Departing 'Doctor Who' Star Peter Capaldi Praised By David Tennant

The Tenth Doctor has spoken out.

He was arguably the most divisive Time Lord of the modern era, but departing ‘Doctor Who’ star Peter Capaldi has been praised by his predecessor, David Tennant.

Peter made the shock announcement on Monday (30 January) that he would be stepping down as The Doctor at the end of the upcoming series, four years after taking over the role from Matt Smith.

Following the news, David Tennant, who played the lead in the sci-fi drama for five years, has now shared his feelings on Peter’s portrayal of the Twelfth Doctor, singling out his “intensity”, “bravery” and “cleverness”.

Open Image Modal
Peter Capaldi as The Doctor
BBC
Open Image Modal
Ah, memories
BBC

Attention now turns to who should replace Peter as the Thirteenth Doctor, with former assistant Billie Piper suggesting it’s about time the job went to a woman.

She’s said: “Given the spirit of the world at the moment, I think it would be timely [for a woman to get the role].”

Before Peter’s successor is named, though, there’s still the matter of his final series at the helm of ‘Doctor Who’, which is set to air later this year.

This series will also introduce The Doctor’s new assistant, Bill, played by Pearl Mackie.

Check out some of our suggestions for the job in the gallery below...

1
Helen Mirren
Ian West/PA Wire
Peter Capaldi is proof that an older star can be perfect in the show's lead role, and anything that means we get more Helen in our lives can only be a good thing.
2
Janelle Monae
Matt Sayles/AP
Janelle has only just turned her hand to acting, but as anyone who has seen 'Hidden Figures' can confirm, she's certainly something special.

Might the BBC be aiming a little high if they tried to sign up the Screen Actors' Guild award winner? Yes. Does that mean they shouldn't try? Absolutely not.
3
Rebecca Root
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
We're still disappointed that Rebecca's show 'Boy Meets Girl' won't be returning, but landing this role would make up for it.
4
Vicky McClure
Anthony Harvey via Getty Images
Vicky has proved she's got what it takes to tackle huge roles, thanks to her parts in 'This Is England' and 'Line Of Duty', but we'd love to see her take on something with a fun side.
5
Jenna Coleman
Matt Crossick/PA Wire
Jenna served as the Doctor's loyal assistant for three years, but in the world of science fiction, anything is possible and we're sure the writing team could cleverly come up with a way to put her front and centre.
6
Samira Wiley
Dan MacMedan via Getty Images
Samira is no stranger to television, having starred as Poussey Washington in four seasons of 'Orange Is The New Black'.
7
Joanne Froggatt
David Livingston via Getty Images
We haven't seen enough of Joanne since 'Downton Abbey' came to an end, and the Tardis would certainly be a departure from the drab and dingy servant's quarters her character Anna was used to.
8
Susan Wokoma
Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images
2017 is being billed as Susan's breakthrough year, but her CV is already more-than-impressive, thanks to roles in shows such as 'Misfits', and films 'Burn, Burn, Burn' and 'The Inbetweeners 2'.
9
Sian Brooke
Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images
Sian made her mark on 2017's 'Sherlock', playing a master of disguise. Quite frankly, if she can morph into four different personas with such ease, the role of the Time Lord would be a walk in the park.
10
Antonia Thomas
Doug Peters/Doug Peters
Antonia is another star who found fame on E4, playing the feisty Alisha in 'Misfits' - which also gave her a taste for the perils of time travel.
11
Olivia Colman
Matt Crossick/Matt Crossick
Multi-award winning actress Olivia also made the bookies' shortlist, with odds of 20/1.
12
Hayley Atwell
Eric Catarina via Getty Images
Hayley was vocal about the fact she wanted the role back in August 2015. Her comments came at an interesting time, as 'Doctor Who' writer AL Kennedy had just claimed that the Doctor should never be a woman.
13
Lara Pulver
Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive
When Capaldi announced his decision to step down from the role, bookies soon named Lara the female favourite for the role, offering odds of 10/1.