Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi to Direct Episodes of HBO's Veep

Current Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi is a man of many talents. Beyond his years of acting work, he’s also an accomplished director and musician. Now he’s preparing to bring some of those lesser-known talents to the fore by directing “a couple” of episodes of HBO’s political satire, Veep.

More from Doctor Who

Before signing on to play the Twelfth Doctor, Capaldi’s most memorable role was that of Malcolm Tucker on the BBC series The Thick of It, created by Armando Iannucci. The show lampooned British government, with Capaldi spewing expletives as Tucker tried valiantly to keep the other officials in line. In 2012, Iannucci went across the pond to create Veep for HBO. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Vice-President (later President) Selina Meyer, Veep went on to do for American politics what The Thick of It had done for the Brits.

In an interview last week with ShortList, Capaldi was asked if he’d ever consider making a cameo on Veep as Malcom Tucker:

"Sure, why not? It would be fine by me. I’m about to direct a couple of episodes, does that count? That seems like the compromise option. The only thing is, Doctor Who takes up so much time, it doesn’t leave a lot of time to do other things. That whole team are all dear friends. I’d love to work with them at some point again."

This wouldn’t be Capaldi’s first time behind the camera, of course; he actually won an Oscar in 1994 for his short film, Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life. With filming on the 2015 Christmas special going on now, Capaldi will soon find himself taking a break from Doctor Who, so the timing is right for him to take on another project.

Ironically, Iannucci himself has actually expressed a desire to write an episode of Doctor Who, telling The Guardian:

"“I’m a big fan of Doctor Who and obviously with Peter, who’s loving it, it would be nice to. I’ve spoken off and on to them but it’s a case of being able to fit something in. It’s a nice thought.”"

I’ve yet to watch either The Thick of It or Veep myself, but I’ve heard great things about both, and I love the Malcolm Tucker compilation videos I’ve seen on YouTube (seriously, look them up), so it’s exciting to see Capaldi and Iannucci continuing their working relationship. Hopefully, Iannucci will get a chance to write that Doctor Who episode eventually, and maybe one day Capaldi will step behind the camera for Doctor Who, as well.

What do you think? Are you a Veep fan? Are you excited to see Capaldi directing again? Sound off in the comments below!

Next: Second Torchwood Series Announced by Big Finish

More from Winter is Coming

Home/Doctor Who

Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi to Direct Episodes of HBO’s Veep

By Barry Rice | Sep 14, 2015

More from Winter is Coming