Matt Smith takes on Peter Capaldi in round 4 of our TV Champion poll

The timing is cruel. A month before Peter Capaldi’s debut as the Doctor in series eight, he must face off with his predecessor Matt Smith. It’s a battle between the old and the new – in more ways than one. Will this show that fans have already pledged their faith in the older, grizzled Capaldi, or do their loyalties still cling to the younger, fresh-faced Smith?

As a war-weary Doctor Who fan, I’d have to say my money is on the latter. That, in no way at all, is a premature judgment on Capaldi, who I think has the potential to be one of the most exciting Doctors the show has ever had. It’s more to do with the fact that there’s a cycle Doctor Who fans go through whenever there’s a new regeneration; one where their love of the previous Doctor is still too strong for them to accept anyone else until the new one wins them over. This, I fear, is what will happen.