With the fan-favorite British sci-fi series Doctor Who facing backlash online for its casting, Peter Capaldi has shared his thoughts on the topic. Capaldi, who played the Twelfth Doctor in the long-running show, spoke about hateful comments directed at Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa in a recent interview, stating that he could not understand fans’ hostility.

Peter Capaldi on criticism around Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who castings

While speaking with The Times of London, the Scottish acting veteran noted that he hasn’t been able to comprehend how people can take a “monster show” seriously enough to criticize its cast members.

“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,” he 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.”

Notably, Jodie Whittaker took over from Capaldi as the Thirteenth Doctor, becoming the first woman to play the role. Similarly, Ncuti Gatwa became the first openly queer Black actor to take on the role when he became the Fifteenth Doctor.

However, both faced criticism from fans, and both Whittaker and Gatwa parted ways with the role prematurely compared to their predecessors.

During his recent appearance at Series Mania, showrunner and writer Russell T Davies noted that the online backlash did not translate into fans’ true opinion. “I think they are different things. I know they’re different things,” Davies said, adding, “And that online voice, which is hostile, exists on X, which is a hate site. We shouldn’t be surprised to find hatred on it, because it’s a hate site…It’s very dangerously assumed that that is the fan voice.”

Following Gatwa’s exit, the leading role in Doctor Who remains vacant with no actor attached to it at the moment.