Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi says it's "fascinating" that Heaven Sent is fan favourite

But things get haunting when the cycle continues, with the Doctor spending four-and-a-half billion years in a loop dying and coming back to life to try and figure out how to escape.

Well, now Capaldi himself has revealed his thoughts about Heaven Sent being crowned the best episode of Doctor Who.

Speaking on the Where There's A Will, There's A Wake podcast, the actor revealed to host and actress Kathy Burke: "That was lovely, it was an episode that was written by the wonderful Steven Moffat who looked after the show when I was in it.

"It was very unusual. It was beautifully directed by Rachel Talalay, who’s a lovely American lady. [With] Doctor Who, you’ve got to talk about monsters and it’s a sort of circus – kids love it and everybody’s got to be entertained but actually underneath it all, there’s a sense of melancholy and death.

"That particular episode’s just all about death and I think that’s fascinating that that episode became the all-time favourite."

Capaldi continued: "[Kids are] smart in the sense they understand instinctively that there’s darkness and there are things around and the monsters are manifestations of that.

"But also the fact that the central character in Doctor Who will die – even though they come back as somebody else, the one that you love has gone, and that’s a very compelling and powerful thing to have at the centre of a show."

Although the episode is clearly a fan-favourite, Capaldi has recently set the record straight about whether his Twelfth Doctor will ever make a return to the series, after the 60th anniversary episodes marked the return of David Tennant.

He told Forbes: "I like the idea that my Doctor is still out there. He's not available to come and be on TV. The real Doctor is not on TV, the real Doctor is out there."

Read more:

• Peter Capaldi: Police drama Criminal Record had to tackle racism, misogyny
• Peter Capaldi explains why he won't return to Doctor Who

As of now, Capaldi can be seen in new Apple TV+ crime drama Criminal Record alongside Cush Jumbo (Stay Close) as two clashing detectives are drawn into a confrontation over an old murder case.

The series, according to Apple: "Touches on issues of race, institutional failure and the quest to find common ground in a polarised Britain."

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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