Peter Capaldi: From Anchor Butter to Malcolm Tucker – Scottish star on ‘going sinister’
Peter Capaldi says there was a specific moment he realised his casting had transitioned from affable geek to bad guy. It was during an advert for butter.
The 66-year-old actor, who’s been called the world’s most terrifying actor, told Sky News he had the realisation he’d “gone sinister” while recording a voiceover for Anchor Butter.
About to reprise the role of serial killer Gideon Shepherd in series two of psychological thriller The Devil’s Hour, it’s a quality the Scottish star is making the most of.
Capaldi explains: “I don’t quite know how that happened… When I was a young actor, I always played sort of slightly geeky and pleasant, easy-going sort of people. And then somewhere – probably around Malcolm Tucker time – I began to change.”
He played tyrannical spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in BBC sitcom The Thick Of It for seven years, as well as reprising the role in the 2009 movie version.
Widely considered to have been based on spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who was aide to Tony Blair during his Labour leadership, Capaldi’s portrayal was ripe with ruthlessness, ranting and extreme profanity.
The role was a fan favourite, turning Capaldi into a household name.
Capaldi goes on: “The key moment for me was doing a voiceover for Anchor butter, which [culminated in the line] ‘Anchor, tastes like home’.
“Then one day, on what I didn’t realise was my last voiceover, they said, ‘Could you sound a little less sinister?’
“I thought, ‘Oh no, I’ve gone sinister, and I don’t know how that’s happened’. But then I thought, ‘Well, if people want to buy it, that’s fine’.”
Capaldi as spin doctor from hell, Malcom Tucker in The Thick Of It Pic: BBC
‘A time travelling timey-wimey kind of character’
In 2013, the year after the final series of The Thick Of It, Capaldi became the Twelfth Doctor in sci-fi classic Doctor Who.
A fan of the show as a child, he was widely praised for reinventing the role, with a heavy dose of grumpiness at the outset, transitioning to kindness by the end of his four-year tenure.
He says he wasn’t worried about time-travel typecasting for his role in The Devil’s Hour, which also sees him bounce back and forward in time.
Executive produced by Steven Moffat – head writer of Doctor Who during Capaldi’s stint – along with Moffat’s wife, acclaimed TV producer Sue Virtue, the actor credits them with being “very gifted” programme makers.
Capaldi explains: “I think they probably felt with a sort of time travelling timey-wimey kind of character, I might fit that. And that’s fine.
“I guess I’m able again for some reason to kind of plug into a kind of cosmic vibe, so that was useful for Gideon, and I’m quite happy to do that.”
Pic: Amazon Studios
‘I’ve got terrifying and cosmic things in my toolbox’
With early gigs in theatre, before TV and film roles followed, Capaldi looks back to his youthful knock backs as his building blocks for latter-day success.
He admits: “The thing that stops you getting work when you’re young, is often the thing or things that will bring you work when you’re older.
“It’s your individuality. It’s the things that are odd, the things that are different. And if I’ve got terrifying and cosmic things in my toolbox that are mine then that’s good, they get me work.”
Capaldi labels himself a “lucky” actor, explaining: “Life is unpredictable.
“You can be tootling along thinking things are going fine, and then some difficult challenge can suddenly floor you.
“By the same token, the stars can align, and your life can be transformed in a very positive way, through nothing that you’ve done.
“Certainly, in my experience, things have happened to me that were pure luck – I just happened to be in the right place at the right time or available.”
Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor in the 60th Anniversary Special alongside Jenna Coleman Pic: BBC
Brutal and violent – but not gratuitous
Other recent roles include a morally grey police chief in Criminal Record, supervillain The Thinker in Suicide Squad and tragic war poet Siegfried Sassoon in biography Benediction.
He’s also been announced as one of the stars of the next season of Black Mirror, which will air next year, and while details of his part are yet to be confirmed, Charlie Brooker’s dystopian anthology is unlikely to be full of rainbows and sunshine.
But it’s his latest role in The Devil’s Hour, playing a criminal mastermind who “remembers the future”, that is the darkest so far.
The storyline involves multiple murders – including those of children – terrorism and domestic abuse.
But while the crimes are grisly and brutal, they’re not portrayed gratuitously on screen.
Jessica Raine in The Devil’s Hour Pic: Amazon Studios
‘I’ve got a grandpa thing going on’
Like his co-star Jessica Raine, Capaldi admits his tolerance of depictions of violence around children in TV and film hit a wall when he became a parent.
