Peter Dougan Capaldi (born April 14, 1958) is a Scottish actor, writer and director. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who and Malcolm Tucker the spin doctor in The Thick of It, for which he has received four British Academy Television Award nominations, winning Best Male Comedy Performance in 2010. When he reprised the role in In the Loop, Capaldi was honoured with several film critic award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. In 2012, Capaldi wrote (with Tony Roche), directed and performed in The Cricklewood Greats, an affectionate spoof documentary about a fictitious film studio, which tracks real developments and trends throughout the history of British cinema. Film roles include Oldsen in Local Hero, Angus Flint in Ken Russell's The Lair of the White Worm, and Mr Curry in Paddington and its sequel, Paddington 2. As a director, Capaldi won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Short Film for his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. He went on to write and direct the drama film Strictly Sinatra and helmed two series of sitcom Getting On.

Filmography

• 2025Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War — The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Criminal Record — DCI Daniel Hegarty, Executive Producer
• 2024Doctor Who at the Proms — The Doctor (12) (archive footage)
• 2022Riverwoods: An Untold Story — Narrator
• The Devil's Hour — Gideon Shepherd
• 2021Benediction — Siegfried Sassoon (Older)
• 2021But Why? — Older Man (uncredited)
• 2021National Theatre Live: Constellations — Roland
• 2021The Suicide Squad — Thinker
• Being Beethoven — Beethoven (voice)
• 2019How to See a Black Hole: The Universe's Greatest Mystery — Narrator
• 2019Martin's Close — Dolben
• 2019The Personal History of David Copperfield — Mr. Micawber
• 2018Christopher Robin — Rabbit (voice)
• Watership Down — Kehaar (voice)
• 2017Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time — The Doctor (12)
• 2017Paddington 2 — Reginald Curry
• Class — The Doctor
• 2016Doctor Who: Friend from the Future — The Doctor
• 2016Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio — The Doctor
• 2016Prison, My Parents & Me — Narrator
• 2015Doctor Who: The Doctor's Meditation — The Doctor
• 2015Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song — The Doctor
• 2014Doctor Who: Dark Water / Death in Heaven — The Doctor (12)
• 2014Doctor Who: Deep Breath — The Doctor (12)
• 2014Doctor Who: Last Christmas — The Doctor
• 2014Paddington — Reginald Curry
• The Musketeers — Cardinal Richelieu
• 2013Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor — The Doctor (12) (uncredited)
• 2013Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor — The Doctor (12)
• 2013Inside the Mind of Leonardo — Leonardo da Vinci
• 2013The Fifth Estate — Alan Rusbridger
• 2013World War Z — W.H.O. Doctor
• Punk Britannia — Narrator
• 2012The Cricklewood Greats — Himself, Director, Writer
• 2011Big Fat Gypsy Gangster — Peter Van Gellis
• Black Mirror — Older Cameron Walker
• The Field of Blood — Dr. Pete
• The Hour — Randall Brown
• 2011The Murder at Road Hill House — Samuel Kent
• 2011The Natural World--Komodo: The Deadly Bite
• The Natural World--Komodo: The Deadly Bite — voice actor, Creator
• Accused — Frank Ryland
• 2010Bistro — Max
• The Nativity — Balthazar
• 10 Minute Tales — The Man
• Getting On — Peter Healy
• 2009In the Loop — Malcolm Tucker
• Midnight Man — Trevor
• The Devil's Whore — King Charles I
• The Penguins of Madagascar — Uncle Nigel (voice)
• Fallen Angel — Henry Appleton
• 2007Magicians — Mike Francis
• Skins — Mark
• 2007Spinners and Losers — Malcolm Tucker
• 2007The Rise of the Nutters — Malcolm Tucker
• 2006Aftersun — Jim
• Aftersun
• 2006Pinochet in Suburbia — Andy McEntee
• The Martians and Us — Narrator
• Torchwood — John Frobisher
• Trawlermen — Narrator (voice)
• Doctor Who — Caecilius, The Doctor
• 2005House of 9 — Max Roy
