‘Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi Defends Ncuti Gatwa, Jodie Whittaker

Nearly a decade after his run as the Twelfth Doctor ended, Peter Capaldi is defending his fellow Time Lords in the Doctor Who franchise.

The Oscar-winning actor recently called out fans who take the BBC show “so seriously,” expressing his support for successors Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa, who played the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Doctors.

“It reflects its times and it’s a good thing in the world, though it’s become a bit too big, too important for the BBC or whoever. When I was a kid and watched it, it was just a monster show in the corner of the room,” Capaldi told The Times. “I dunno why people take it so seriously.”

Following Capaldi’s three-season run as The Doctor from 2014 to 2017, Whittaker took over the role until 2022. While her casting as the first female Doctor ruffled some feathers, the actress said, “There needed to be a first and I didn’t fully appreciate it. I’m not like Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot: ‘I’m a girl, I’m a girl!’ I just am. But once it was announced — as well as a few grumpy pumps — for a lot of people it felt like a really wonderful moment.”

Gatwa became the first Black Doctor when he took over in the Disney+ Doctor Who refresh, which lasted for two seasons before ending last May. It’s believed that MAGA backlash played into Disney’s decision not to renew for a third season.

The actor explained that as a Rwandan immigrant, landing the role of The Doctor felt “just really powerful,” explaining that the show is rooted “so deep in British culture,” especially “for people of color, for marginalized people who really gravitate towards the show because it’s about friendship and it’s about adventure and it’s about union and unity.”

Executive producer and showrunner Russell T. Davies has said he has “no time” for critics of the show’s inclusivity. “I don’t have a second to bear [it]. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door,” he said.