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Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi says the BBC "doesn't really understand" the show: "It needs love"
The Twelfth Doctor favourite also reveals that we was approached about joining tenders.
BBC
- Christian Tobin
Published: Sunday, 1 November 2026 at 10:38 am
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Peter Capaldi has shared his thoughts on the future of Doctor Who and what he thinks is one of the biggest "problems" the BBC faces.
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Speaking on the Half the Picture podcast, the Twelfth Doctor star said that the iconic sci-fi needs to be overseen by people who love the series rather than BBC executives who "don't really understand it".
Referencing former showrunners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, Capaldi explained that there is only "a small group of professionals" who would be able to do it.
"It needs love," he said. "I sometimes think people in the BBC don't really understand it. I think that's kind of a problem. People don't really know what it's supposed to be.
"That's why the show is made by Russell and Steven and all that, because they love it, and they loved it from when they were little, and when it was not on they loved it. So they knew what it was [and] they knew what to bring to it.
"I don't think there were any executives in the BBC [who] had a checklist of things that should be in it. It had to be left to Russell to do that. And there'll be someone like that now."
Peter Capaldi with former Doctor Who showunner Steven Moffat. BAFTA via Getty Images
Earlier this year, Doctor Who was officially put out to tender, as the BBC invited production companies to pitch their visions for the future of the sci-fi.
During his latest interview, Capaldi revealed that he was approached to join some of the tenders but declined because of how much work he knows it would entail.
"People keep asking me to join tenders for Doctor Who," he revealed. "I keep being asked if I would come and join this company and put together a package. I don't mean for me to be in it, but to create a version of it.
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"I haven't joined any of those because I know how hard the show is to make. And also because I have other things I want to pursue.
"And you can't make a show like Doctor Who without it taking over your life – it has to. It's that kind of show. You can't do it as a distant executive or a part-time role."
Last month, some of the production companies bidding for Doctor Who were revealed, with Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio's company, Hat Trick Mercurio, and Line of Duty's own production company, World Productions, said to have submitted separate proposals.
According to Deadline, BBC Studios and STV Studios are also among the interested parties.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.
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Authors
Christian TobinProduction Editor
Christian Tobin is the production editor for Radio Times, overseeing all online content and editing digital articles across TV, Film, Gaming and more. He previously worked as chief sub-editor at Digital Spy and has a BA in English Language and Literature from University College London.
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