What kind of Doctor will Peter Capaldi be? It’s one of the big questions on fans’ lips as they await their first proper look at the new Time Lord in action.


Well, Mark Gatiss has already been treated to a glimpse and his verdict, summed up in three words, is “wonderful”, “dangerous” and “crazy”.

“I saw a little of Peter Capaldi in action and he is wonderful,” said the Doctor Who writer. “I think it will be very exciting for everyone, because it is a more dangerous, more urgent Doctor. It has a side of crazy.”

“I was very saddened by the departure of [11th Doctor] Matt Smith,” Gatiss told Brazilian website Adoro Cinema. “He did a great job, as did David Tennant before him, but Peter has something interesting to bring to the role this time. The series has already turned eight, is not new anymore, and it’s time to do something more radical. I think it will be fantastic.”

The suggestion that Capaldi might bring a harder edge to the Doctor may not surprise everyone. His recently unveiled skinhead-influenced outfit hints at it, while many people are still struggling to see past his previous role of scathing, sweary spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker.

But anyone who has seen the actor’s heart-warming conversation with two sceptical young fans – who were quickly convinced that he will indeed make a good Doctor – know there’s likely to be a softer side to him as well.


Gatiss’s claim that “it’s time to do something radical” is intriguing, though – it doesn’t necessarily have to mean tough but it does suggest significant change is on the way for Doctor Who…