Former Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi has explained why he won’t return to the BBC sci-fi series.
The actor played the Time Lord in his twelfth form before being succeeded by Jodie Whittaker, with his stint lasting from 2014 until 2017.
The recent trilogy of specials, which were filmed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the show, saw David Tennant return to the show to play a new version of the character, but Capaldi has ruled out the possibility of himself doing the same.
Related: Doctor Who regeneration originally included reference to villain
“No,” he told Forbes when asked of the prospect. “I'm a long-standing Doctor Who fan from being a kid. [Criminal Record character Daniel] Hegarty is the same age as me, so maybe he watched Doctor Who, too.
“He’s of that era. I like the idea that my Doctor is still out there. He's not available to come and be on television. The real Doctor is not on TV, the real Doctor is out there.”
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Whilst Capaldi has seemingly ruled out a return to the show, Davina McCall recently expressed her enthusiasm to reprise her role from the Christmas special, ‘The Church on Ruby Road’, where the presenter played a fictionalised version of herself.
Related: Emmerdale star Louise Jameson returns to Doctor Who for new scene
"Of course!" she said when asked if she would return. "It’s a no-brainer and such an honour. Russell T Davies is the most amazing writer. To be with Ncuti [Gatwa] on his first day [was great]. I wasn’t actually physically with him, as he was on another job so we never actually met, but we were on screen together as he saved my life."
The presenter, best known for Big Brother and My Mum, Your Dad, had previously said appearing on the show was “an honour”, revealing that she first began to watch the show when Jon Pertwee was in the titular role.
Doctor Who will return for its 14th series this spring. The show airs on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere.
Classic episodes of Doctor Who are now made available via BBC iPlayer in the UK as well.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
