The BBC has announced that 33-year-old Scottish actor David Tennant, who recently appeared as Casanova in a 3-part BBC series written by Who scribe Russell T. Davies, will replace Christopher Eccleston and become the tenth incarnation of the Timelord known as Doctor Who. 

Tennant will have a tough act to follow; the leather-jacketed Eccleston re-invented the role for a new generation of fans.  He won considerable critical acclaim as well as a huge British audience of more than 10 million viewers for the first new Doctor Who episode in 16 years, which breathed new life into the venerable science fiction franchise (see 'Dr. Who's Boffo Premiere'). 

Tennant will become the new Who during the Christmas Special and will portray the good Doctor at least through the next 13-episode season.   Actress Billie Piper will continue to play the Doctor's helper, Rose. Tennant will also be seen as Barty Crouch Jr. in the new Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which is due out later this year.

Eccleston, who brought a brooding intensity to the role of Doctor Who, cited the series' grueling workload as his reason from stepping down from the lucrative role, which reportedly earned him 650,000 British pounds (well over a million dollars).  His departure caused quite a stir in the U.K., where he is given much of the credit for reviving the Doctor Who franchise. 

Back in the glory days of Tom Baker, Doctor Who gained a cult following here in the States, and the new Doctor Who series could eventually prove to be equally popular over here.