Peter Capaldi is standing down from the role of Doctor Who in the long-running television series.

The actor, who became the 12th Doctor in 2013, made the shock announcement in a BBC Radio 2 interview with Jo Wiley aired this evening.

Capaldi, who previously played the foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, said he would be leaving at the end of this year.

“I feel it’s time to move on,” he said.

“I feel sad, I love Doctor Who, it is a fantastic programme to work on,” he added.

“It can’t praise the people I work with more highly, but I have always been someone that did a lot of different things.”

The next series will also be the last to feature Steven Moffat as lead writer and executive producer.

Moffat praised the star’s performance in a BBC announcement: “Peter’s amazing, fiery, turbulent Doctor is still fighting the good fight, and his greatest adventures are yet to come. Monsters of the universe, be on your guard - Capaldi’s not done with you yet!”

Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, said: “He has been a tremendous Doctor who has brought his own unique wisdom and charisma to the role.