Peter Capaldi: "I hope Theresa May takes Doctor Who's message of kindness, tolerance and compassion to heart"

And speaking on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, Peter Capaldi – who plays the twelfth Doctor – responded to her revelation, saying it was "quite a surprise that she was so keen on it."

But he added: "I hope she takes this message of kindness and tolerance and compassion to heart."

Capaldi will be back on screens this Christmas in Doctor Who special The Return of Doctor Mysterio – a superhero-style romp which also features Justin Chadwick, Charity Wakefield and returning guest star Matt Lucas.

Three years into the role, Capaldi told interviewer Sophie Raworth how much he enjoys the attention he gets from fans. "People are very nice, actually. I think it's something about the character. The Doctor is a good thing in the world and I think people feel a deep affection for whatever Doctor they grew up with. You're sort of like the Wizard of Oz."

Although he did confess to moving house just before his debut as the Doctor to maintain his privacy. "I lived next to the park and an ice cream van used to park outside my house so there used to be a big crew of kids there. We moved just before my Doctor Whos came out but I knew it wasn’t going to be a great place – I’d be very exposed."

Capaldi did also address his future in the role, stating "I'm not going to be Doctor Who forever", although – on prompting from Raworth as to when he would call time on the Tardis – he added, "not for a long time, I hope."

Thank goodness for that.