Last night, durng a BBC Radio 2 interview, Peter Capaldi revealed to Jo Whiley that he will be leaving Doctor Who after completing work on the 2017 Christmas Special.
It's not a complete surprise, of course. Fans have speculated that this might happen ever since Steven Moffatt's departure was announced. Then, when the news broke that Brian Minchin was leaving as well, it felt increasingly likely that Peter Capaldi would leave along with them. Nevertheless it was sad to hear Peter confirming the truth. Couldn't Peter have stayed on for just one more year? He could have been the one to break the modern trend of doing three series with occasional specials. I knew it was unlikely that Peter would, or even should, try to surpass Tom Baker's seven year run but I had hoped he would attempt to stay five years like Jon Pertwee did. Oh well. There's no point worrying about that now.
Peter Capaldi was the perfect casting choice for the role of the Doctor. Some actors take time to settle into the role, but Peter was one who got it right in his very first story. As a fan of the show from long ago, he'd seen the work of previous Doctors, taken the best aspects of their performances, and incorporated them into his own unique take. It might have seemed risky to cast an older actor, after the last two were so young, but it had the benefit of letting us see the age of the Doctor, while Peter continues to pull off the practical stunts of a younger man. His replacement will have big shoes to fill.
How will people remember the Twelfth Doctor? It would take quite a while to cover the sheer range of what his Doctor has done. Perhaps people will remember his angry pleading when making his speech in the Zygon Invasion, the grieving, angry man in Heaven Sent, or the determined, the mad old man who played a guitar on a tank in The Magician's Apprentice, or the ruthless man who confronted Half-Faced man in Deep Breath. There are so many moments to choose from.
Peter has also been great off screen as well. There have been countless images of him on twitter, signing autographs and posing with the fans he meets on location. His mind may have been on more important matters like the actual filming but he never let it show. We've been lucky to have had such a great ambassador for the show. It's very unlikely we'll get another Doctor who has fond memories of The Web Planet.
Of course, we have to remember that there is still a third series and one special to go. The Twelfth Doctor's era has been great so far and the last two series have been, in this blogger's opinion, the best that Steven Moffat has produced. Hopefully, Series Ten will reach the same heights as the previous two and the 2017 Christmas Special will give Peter the brilliant send-off that he deserves. After that it will be interesting to see what Peter does next. I wish him well in whatever he does.
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