• 2005Michael Powell — Narrator
• 2005The Best Man — Priest
• The Thick of It — Malcolm Tucker
• 2005Wild Country — Father Steve
• 2004Modigliani — Jean Cocteau
• 2004Napoleon's Waterloo — Narrator
• 2004Niceland (Population. 1.000.002) — John
• 2004Salvage — James Mulwray
• Sea of Souls — Gordon Fleming
• Fortysomething — Dr. Ronnie Pilfrey
• Peep Show — Professor Alistair MacLeish
• The Afternoon Play — Billy Shannon
• 2003Unconditional Love — DI Terry Machin
• Foyle's War — Raymond Carter
• 2002Max — David Cohn
• 2002Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War — Derek
• 2002Solid Geometry — David Hunter
• 2001Hotel! — Hilton Gilfoyle
• In Deep — Jeremy Church
• Judge John Deed
• 2001Strictly Sinatra — Writer, Director
• Waking the Dead — Lucien Calvin
• My Family — Colin Judd
• Psychos — Mark Collins
• 1999The Greatest Store in the World — Mr. Whiskers
• 1998Boswell's Boswell — James Boswell (voice)
• 1998What Rats Won't Do — Tony
• 1997Bean — Gareth
• 1997I Hate Christmas Too — Man
• Midsomer Murders — Laurence Barker
• 1997Shooting Fish — Mr Gilzean
• 1997Smilla's Sense of Snow — Birgo Lander
• The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling — Lord Fellamar
• 1996Giving Tongue — Duncan Fielding
• 1996Lost for Words — The Tourist
• Neverwhere — Islington
• The Crow Road — Rory McHoan
• 1996The Treasure Seekers — Jellicoe
• 1995Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life — Writer, Director
• 1995Runway One — Mick Galligan
• 1994Captives — Simon
• Chandler & Co — Larry
• The All New Alexei Sayle Show
• The Vicar of Dibley
• 1993Jealousy — John
• Rik Mayall Presents — David Critchley
• 1993Rik Mayall Presents: Micky Love — David Critchley
• 1993Selling Hitler — Thomas Walde
• 1993Soft Top Hard Shoulder — Gavin Bellini, Writer
• 1992Mr. Wakefield's Crusade — Luke Wakefield
• The Cloning of Joanna May — Isaac
• 1992The Secret Agent — Mr Vladimir
• The Secret Agent — Mr. Vladimir
• 1991Do Not Disturb — Bruce
• Prime Suspect — Vernon 'Vera' Reynolds, Vera Reynolds
• Selling Hitler — Thomas Walde
• Titmuss Regained — Ken Cracken
• Chain — Robert McRae
• 1990December Bride — Young Sorleyson
• 1990Triple Scotch & Wry — Writer
• Agatha Christie's Poirot — Claude Langton
• 1989Colleagues From Hell
• 1989Communicators From Hell
• 1989Dream Baby — Willie
• 1989Rosie the Great — The British Ambassador
• Shadow of the Noose — Robert Wood
• Stay Lucky
• 1988Dangerous Liaisons — Azolan
• 1988The Lair of the White Worm — Angus Flint
• 1988The Love Child — Dillon
• The Ruth Rendell Mysteries — Zeno Vedast
• 1987The Story of a Recluse — Jamie Kirkwood
• 1987Up Line — Scott Dare
• 1986God's Chosen Car Park — Everard
• 1985John and Yoko: A Love Story — George Harrison
• Screen Two — Bruce Coldfield, Simon
• 1985Turtle Diary — Assistant Keeper
• Travelling Man — John
• Dramarama — The British Ambassador
• 1983Local Hero — Danny Oldsen
• Natural World — Narrator
• 1982Living Apart Together — Joe
• Minder — Ozzie
• A Ghost Story for Christmas — Dolben
• Doctor Who — The Twelfth Doctor

Appearances as themselves (20)

• TFI Unplugged — Self
• 2025The Academy of Armando — Self
• Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg — Self
• 2021Quentin Blake – The Drawing of My Life — Self
• 2020The Big Night In — Self
• James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction — Self
• Doctor Who Extra — Self
• 2014Doctor Who: Earth Conquest - The World Tour — Self
• 2014Doctor Who: The Ultimate Companion — Self / The Doctor (archive footage)
• 2013Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor — Self
• 2013Who's Afraid of Machiavelli? — Self - Presenter
• Conan — Self - Guest
• 2010The Madness of Peter Howson — Self - Narrator (Voice)
• 2009A Portrait of Scotland — Self - Presenter
• Cold Blood — Self - Narrator
• The Graham Norton Show — Self
• The One Show — Self
• Have I Got News for You — Self
• This Morning — Self - Guest
• Spectrum — Himself