Doctor Who series 8 premieres in Cardiff as Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat drop big hints

The sci-drama returns to UK screens later this month and promises twists

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman at the Doctor Who series 8 premiere in Cardiff (Getty Images)

Thousands of Doctor Who fans from across the globe descended on Cardiff this afternoon to give new Time Lord Peter Capaldi a rousing welcome ahead of his debut performance.

The Scottish actor and co-star Jenna Louise Coleman were given the red carpet treatment as they attended the premiere for the new BBC series, which airs later this month.

Capaldi takes the helm from previous Doctor Matt Smith and those in the know say he will bring a darker edge to one of TV's most famous roles.

Tickets to catch a glimpse of Capaldi in the Doctor's role were snapped up within minutes - with some fans travelling from afar as France, Japan and even the USA.

The hour long episode, which took six weeks to make, was greeted with shouts of delight from a delighted audience. Capaldi's first scene as the Doctor prompted applause as well as laughter.

Capaldi bursts on to the screen first wearing the costume of the eleventh Doctor Matt Smith in an episode that also sees the return of the Time Lord's Silurian and reptile-like friend Madame Vastra.

Ahead of a Q&A in St David's Hall after the first airing, creator Steven Moffat urged the audience to "keep our secret for us" and not spoil one of the show's biggest surprises.

But while most of the new series has been kept under wraps, one big tease was shared.

Moffat revealed that former Emmerdale actor Sam Anderson’s Danny Pink will be the show's "secret weapon" and "nothing will be quite the same" following his arrival. Pink is a teacher at the school where Coleman's character Clara also teaches.

During the fan session, Capaldi was asked what his infamous character Malcolm Tucker, from political comedy The Thick of It All, would have made of the Doctor.

He replied: "He would probably be jealous. I think he would be incredibly envious that me, his alter ego, had got such a big gig."

Sci-fi fan Capaldi also credited Doctor Who with teaching him how to act, saying that he felt he had been "brought up" by the first four actors to play the role - William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

"It's every young boy's dream to be Doctor Who," he said. "If I could go back in time and speak to you, my younger self, I'd tell him keep drawing those comics of yours and keep writing to the BBC."

The Glaswegian hinted that fans could expect a change in the relationship between the Doctor and Clara. He said the pair still loved one another deeply, but that love went beyond romance.

He also gave details of his "unusual" audition for the show, which the show's producers wanted to keep so secret they staged it at his house.

"I didn't know this at the time but I was first on their list and the only person they intended on auditioning," he added.

Moffat was asked whether a Sherlock, Doctor Who crossover could happen, to which he quipped: "I think a show like that would be better in the imagination."

The new series of Doctor Who begins on BBC One on Saturday 23 August.

Press Association