Whom?

I’m really enjoying the current series of Doctor Who.

I'm a big fan of Peter Capaldi - primarily for his performance as the wonderful, yet terrifying Malcolm Tucker - but aside from the odd episode here and there, it wasn’t until this series that his Doctor found its stride for me. When I heard of his casting in the role, I was delighted (he was an inspired choice), yet I can’t help but feel he was unfortunate in taking on the part when he did.

Every idea has its natural life and eventually, these things can run out of steam, which generally how I felt about the last few series. It was just a case of poor timing that Capaldi should come in at the point he did when the revamped Who seemed to have used up most of its tricks; there are only so many rejigged battles against Daleks and Cybermen before things started to feel a little samey.

Yet it’s with the current series that things have really kicked into gear, which is a shame as it’s set to be Capaldi’s last. Finally, the story-lines are strong enough to do that exceptional bit of casting justice. The dynamic between him and new companion Pearl Mackie is very complementary, with the brilliant Matt Lucas thrown in as an added bonus.

The sad thing is I don’t want to see Capaldi’s Doctor partially defeated, which is likely to be the case if he’s set to regenerate. I love his sense of strength and menace and don’t want it challenged. No-one beats Malcom Tucker; them's the rules.