Peter Capaldi sends touching Christmas gift
● Nine-year-old gets ‘favourite’ gift ● Father left with ‘lump in throat’
A young fan upset at Peter Capaldi’s departure from Doctor Who was sent a heartwarming message by the outgoing Time Lord as a Christmas present.
The Scottish actor sent letters containing greetings, drawings and a signed picture of himself talking about the “icky” business of regeneration to nine-year-old David Mcgilloway.
His father, Brian Mcgilloway, said that his son was thrilled with the touching gift.
“I was left with a lump in my throat,” he said.
Actor Peter Capaldi has given a young Doctor Who fan his “favourite present ever” after sending him a personal message from the outgoing Time Lord.
Author Brian Mcgilloway said his sons David, nine, and 11-year-old Tom woke up on Christmas morning to letters from Doctor Who that moved the whole family.
The letters contained greetings, drawings and a signed picture of Capaldi along with a note addressing the “icky” business of regeneration.
The Doctor Who Christmas Day special marked the end of the Scottish actor’s tenure as the Time Lord, with Jodie Whittaker regenerating as the first female Doctor in the final moments of the episode.
Mr Mcgilloway, 43, tweeted: “Peter Capaldi is my 9-year-old son’s fav Doctor Who and he was dreading his regeneration. And then he got this letter with some words of comfort from the Doctor himself among his Santa presents. Such a kind man.”
Mr Mcgilloway said his son was “thrilled” by the let- ter, which he described as his “favourite present ever”.
The message, signed by Capaldi, states: “Xmas is always good fun. Well not always. Not every single second.
“Regenerating is not completely good fun. But you know what? Even though it can be a little bit icky (like really bad flu) it has always, always turned out good for Dr Who.
“The new doctor always becomes your favourite and the one that goes... well, he never really goes. He is always there, somewhere in time and space, and if you think about him hard enough you’ll see him and he’ll see you.”
Mr Mcgilloway who is also father to Ben, 14, and sevenyear-old Lucy, said: “There’s so much detail in the letter. I was left with a lump in my throat.”
The best-selling thriller and mystery writer, who teaches English at Holy Cross College in Strabane, West Tyrone, revealed this was not his family’s first brush with the Time Lord.
“Earlier in the year I met Christopher Eccleston in Belfast and told him my family were such fans,” he said.
“Around October he Facetimed them all and spoke to them each individually as Doctor Who. It was such a lovely thing to do.”