The Life and Times of Peter Capaldi (So far)
Guest Contributor Connor Johnston takes a look at the life of the stranger we will soon get to know very well.
It’s April 14th 1958… the birds are singing, the sun is shining and the world is chugging along like any other day. Newspaper headlines around the world tell of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falling from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days, Van Cliburn has won the Tchaikovsky International Competition for pianists in Moscow, and the world is still in shock after the news that at age 14, Cheryl Crane, daughter of Actress Lana Tayler, had stabbed her mother’s boyfriend Johnny Stompanato to death. The BBC Radiophonic Workshop celebrates its booming business after opening only two weeks before, and in the corner of a small country hospital in Glasgow, with almost no importance or consequence to the world as it was, Peter Dougan Capaldi was welcomed into the world.
Born to an Irish mother and an Italian father, Peter Capaldi grew up in the hills of Glasgow, attending St Teresa’s Primary School, St Matthew’s Primary School, St Ninian’s High School and finally the Glasgow School of Art in the 1970’s. Capaldi showed early promise for the spotlight often performing puppet shows in primary school for the entertainment of his peers, and by age 15 had already joined the “Antonine Players”, an amateur community theatre company who regularly performed in Fort Theatre in Brishopbriggs.
It was at arts school Peter met long time best friend and fellow entertainer, Craig Ferguson, who, along with friends Temple Clark and Roderick Murray, started the 80’s Punk Rock Band “The Bastards” which was later renamed to “Dreamboys.” The band featured Capaldi as guitar player and lead vocalist while Ferguson played drums. The Dreamboys, whilst never majorly succeeding in the music industry, had several glimpses of fame in 1980 when the band released a three-song 7” vinyl record which was recorded live at Hellfire Club Glasgow in October of that year. The record was released in the U.K. on St. Vitus Records and was listed as New Wave Punk. As an extra special birthday treat we’ve embedded a YouTube clip to one of Dreamboy’s rocking single for you to view below
Capaldi identified himself as a fan of Doctor Who from a very young age. At 15 he wrote a letter to Radio Times entitled “Dalek-Builders” which expressed his true enthusiasm and passion for the show.
“May I congratulate you on your excellent Dr Who Special. The articles, photos, and especially the Terry Nation Dalek story with the twist in the tail, were excellent. The Dalek construction plans will have no doubt inspired many a school to build their own Daleks. Who knows, the country could be invaded by an army of school Daleks! Ah, but we’d be sage, as we’d have Dr Who to protect us! Your Special has certainly made the year for Dr Who fans. A rather sad year due to the un-timely death of the Master, alias Roger Delgado. But I hope that in 15 years’ time, in 1988, you will publish another Special to celebrate 25 years of wandering in time with the Doctor.”
– Peter Capaldi, age 15.
Showing off yet another one of his talents, a 1976 issue of Doctor Who International Fan Club Magazine printed a piece of Capaldi’s art showing a TARDIS. It is Capaldi’s enthusiasm and love for the show, even from such an early age, that is such a major aspect that unites the vast majority of Whovians in trusting Peter to take on the rewarding challenge of our, and his, favorite renegade Time Lord.
Capaldi’s acting career began with the 1983 film drama “Local Hero”, and continued landing part in projects “Turtle Diary” and “John and Yoko — A Love Story “ playing original Beatle George Harrison himself!
The 1980’s opened many doors for Capaldi included a lead role in “The Lair of the White Worm” and “Dangerous Liaisons”. Capaldi eventually proved his worth behind the camera as well as in front, writing and directing the 1993 short film Franz Kafka’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” – which ultimately won him both a BAFTA Award and an Academy Award in the Short Film (Live Action) category.
If not his legacy in film, then it’s Capaldi’s massive contribution to British comedy and to British television as a whole that is the reason he’s currently one of the most respected actors of our time. Including roles in “Prime Suspect 3” and “The Crow Road”, Capaldi made a name for himself in the mini-series “Never where”, and made further big-screen appearances in Smilla’s ”Sense of Snow” and “Bean”.
Capaldi once again travelled behind the scenes, writing a directing the film “Strictly Sinatra”. A influx of work came Capaldi’s way in the new millennium, but no role more famous and more loved than the off-putting, foul mouthed, confrontational, abrasive communications director Malcolm Tucker in the Armando Iannucci political sitcom “The Thick of It”, which scored Capaldi another BAFTA and a British Comedy Award in the years that followed…
2013 and 2014 have proven to be colossal years for Mr. PC starring in alongside both parts of the infamous “Brandgelina” in Hollywood Blockbusters “World War Z” (credited as “W.H.O Doctor – I know!) and “Maleficent”. Capaldi also scored roles alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the docu-drama “The Fifth Estate” and of course as the sensationally evil “Cardinal Richelieu” in BBC’s newest hit drama, “The Musketeers”. Oh and one other thing happened, to some minor importance, after a breathtaking, goosebump-inducing cameo in the 50th Anniversary Special (dem eyes), Peter Capaldi made his first full official debut as the 12th Doctor in the moderately popular BBC Series “Doctor Who”, ahead of his first full series as the titular Doctor later this year. Echoing the words of Zoe Ball that would go on to change the Whoniverse as we know it…
Now we know a bit more about this sensational actor/singer/painter/man who is to grace our screens as the Twelfth Doctor soon, it’s now I take the opportunity again to wish the wickedly talented Peter Capaldi an enormous HAPPY BIRTHDAY from all of us here in the Doctor Who TV community! We can’t wait to see what you bring to the role we know and love so very much, to which we have total confidence that you will not disappoint. And so I’ll leave you with the words of the man himself:
Doctor Who belongs to all of us. Everybody makes Doctor Who. Being asked to play the Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can’t wait to get started.
Many happy returns Peter!
