‘Doctor Who’ Star Peter Capaldi Responds to Online Backlash to Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa Castings: ‘I Don’t Know Why People Take it So Seriously’

Apr 25, 2026 11:54am PT ‘Doctor Who’ Star Peter Capaldi Responds to Online Backlash to Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa Castings: ‘I Don’t Know Why People Take it So Seriously’

By Jack Dunn

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Jack Dunn

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Peter Capaldi, who starred as the Twelfth Doctor in “Doctor Who” from 2013 to 2017, recently told The Times of London that he doesn’t understand why some people take the show “so seriously” when asked about the backlash to the castings of Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa. Whittaker was the first woman to play the Doctor, and Gatwa was the first openly queer Black actor in the role.

“It reflects its times and it’s a good thing in the world, though it’s become a bit too big, too important for the BBC or whoever,” Capaldi said. “When I was a kid and watched it, it was just a monster show in the corner of the room. I don’t know why people take it so seriously.”

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