Former Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi has reflected on the current state of the show, saying there’s a change to the rebooted version that he believes has “diminished” the drama.
The BBC rebooted the hit programme in 2005 and Capaldi became the fourth actor to take on the central role when his predecessor Matt Smith exited in 2013.
The regenerations, which see a Doctor die before the new one emerges, are key moments in the show – but Capaldi has admitted he thinks the power of the emotional scenes has faded in recent years.
Speaking on the 100 Questions with Tom Simons podcast, the 68-year-old explained: “To be perfectly honest, I think there are too many regenerations.
“I love all the Doctors but I’ve lost count now of how many of them there are. The weight of this regeneration is diminished whereas when I grew up as a kid, [with] the first one, it was like ‘what just happened there?’. It was mysterious, it was strange.”
Doctor Who’s initial 26-year run, from 1963 to 1989, saw eight actors take on the lead role, while the rebooted version has so far seen seven doctors in 21 years.
Capaldi’s comments come after the BBC said its previously announced 2026 Christmas episode will no longer go ahead, with showrunner Russell T Davies exiting the programme.
Ncuti Gatwa stepped down from the show in a two-part finale last year, with the explosive episodes ending on a cliffhanger as Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler, appeared to have regenerated into the new Doctor.
Sex Education star Gatwa previously revealed why he decided to step down after two series, saying last year: “I’m getting old, and my body was tired… and I’ve now just started doing some ballet, so I’m making really great decisions.
“It’s the most amazing job in the world, a job that any actor would dream of and – because it’s so good – it’s strenuous. It takes a lot out of you, physically, emotionally, mentally, and so it was time.”
Reflecting on his own exit, Capaldi said in the new podcast: “Everybody was leaving. Jenna [Coleman, who played Clara Oswald] had gone, Steven [Moffatt, writer] was going. Brian [Minchin], the producer, was going. Those were the people that make it work for you.
“And we’d had some talks about the direction… I wasn’t sure that that was where I wanted to go with the show and I also thought I’m not sure I could come up with anything new.”
Davies announced the end of his second tenure as showrunner earlier this month – adding that Piper has not been confirmed as the next Doctor.
Referring to the now-cancelled Christmas special, he said: "We only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there's no need for it.
"You'll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who... but you'll be waiting for more Doctor Who than a one-off. So it's worth it!
"For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor."
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