The acclaimed TV writer, 52, set out on a mission to find someone “utterly compelling” and “attractive in a very odd way”.
His result? Capaldi, who we hope will not be offended by the latter description.
“None of the Doctors are conventionally attractive but they’re all arresting,” Moffat told Radio Times. “Handsome men don’t quite suit.”
But if Capaldi might find the impression Moffat holds of his looks insulting, Smith has even more reason to question his “unique” complimenting style.
“Matt Smith’s a young, good-looking bloke from one angle but is actually the strangest looking man from another,” Moffat continued. “You need that oddity, you need somebody who is carved out of solid star.
“(Doctor Who) really is built around the abilities, the charm, the magnetism of a succession of different actors – they all cast themselves, the easiest thing to spot in the world is sheer brilliance.”
In pictures: What the Doctors did next
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The 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who, The Day of The Doctor, is nominated for the public-voted Radio Times Audience Award at this year’s Baftas.
Moffat has admitted that making the special one-off was “monstrously stressful” because he wanted everyone to love it, even the “absolute diehard fans who hate every episode”.
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