Doctor Who in this year's Christmas special and will become the 12th Doctor to take control of the TARDIS.

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To mark Capaldi's appointment as the latest of the Time Lords, Digital Spy gives you ten facts you may not know about the show's newest star.

1. Capaldi was born on April 14, 1958 in Glasgow, Scotland. His mother's family came from Ireland, while his father's family were from Italy, and his parents ran an ice cream business during his youth.

2. After taking acting lessons, Capaldi was accepted into the Glasgow School of Art. He secured his first acting role during his time at the school in 1983 film Local Hero.

3. As a young art student, Capaldi was the lead singer in a punk rock band called Dreamboys and performed alongside drummer Craig Ferguson, who is now a famous comedian and television host.

4. He is most well known for his performance as government spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in BBC's political comedy The Thick of It. He has also appeared in Skins, Midnight Man and Peep Show.

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5. He won an Academy Award for 'Live Action Short Film' for Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life, which he wrote and directed. It tied with American short film Trevor. Capaldi's film starred Richard E. Grant, who would later develop numerous connections with Doctor Who. Grant starred as The Doctor in the 1999 Red Nose Day sketch and more recently appeared as adversary Doctor Simeon in the show's seventh series.

6. Like previous Doctor Who stars Colin Baker, Freema Agyeman and Karen Gillan, Capaldi has appeared on the show before. He starred as Caecilius in 2008 episode 'The Fires of Pompeii', which featured Tenth Doctor David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. Additionally, he also featured in a lead role in Torchwood's third series Children of Earth.

7. Matt Smith revealed in a recent interview, aired during BBC One's Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor, that his successor approached him in the street the day after his first episode 'The Eleventh Hour' aired to congratulate him.

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8. The show's executive producer Steven Moffat revealed that he had considered Capaldi as David Tennant's replacement back in 2010 but instead opted for Smith.

9. Capaldi, aged 55, is the same age as William Hartnell was when he took on the role of The Doctor in 1963. However, Hartnell was slightly older when he appeared making Capaldi the second oldest out of the twelve. They are followed by Third Doctor Jon Pertwee, who was 50 years old when he joined Doctor Who in 1970.

10. He appeared in the Brad Pitt film World War Z earlier this year as a W.H.O. Doctor, just months before accepting the lead role in Doctor Who.

Watch Capaldi introduce himself as The Doctor below:

Doctor Who - The 12 Doctors:Doctor Who: The Doctors

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