Peter Capaldi: The Iconic Doctor Who

Portraying the Time Lord

Peter Capaldi looks back on his time as the Twelfth Doctor, revealing the pressures, perspectives, and duties that portraying the Doctor brought for him. The actor took on the role of the Twelfth incarnation of the Time Lord in the 2013 seasonal special, 'The Time of the Doctor', following a surprising small cameo in the 50th-anniversary special, 'The Day of the Doctor'. Capaldi would lead Doctor Who from 2014 to 2017 across three full seasons and a number of specials, before handing over the key to the TARDIS to Jodie Whittaker in 2017's seasonal special 'Twice Upon A Time'. With Doctor Who having just celebrated its 60th anniversary across three specials, Capaldi has opened up about the unspoken responsibilities that the leading role brings in a larger interview with The Guardian. As one of the few actors to play the Doctor, Capaldi explains that portraying the Time Lord means you have to represent the entire brand and embody a positive portrayal of the character, as playing a character who has inspired generations of audiences allows for the opportunity to impact viewers uniquely.

Doctor Who Season 10 Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor

There aren’t a lot of people who have been in that role in the centre of that storm. Most people think the job is being on the TARDIS and running around with Daleks. Which it is. That’s the fun part. But there’s a lot of other stuff you have to do, too. You’re kind of the face of the brand and the brand is very big. You can’t be the cynical melancholic I naturally am. You have to pretend to be a version of yourself that’s far more amenable... You embody for a time this folk hero, this icon. I was able to comfort people in a way that would be beyond the powers of Peter. You could walk into a room and people gasped with delight. It doesn’t happen any more.

The Complex Doctor

During his Doctor Who tenure, Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor stood out as one of the more complex incarnations of the Time Lord, as his tenure tackled the morality of the Doctor. Starting with season 8, the Doctor was lost as to whether he was a good man, as his actions eschewed between wholesome and cold, and friends and foes asked whether he was a healer or a soldier. The Doctor's morals were further complicated by the loss of Clara (Jenna Coleman), as the Time Lord went on a mission to bring her back, no matter what the cost at the end of season 9. Later Doctor Who specials and his final season would slow Capaldi's Doctor down, now less abrasive and aided by Nardole (Matt Lucas) per River Song's (Alex Kingston) last request, the Doctor would take a leave from adventuring to become a university professor on Earth, where he could keep watch over an imprisoned Missy (Michelle Gomez). Once he met Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), the Twelfth Doctor became a mentor figure, guiding Bill throughout the cosmos until fate brought them to a Mondasian refugee ship. Losing Bill to the Cybermen, the Twelfth Doctor would perhaps take on his finest hour as he faced down legions of Cybermen alone to give the surviving refugees a chance, despite little chance of success.

When an actor takes on the role of the Doctor, they become an ambassador of the show, leaving them having to follow certain rules as Ncuti Gatwa has hinted, or taking on the role to aid younger fans as Whittaker did during the COVID-19 pandemic. With his own history of passionate fandom, the power the Doctor holds is all too familiar to Capaldi. As such, with Capaldi aware of Doctor Who's impact and a renewed appreciation of the Twelfth Doctor, it is clear the actor has succeeded.

Capaldi's Legacy and Impact

Capaldi's Doctor Who adventures are currently available on Max.