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048
Q&A
FEBRUARY 2015 JB Hi-Fi
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Everyone will be pleased to see the Doctor and
Clara brought together again for this Christmas
special.What does bring them together?
PETER CAPALDI: A terrifying festive dilemma
forces the Doctor back to Earth to help Clara.
Then a story unfolds which is quite unexpected –
I can’t really say more than that.
How does filming the Christmas Special differ
from the series?
It’s all very festive and even though you’re
shooting in October, it does lull you into
the festive spirit, because there are lots of
Christmassy things around. There are snow
machines all the time, which is lovely, but they’re
noisy like lawnmowers or concrete mixers. We
have Christmas lights, polystyrene icebergs –
which is a classic piece of set dressing on Doctor
Who. There’s a roast dinner going on in Clara’s
house and a big Christmas tree. There were also
lots of tangerines!
What was your reaction to Nick Frost being
cast as Santa?What sort of Santa does he
play?
I was delighted when Nick was cast, I’m a big
fan of his. I love Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead .
TANGERINE
DREAM
He’s actually quite a traditional Santa
but with a comic undertone. He is the
real Santa – he’s not a robot or an alien,
but he is a little bit cantankerous. He’s a little
bit like the Doctor and at first they don’t really get
on together.
How do the Doctor and Clara become involved
with Santa?
Santa appears on the roof of Clara’s house and
only the Doctor knows the danger of it.
What can viewers expect from this episode?
It’s both really scary and really festive. It
manages to be quite frightening and still have
Santa Claus in it. It is extremely Christmassy
but there is a plot line in it that is quite dark and
I think Steven (Moffat) has done a brilliant job
at balancing those two things. It’s perfect for
Christmas viewing – it supplies everything that
Doctor Who should supply at Christmas. It’s scary
but it leaves you feeling warm and cheerful.
What have been your fondest memories of
your first year as the Doctor?
It’s difficult to say what specific moments were
significant to me because the whole thing has
just been amazing. So many things have
been fantastic. The first time you go onto
e set, the first time you meet a Dalek, or
even the first time the TARDIS wobbles when
you shut the door. I know it won’t last forever, so
I’m just enjoying it all.
The show is now a global phenomenon – how
was it to see the reactions of fans in different
countries last year?What is it about your
Doctor that you think they’re enjoying?
It was extraordinary to see how popular the
show is all over the world. I’ve had the great
benefit of riding the wave of success that Matt
(Smith), David (Tennant) and Chris (Eccleston) had
started. I myself was fascinated by what made
the show so popular abroad. To me it seems
a particularly British thing. However, it seems
that the themes of escapism and adventure are
universal. Fans of Doctor Who are usually so
warm-hearted and creative. It’s quite moving to
see how much they love it. You don’t realise when
you’re making the programme that it’s reaching
out to so many people in Latin America or Asia or
Australia. Obviously the character is so popular
now and the concept is so clever, so I think that is
what they’re responding to rather than me.
The Doctor Who Christmas Special is an annual event.
Peter Capaldi reflects on his first festive episode, Last
Christmas , and his first year with the programme.