Clara (Jenna Coleman) and the current Doctor (Matt Smith) in season 33 of the popular show.
Paul McGann, who starred as the eighth Doctor in the 1996 movie "Doctor Who," arrives at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on August 15, 2002 in London.
Actor Sylvester McCoy, who played the seventh Doctor from 1989-1996, arrives for the world premiere of 'The Hobbit' movie in Courtenay Place in Wellington, New Zealand, on November 28, 2012.
Colin Baker, who played the sixth Doctor from 1984-1986, poses with Daleks on July 12, 2013 in York, northern England.
Peter Davison, the fifth Doctor from 1981-1984, poses in the TARDIS at BBC Television Centre, London, on April 15, 1981.
The fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker from 1974-1981, standing alongside a Zygon, meets Sergeant Frank Ziegler, a guard at the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London in 1978.
The third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee from 1970-1974, sits in the car park of BBC Television Centre, London, guarded by two Daleks in 1972.
Patrick Troughton, who played the second Doctor from 1966-1969, holds one of his own paintings outside his home in Teddington, London, on May 5, 1981.
William Hartnell (center) stars as the first Doctor (1963-1966) and is pictured alongside Dracula and Frankenstein's monster in "The Chase" on May 2, 1965.
- Next star of seminal British show "Doctor Who" to be revealed live on Sunday
- British actor Peter Capaldi, star of political comedy "The Thick of It," is odds-on favorite
- 50th anniversary of show's first episode to be marked by biopic, special episode
- BBC: "Even those working with new Doctor on other projects have no idea"
(CNN) -- Whovians, clear your calendars -- the next star of the British science-fiction series "Doctor Who" will be unveiled Sunday during a live half-hour television special on the BBC.
The 12th Doctor of the long-running show, which has aired 33 seasons and nearly 800 episodes since it premiered in 1963, will be revealed in front of a studio audience set against a backdrop of a swirling vortex, Daleks, and the TARDIS, the BBC has announced.
Peter Capaldi, who starred as a foul-mouthed spin doctor in the British political comedy series "The Thick of It," has been the odds-on favorite to step into the good Doctor's blue phone booth-shaped time machine after Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor, announced in June that he would be leaving the show after four years.
Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, said: "We can't wait to unveil the next Doctor ... 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."
The show will air live simultaneously on BBC One in Britain at 6:00 p.m. GMT and on BBC America at 2:00 p.m. ET.
READ MORE: "Doctor Who" to mark 50 years with biopic
The seminal British series first aired in 1963 -- when the broadcast of the premiere was delayed due to coverage of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy -- and spawned a number of spinoffs, books, stage performances and radio shows before going off the air in 1989.
The show returned to television in 2005 to critical acclaim in Britain. The BBC has said it will debut the new Doctor in this year's Christmas special.
Rory Kinnear, who played Bill Tanner in the James Bond films "Quantum of Solace" and "Skyfall," and Idris Elba, better known as Stringer Bell from the HBO drama "The Wire," have also been tipped as candidates to be the next incarnation of the Time Lord.
As fans eagerly await the appointment of the next Doctor, the BBC will celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Doctor Who" with a biopic about the show's origins.
"An Adventure in Space and Time" will premiere later this year and fictionally recounts the creation of the series while exploring the team behind its first episode.
The show will also mark the highly-anticipated milestone on November 23 with a special episode starring Matt Smith, David Tennant -- Smith's predecessor -- and John Hurt as the Doctor, according to the BBC.
Emily Zemler and Kevin Taverner contributed to this report.
