New ‘Doctor Who’ star to introduce himself to fans via world tour

Selecting a new “Doctor Who” star is a bit like finding the new pope. It doesn’t happen all the time, and there are millions of true believers around the world who will scream bloody murder if the wrong choice is made. With that kind of pressure, it’s no surprise that the latest Doctor, the 12th one in 50 years, is making a world tour to make nice with the fans ahead of his regular “Doctor Who” debut this August.

Peter Capaldi gave fans a peek at his interpretation of the time and space traveling alien Time Lord in the “Doctor Who” Christmas special last December, but his first full adventure as the Doctor will come when the latest 12-episode season airs on BBC America beginning in August.

The tour will take Capaldi and his costar Jenna Coleman to seven cities on five continents over 12 days. Series showrunner Steven Moffat will join the two for some of the dates.

The tour will kick off in Cardiff, Wales (the place where “Doctor Who” films), on Aug. 7 and conclude in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 19. The Doctor will also visit London, Seoul, Sydney and Mexico City. The tour will hit New York City on Aug. 14.

The BBC hasn’t announced the exact nature of the fan events in each city, but it did say this is the biggest promotional event in “Doctor Who’s” 50-year history.

In a statement, Capaldi said, “After 8 months solid filming deep in the world of monsters, Jenna and I are thrilled to be heading for the Planet of Fans.”

Little does he suspect they may be the most frightening life forms the Doctor has ever faced.