Actor Spotlight meets North&Nostalgia with Peter Capaldi

As perhaps one of the most powerful and versatile actors to take on the role of The Doctor in Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi has long since earned his stripes. With the Glaswegian powerhouse becoming a mainstay on British television, it’s time to take a look back (and forwards) to some of his most iconic roles.

Doctor Who:

In my personal favourite role of his career, Capaldi emerged as the 12^th Doctor from the flames of Matt Smith’s curtain call all the way back in 2013 (where does the time go?). Despite poor critical reception of the actor’s tenure as The Doctor in comparison to the soaring heights of the Tennant-Smith era, the pairing of Capaldi and showrunner Steven Moffat saw some of the highest rated episodes in the show’s over 60 year long run, including my top picks Heaven Sentand World Enough and Time. 

The Thick Of it:

Mirroring real-life inspiration Alistair Campbell, Labour PM Tony Blair’s right-hand man and infamous ‘spin doctor’, Capaldi became a household name with his explosively expletive role as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It. Storming in with a flurry of violently imaginative insults to keep incompetent politicians somewhat in line, Tucker’s looming presence in the fictional reigning government’s offices took on such a life of its own that Capaldi is still asked for political comments to this day.

The Devil’s Hour:

In one of his most recent roles, Capaldi embodies the dark and enigmatic Gideon Shepherd in Amazon’s The Devil’s Hour. In a long history of murders and disappearances, the latter of which including protagonist Lucy Chambers’ son, Gideon is always at the heart of the mystery. Unravelling Chambers’ life with a subtle sense of satisfaction, Capaldi is delightfully skin-crawling as the prophetic killer. The first series is a must-watch, and just in time for spooky season, series 2 is now streaming on Amazon Prime!