Twelfth Doctor actor, Peter Capaldi, has given a frank and eye-opening interview in which he talks about the difficulties of being in Doctor Who.

He says one of the toughest things was acting against his more gloomy outlook on life. He explains:

“My [personal] character leans more to the melancholic and cynical. The daily good-heartedness of it all is quite a leap for me. But that’s what I was paid to do. But that’s exhausting… And that’s one of the things I’m glad to have left behind: I’m not responsible for the endless cheerfulness [of] little kids.”

Some of that melancholy came through into the Twelfth Doctor, but he can still be quite a jolly incarnation, cracking jokes and generally undermining people. Nonetheless, his personality was a stark contrast to some previous Doctors, and some of those gags were decidedly grim (like his attitude to Ross’ death in Into the Dalek).

When asked about promoting the show, Capaldi says:

“That’s one of the hardest things about the job. Apart from the day-to-day business of delivering those lines, and you’ve got to have lots of ideas and energy, there’s always a knock at the door at lunchtime: ‘Can you come and talk to these visitors we’ve got onset?’ ‘Can you look at these new toys?’ ‘Can you sign these things?’ ‘Can you go to this meeting with so-and-so who’s selling this in South Korea?’ There’s always a [request]. It’s a big brand. So it’s quite a demanding job. It takes its toll.”

It is pretty strange: as an actor, you’re not expected solely to act, but also be an ambassador for the brand as a whole.

Still, Peter’s a great ambassador for Doctor Who and a wonderful Doctor, so he’s perhaps being a bit harsh on himself here.

He’s currently starring with Jessica Raine (Hide) in The Devil’s Hour on Amazon Prime.