After three seasons stretched over four years in one of the most demanding jobs on television, Peter Capaldi stepped down from starring in Doctor Who last Christmas, passing the TARDIS keys to incoming Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker instead. In his own words, the actor who brought the Twelfth Doctor to life has been enjoying a well-earned rest for the past few months, but now it seems he’s ready to jump into the next job.
Acclaimed writer/director Armando Ianucci, known for Veep and The Death of Stalin, is working on a modernized update of Charles Dickens’ classic David Copperfield, titled The Personal History of David Copperfield. Oscar-nominated actor Dev Patel is set to play the lead and posting on Twitter today, Ianucci revealed the identity of the individual who’s going to play the important role of Mr. Micawber – as you’ve probably guessed by now, it’s Peter Capaldi.
Ianucci and Capaldi are old collaborators, of course, as the Scottish actor starred in the former’s BBC political sitcom The Thick of It from 2005 to 2012, as well as the spinoff movie In the Loop, released in 2009. Capaldi previously let slip that he was planning to work with Ianucci again in the future last year, which led fans to think a revival for The Thick of It was on the cards. Turns out they were wrong.
As for David Copperfield, for those unfamiliar with it, Mr. Micawber is a kindly old man who’s always optimistic in the face of adversity – even keeping his spirits up when thrown in debtor’s prison. That sounds much different to Peter Capaldi’s previous Ianucci role, swear-y spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, but Doctor Who fans might see some parallels with the iconic hero in there instead.
It’s still early days for The Personal History of David Copperfield, but as soon as we learn more, we’ll be sure to let you know.
