It’s fair to say that the Doctor is one of the biggest roles on TV, so it’s often the case that, when the actors playing the Time Lord end their stint on Doctor Who, they fail to top the part that will end up defining their careers. It seems Peter Capaldi is well aware of this, too, as he recently joked that he’ll be “a nobody” once he’s done with the show.
In an article featured in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (via Radio Times), Nicholas Briggs – who voices the Daleks – talked about the experience of attending Peter Capaldi’s final day of filming on Doctor Who, which occurred last month. Naturally, it was a very emotional day, but Capaldi kept the mood up with his self-deprecating humour.
“Peter is a very level-headed sort of chap. He was lots of fun all day, saying things like, ‘And tomorrow, I’ll just be a nobody again.’”
Briggs admits that he wasn’t so composed himself, as he burst into tears while watching the rehearsal. He also reassured Capaldi “that would never happen. Not once you’ve been the Doctor. You’re the Doctor forever.”
It seems that by the end of the day though, even the “level-headed” Capaldi was affected by all the emotion.
“It was only after the final take on the final shot, when all of us just went onto the set and crowded round him that he showed his emotions. As he thanked us all, there was a slight in his voice, which he steadfastly bore down on and eliminated. We had a huge hug.”
As RT pointed out, it sounds like the actor was channeling his Doctor here. Remember how he described hugs? “Never trust a hug. It’s just a way to hide your face.”
It looks like we’ll all need hugs come Christmas Day, when Capaldi bows out of the role in his festive final Doctor Who episode titled “Twice Upon A Time.”