Peter Capaldi won't return to Doctor Who: "I've done my time"
The Devil's Hour star says he has great affection for the series, but won't be back as the Twelfth Doctor.
We might have just seen one former Doctor Who star return to the series in dramatic fashion, but Peter Capaldi has insisted he has no plans to follow in David Tennant's footsteps.
The BBC sci-fi's latest episode, The Power of the Doctor, ended with Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor regenerating into a new form, played by Tenth Doctor actor Tennant.
Returning showrunner Russell T Davies has since stated that Tennant is indeed playing the Fourteenth Doctor rather than a revisiting of the Tenth – same face, different incarnation.
Capaldi, who played the Twelfth Doctor between 2014 and 2017, had previously ruled out a return to Doctor Who for a guest appearance in a multi-Doctor story, saying it'd be "very hard to imagine how you’d get a decent crack of the whip when there’s 14 of you".
But would he be interested in something akin to Tennant's comeback, where he was once again the one and only Doctor?
"I don’t think so, no," Capaldi told RadioTimes.com while promoting his new Prime Video series The Devil's Hour.
"I love Doctor Who – I love it in all of its forms. But I’ve sort of done my time on it and I like the idea that you leave that as it is, instead of constantly digging up more of it."
Though he's not looking to return to the series, Capaldi added: "I think the show’s wonderful and I look forward to seeing what happens next."
Following Tennant's return stint for three specials to mark Doctor Who's 60th anniversary – which will also mark the return of Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble – Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will then take up the lead as the Fifteenth Doctor for the show's next full series.
Meanwhile, Capaldi plays the enigmatic Gideon in spooky six-part thriller The Devil's Hour, which sees him reunited with ex-Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat who serves as executive producer on the series.
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Written and created by Tom Moran, the series also stars Jessica Raine, Nikesh Patel (Starstruck) and Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso) and explores the surprising link between a woman (Raine) suffering from waking nightmares, a detective (Patel) investigating a string of brutal murders and a nomadic criminal (Capaldi) who believes he can predict the future.
Capaldi previously described the series as "spectacularly dark", adding: "Everything starts with the scripts and Tom’s scripts were wonderful and inventive and such a brilliant idea at the core. Kind of an aspect of it is that you should listen to your nightmares, because they may be communicating with you in some way."
Read more:
- Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo lead new thriller Criminal Record
- Peter Capaldi says The Devil's Hour character "isn't what he appears"
- So what the hell is going on with Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who?
- Ncuti Gatwa's first official Doctor Who episode will air in "festive period" 2023
The Devil's Hour launches exclusively on Prime Video on 28th October – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
