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Doctor Who Has "Too Many Regenerations," Impact "Diminished": Capaldi

Peter Capaldi believes that Doctor Who has had "too many regenerations," and that "diminished" the emotional impact they used to have.

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Article Summary

  • Peter Capaldi says Doctor Who has had too many regenerations, arguing the twist no longer lands like it once did.
  • Speaking on 100 Questions with Tom Simons, the former Twelfth Doctor called regeneration a diminished big event.
  • Capaldi says regeneration was once mysterious and strange, and that mystery remains central to Doctor Who.
  • He also calls Doctor Who's death-and-rebirth cycle a powerful, magical motif that gives the series its pull.

With all of the uncertainty swirling around what the future holds for the BBC's Doctor Who, we were interested to see what Peter Capaldi, aka the Twelfth Doctor, might have to say on the matter when we saw that he would be checking in with Tom Simons for the 100 Questions with Tom Simons podcast. The premise is that Simons' interviews are limited to 100 questions and 1 hour. Whichever hits first, the interview wraps up. Though he doesn't address what the current situation is with Doctor Who, he did share that he believes that there "are too many regenerations," and that has "diminished" the emotional impact/big event feel that they used to have.

Doctor Who
Image: BBC

After noting that he felt "very sad" filming his scene, Capaldi would go on to share his thoughts on the long-running show and the number of regenerations it's had over the course of its run (we wonder if he's also referring to the number of times regeneration has come into play even when it doesn't result in a new Doctor). "And you know, I mean, to be perfectly honest, I think it's… there are too many regenerations. You know, I love all the Doctors, but I've lost count now of how many of them there are. So, the weight of this kind of regeneration is diminished," Capaldi shared, adding that the concept was "mysterious and strange" seeing it play out when he was a younger. As he sees it, the show regenerating its lead "holds the mystery of the show."

After Simons shares his perspective on how much of an event a regeneration was when he was growing up, Capaldi also noted that it's also a very morbid approach in that "one of the key tenets of the show and one of the things that attracts people, it's almost subconscious, is that the central character dies, you know? And then is reborn, and that doesn't happen in any other show, but they have to be taken right to the edge. So it's a very, very powerful death motif." When Simons asked if that was a pretty mature motif to have for a kid's show, Capaldi reponded, "It is, but it's magical. It's magical. And that's what, in it, lies the magic of the show."

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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