The Twelth Doctor to be announced 7pm on Sunday

The identity of the Twelfth Doctor will be revealed in a special Doctor Who Live TV show to be broadcast on Sunday 4th August at 7pm on BBC One. The Show will also be broadcast live by simulcast on BBC America at 2pm/1c

The new star of the show will be revealed in front of a live studio audience and will be interviewed by host Zoe Ball. The half hour show will also feature interviews from outgoing Doctor Matt Smith and showrunner Steven Moffat as well as past Doctors and companions and special celebrity fan guests. There may even be the odd Dalek or two.

Steven Moffat said : ‘The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who’s taking over the TARDIS. For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve.’

Charlotte Moore, Controller BBC One said, “BBC One is the home of big live events and this special live show is the perfect way to reveal the identity of the next Doctor and share it with the nation. The Doctor is a truly iconic role and I’m more than excited about the booking.”

Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, meanwhile revealed the code name they have been using for the actor: “We can’t wait to unveil the next Doctor with everyone live on BBC1 on Sunday night. Amongst all the speculation and betting, there has been lots of fun and intrigue at work as we’ve been using the codename Houdini as a decoy! It’s the biggest secret in showbiz, even those working with the new Doctor on other projects at the moment have no idea they are in the presence of the 12th incarnation.”

Last week the BBC advertised for an audience of Doctor Who fans for the show under the guise of a pilot for a TV series celebrating classic programmes. The show has been hidden in the TV listings by scheduling a repeat of Celebrity Mastermind in the timeslot.

Since Matt Smith announced earlier this year that he was stepping down from the role there has been fierce speculation about who will be cast as the new Doctor. Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Miranda Hart, David Harewood and Steven Mangan have been among some of the big names suggested, all of whom have denied their involvement. The latest favourite, Peter Capaldi, has not made any comment. In a recent interview at San Diego Comic Con, Matt Smith said that he believed that the actor chosen would be likely to be a relative unknown, while Steven Moffat maintained that they had only just started looking.