Peter Capaldi finds it "fascinating" that most loved Doctor Who story is about death

Peter Capaldi has some intriguing ideas about the popularity of one of the best Doctor Who episodes in the history of the modern series: 2015's Heaven Sent.

In an interview with the Where There's A Will, There's A Wake podcast, he said he finds it "fascinating" that such a death-focused story routinely appears in fan discussions about the best Doctor Who episodes.

Heaven Sent is effectively a one-hander with Capaldi's Doctor mostly alone throughout the story, in which he spends thousands of years imprisoned in a very spooky and very empty castle.

"It was very unusual. It was beautifully directed by Rachel Talalay, who’s a lovely American lady," said Capaldi of the episode.

"[On Doctor Who], you’ve got to talk about monsters and it’s a sort of circus – kids love it and everybody’s got to be entertained but actually underneath it all, there’s a sense of melancholy and death.

"That particular episode’s just all about death and I think that’s fascinating that that episode became the all-time favourite."

Heaven Sent was voted the best episode in the show's history by Doctor Who Magazine readers in 2023 in a survey ahead of the 60th anniversary specials.

"[Kids are] smart in the sense they understand instinctively that there’s darkness and there are things around and the monsters are manifestations of that," said Capaldi.

"But also the fact that the central character in Doctor Who will die – even though they come back as somebody else, the one that you love has gone, and that’s a very compelling and powerful thing to have at the centre of a show."

Perhaps surprisingly given the popularity of David Tennant's 10th Doctor, another Capaldi story — the 2017 two-parter World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls — landed in second place.

There are three Tennant stories in the top 10, as well as the 2013 50th anniversary special starring Tennant and Matt Smith, which featured Capaldi's first cameo appearance.

The Scottish actor then took over the role permanently as the 12th Doctor, appearing from 2014 until 2017.

Capaldi is now promoting the Apple TV+ thriller series Criminal Record, which made its debut in January 2024. He plays veteran cop DCI Daniel Hegarty, investigating an old unsolved murder.

As for Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa is now in place and set to follow up one of the best Doctor Who Christmas episodes with his first full series, starting in May 2024.

Read more:

• Doctor Who's biggest season 14 mysteries from Mrs Flood to Ruby's mother

• Peter Capaldi says Doctor Who failed to be scary because it was cheap

• Doctor Who at 60: A bluffer's guide to the long-running sci-fi series

Watch: Ncuti Gatwa grateful for Doctor Who advice from former star