Doctor Who’s first director on love for Peter Capaldi’s Doctor: 'He gave it a kind of vulnerability'
Waris Hussein spoke to RadioTimes.com at the Radio Times Covers Party 2024.
The first director to ever work on Doctor Who, Waris Hussein, has spoken about his love for one particular actor's portrayal of the Doctor – Peter Capaldi.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com at the Radio Times Covers Party 2024, Hussein revealed his thoughts on what he's most excited for in the future of the long-running sci-fi series, but wasted no time in bestowing particular praise on Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor.
When asked about what he's looking forward to most in the future of Doctor Who, Hussein said: "[That he] goes off to a more mysterious future. I don't want him to be someone whose unavailable or is out of place."
He continued: "He's a guide to gather humans. He knows too much but he doesn't know how to convey things. I love Peter Capaldi. Peter gave it a kind of vulnerability."
Capaldi more recently reacted to the slate of 60th anniversary episodes of Doctor Who in an interview with Forbes. "I enjoyed it. I thought it was great and a lot of fun," he said of the 60th anniversary.
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He continued: "It was wonderful, exuberant, and full of life, drama, and monsters. David was wonderful, and Catherine Tate, of course.
"It's Doctor Who, you know, it's a gas and a good thing in the world. It's a nice, fun, exciting thing, and I look forward to the rest of the specials and Ncuti Gatwa coming along. I've met him, and he's very inspiring and charming."
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Currently, Capaldi can be seen on our screens in Apple TV+'s Criminal Record and in the upcoming new season of Prime Video's The Devil's Hour, but has reiterated the fact that he won't be returning to the Whoniverse, previously telling RadioTimes.com that he's "done his time".
Hussein, of course, directed the first serial of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child, in 1963 and returned to direct most of the fourth serial, Marco Polo, in 1964.
Read more:
- Doctor Who's first director: 'I wish I had Russell T Davies!'
- Doctor Who's Steven Moffat on Ncuti Gatwa: "He's going to be magnificent"
Also speaking about the return of showrunner Russell T Davies, Hussein said of the new era of Doctor Who: "It's bound to change. And it's fascinating to see how it's developed.
"I had no idea when I took it what I was involved with, and how long it would take to come to fruition. I’m fascinated by it.
"I love what Russell T [Davies] is doing, I’m a great fan of his. It needs a good writer. I had no script to work with – I didn’t have Russell T Davies. I wish I did!”
See more photos from the Radio Times Covers Party 2024 in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale Tuesday 6th February.
Doctor Who will return in May 2024. Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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