Peter Capaldi Hints Series Ten Could be His Last

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Back when the fate of Series Ten hung in the balance, there were rumours that Peter Capaldi had, like previous Doctors Peter Davison and Patrick Troughton, a three-year exit strategy. Now that initial work has begun on the next series with a regularly scheduled amount of episodes and Capaldi signed up for the year, he has once again teased that this series could very well be his last.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Capaldi has inferred that he may walk away once his contract has expired.

“This could be my final year – it’s terrifying. I love Doctor Who but it can be quite an insular world and I do want to do other things. There will come a time when this is over. But I knew that when I started. I was thinking about my regeneration scene from the outset. That’s my terrible melancholic nature. When you accept the job you know there’ll come a day, inevitably, when you’ll be saying goodbye.”

These things only feel like natural preoccupations for the man carrying the mantle of the Doctor. It’s hard to think of previous Doctors who haven’t imagined their final moments and it’s no secret that Capaldi wants to do other things – there was a long standing rumour that he was going to either direct episodes of HBO sitcom Veep or another movie (Capaldi directed 2001’s Strictly Sinatra) based upon his early years in a punk band.

He also addressed the response to his Doctor – saying that he doesn’t read reviews but certain comments, both good and bad, have filtered back to him.

“Some feel good and some feel bad. I always think that if you’re Doctor Who, somebody some where’s going to love you. That’s comfort. But if people don’t like me there’ll be another one along in a minute. It’s only Doctor Who – and I say that with the greatest of respect and affection. It’s not a life-threatening illness.”

It’s both the healthy attitude and thick skin that comes with being at the centre of a lot people’s attention. Some of that scrutiny has focused on his age, which still feels strange knowing what has come before in the past, but still, it’s something that he choices to face with his usual good humour.

“No, because every Doctor should be different from the last one. If you want exclusively young, sexy guys, to me that’s not Doctor Who. You want occasional ones like that – but then some other eccentrics.”

For now, though, he is delighted to see the show return to its regular tea time slot with this year’s Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song.

“It’s a very festive, light‑hearted Christmas afternoon show,” he says. “Although a lot of adults really like it, at its heart Doctor Who is designed to entertain children as well. I like the idea of families watching together. That’s what I did when I was a child.”

So do we think Capaldi will leave at the end of Series Ten? Do you want him to stay? Is three years the right time to leave the show?

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