Former 'Doctor Who' star Peter Capaldi rules out a return to the show

Peter Capaldi, former Doctor Who star.
(Image credit: Mike Marsland/WireImage via Getty)

Former Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi has revealed why he doesn't want to make a return to the beloved BBC sci-fi series.

The Scottish actor made an appearance on BBC Radio's Sunday with Steven Rainey on August 1 following the release of The Suicide Squad, which he stars in as The Thinker. 

During the interview, the Scottish actor admitted that he wouldn't be too interested in making another appearance in the show.

"I wouldn't really fancy that", said Peter. "There are so many Doctors now. I'm quite happy with what I did, you know. I loved my time on Doctor Who, but I think the more of the multi-Doctor stories you have the less effective they are, really."

Peter Capaldi first appeared in Doctor Who back in 2013 in that year's Christmas special, The Time of the Doctor. He took over from Matt Smith and played the role for three seasons across four years before regenerating again in 2017.

This news is sure to disappoint any Whovians who were hoping that Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor would make a return any time soon, and it pretty much guarantees the previous Doctor won't return for the newly-announced Doctor Who special which is set to air in Autumn next year. 

This new special was revealed by the BBC as a final adventure for both Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor and the current showrunner, Chris Chibnall, as we now know that Jodie Whittaker will be leaving Doctor Who in 2022.

Rumors were swirling about Jodie's departure since the start of the year, and fans have been trying to guess who will replace Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who ever since. The BBC released the first teaser trailer for Doctor Who's latest season just last week, after a Comic-Con panel which had revealed that Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones) would be playing a brand new recurring character called Vinder.

Doctor Who Season 13 airs on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer later this year, and is expected to air on HBO Max at some point after it releases in the UK. 

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.