Peter Capaldi explains why he has "a little regret" about his Doctor Who stint

Doctor Who legend Peter Capaldi has opened up on his one regret about starring as the Time Lord, admitting the show prompted a big change in his life.

The beloved Scottish actor played the Twelfth incarnation of the Doctor from 2014 to 2017, after taking over from Matt Smith, and has said he was eager not to disappoint any fans.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Capaldi said: "I think I have a little regret about it. Because it's great fun being Doctor Who, but the pressure of it is quite intense.

"You're sort of on all the time, and you don't want to disappoint anyone because, even though I'm not Doctor Who, if people are meeting me, they'd rather meet the version of me that is Doctor Who. So you try not to let them down.

"That was one of the big changes in my life, I guess, which happened quite late. I'm quite miserable, really, but I thought, you can't be miserable if you're Doctor Who. You would disappoint people. So I had to become cheerful all the time!"

He added: "It's nice to sit in the TARDIS, it's nice to go to work and blow up Daleks. That's fun!"

Capaldi, who also revealed he turned down Celebrity Traitors, has been open about the fact that he wouldn't return to the role, but he clearly looks back on it fondly.

He previously told Radio Times: "It was just an incredible experience. Suddenly, you're in the middle of this fantastical world, surrounded by people who love Doctor Who.

"I was watching Tom Baker talking about something, and he said that when he was Doctor Who he would do tons and tons of publicity and stuff, because being Doctor Who was much more fun than being Tom Baker, and I would say the same, probably, being Doctor Who is much more fun than being me.

"Certainly, you're in a very privileged position, because you receive the affection for that character. It is a character, it's not me, and it's a delightful place to be.

"It would be a hard part to sustain, I think, forever, but you do see the best of people, which is lovely."

The sci-fi is set to return this Christmas, following Ncuti Gatwa's departure as the Doctor and the character's shock regeneration into Billie Piper, in a special written by returning showrunner Russell T Davies.

Doctor Who will return this Christmas on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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