Posted in: BBC, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: doctor who, opinion

Doctor Who: Capaldi Defends Whittaker & Gatwa Casting (And He's Right)

Doctor Who legend Peter Capaldi defending Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa isn't controversial; it's common sense - if you're a real fan.

While we await word on where things stand with the BBC and Showrunner Russell T. Davies's Doctor Who Christmas Special (and beyond), we've enjoyed covering what Peter Capaldi, aka the Twelfth Doctor, has had to share about his time on the long-running series while doing press for his Apple TV series, Criminal Record. During a recent interview, Capaldi touched on the backlash that the show received for casting Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctors who followed him, making it clear that he doesn't get why folks made such a fuss and how diversifying the show made sense. "It reflects its times, and it's a good thing in the world, though it's become a bit too big, too important for the BBC or whoever," Capaldi shared with The Sunday Times. "When I was a kid and watched it, it was just a monster show in the corner of the room. I dunno why people take it so seriously."

And yet, Capaldi defending Whittaker and Gatwa's casting by reasoning that it's time for a show that's now well over a half-century old to reflect the world around it is being viewed by some as "controversial." To that, we would ask the rhetorical question, "How?" And we mean rhetorical because there isn't an answer to that. Because if you're a "fan" who doesn't think it's about time that a show that's been around this long actually starts looking beyond the "white dude" demo for its lead, then you're way more part of the problem than the solution. Capaldi's comments aren't controversial, but a good chunk of the reactions to it are just sad. Maybe we were right after all…

Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi Offers Additional Insights

During an interview with ITV's This Morning, alongside his Criminal Record co-star Cush Jumbo, Capaldi shared how the Doctor and Malcolm Tucker from The Thick of It tend to be the two roles that fans will call out to him about in public – usually the former involving a TARDIS joke and the latter involving someone wanting to be told to "fuck off." When asked if there was ever a time when he wished he wouldn't have to be "on" in public, Capaldi offered a wonderful perspective on how he views the fan engagement. "It's really sweet, you know? It's really nice. People come with such affection and warmth for that character. I'm not Doctor Who, unfortunately. I'm just me. But when they come to you with that level of affection, you kind of feel a little bit magical."

During an interview with the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Capaldi shared that he had "a little regret" when it came to making the decision to depart the show. Building on the question, Capaldi offered a deep dive into how the "intense" pressure of taking on the beloved role affected his daily interactions with others in public. "It's great fun being Doctor Who, but the pressure of it is quite intense. You're sort of on all the time and you don't want to disappoint anyone because even though I'm not Doctor Who, if people are meeting me they'd rather meet the version of me that is Doctor Who. So you try not to let them down, right?" Capaldi explained. "Yeah, because I'm quite miserable and melancholic, really," he joked, adding, "And that was, that was one of the big changes in my life, I guess, which happened quite late, was I'm quite miserable really, but I thought you can't be miserable if you're Doctor Who. You can't because you would disappoint people so I have to become cheerful all the time."

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