Father to one daughter, now 30 with two children of her own, Capaldi says: “I feel that very powerfully. But that’s the business we’re in.
“I think we’re all very warm and concerned and protective of our children. But at the same time, they love Grimms’ Fairy Tales.
He goes on: “I was just about to say maybe everything should be Disneyfied. But then, you know, all of those old fairy tales are full of the most terrible violence and horrors.
“There’s a kind of fine line between trying to keep children safe and keeping them aware of the world. It’s not all Disney.”
Then, after a beat, Capaldi adds: “Although I am available if Disney are watching… to bring my cosmic and terrifying but cheerful toolbox.”
After five decades of success in the notoriously fickle world of showbiz, Capaldi’s chameleon-like nature continues to bring him work.
And always looking to the future, he adds: “I’ve got a grandpa thing going on now, that might be quite useful.”
Season 2 of The Devil’s Hour is streaming on Prime Video from Friday 18 October.
Season 3 of The Devil’s Hour, which has already been filmed, will air in 2025.
RuPaul has said his “heart is broken” following the death of former Drag Race winner, The Vivienne.
The drag queen and TV presenter said on Instagram on Monday he joined the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne, whom he called “an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being”.
The Vivienne, whose real name was James Lee Williams, won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019.
Read more: The Vivienne’s rise as a drag ‘trailblazer’
The 32-year-old’s death was confirmed by their publicist Simon Jones on Sunday evening.
Danny Beard, who won the reality show in 2022, called The Vivienne “a proper entertainer” and “one of the most passionate, talented, geeky, girls I’ve ever known” and their death meant “there’s a piece missing now”.
Cheddar Gorgeous, that year’s runner-up, said on Instagram they had lost “a peer, a friend and an icon”, adding that “the entire world of entertainment grieves” and it was “impossible to make sense of such sadness”.
RuPaul joined the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne
Bagachipz said on social media they would “talk to you before I go onstage for every single show I do”, calling The Vivienne a “powerhouse when you hit that stage”.
The Vivienne’s ex-husband, David Ludford, said the performer “made me feel love and shown me what it was really like to love someone”.
The Vivienne at the UK premiere of Wicked in November. Pic: AP
The Vivienne, 32, rose to prominence in 2015 after becoming the UK Drag Ambassador for the American series of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The show sees drag queens competing in front of a panel of judges to become the next drag superstar.
The Vivienne, whose drag name came from their love of designer Vivienne Westwood, later competed in the first UK series of the show in 2019, going on to win it after lip-syncing in the final to the Wham! hit I’m Your Man.
Williams, who was born in Wales, also came third on the 2023 series of Dancing On Ice.
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A spokesman for Cheshire Police said officers were called to a house in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday following reports of a sudden death.
The force said there were “no suspicious circumstances”.
Entertainment
Golden Globes 2025: Emilia Perez, The Brutalist, Wicked, Baby Reindeer and Shogun among the night’s big winners
Emilia Perez and The Brutalist were the big film winners at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, with Shogun and Baby Reindeer leading the field for TV.
Emilia Perez, an operatic musical which tells the story of a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, was named best comedy or musical, best non-English language film and also won best song, while star Zoe Saldana picked up the award for best supporting actress.
Accepting the film’s top award, trans actress Karla Sofia Gascon, 52, told the audience: “The light always wins over darkness. You can maybe put us in jail. You can beat us up. But you never can take away our soul or existence or identity… I am who I am. Not who you want.”
Postwar epic The Brutalist won the awards for best drama, best actor for star Adrien Brody – who plays a Hungarian architect attempting to build a life in the US after the Second World War in the film – and best director for Brady Corbet.
The Brutalist actor Adrien Brody, winner of the award for best male actor in a drama, with his co-stars Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce. Pic: AP
Kieran Culkin was among the acting winners for his performance in A Real Pain. Pic: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
There were also acting wins for Demi Moore (The Substance), Sebastian Stan (A Different Man), Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain).
Moore, 62, gave an emotional speech as she collected her statuette, saying it was the first award of her 45-year acting career and that she was “in shock” to beat the likes of Wicked star Cynthia Erivo and Challengers actress Zendaya.
Demi Moore picked up the Golden Globe for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy – for The Substance. Pic: AP
Wicked stars and filmmakers (L-R): Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Marc Platt, and Jon M Chu. Pic: AP
“Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress,” she said, adding that it made her feel that while she could make box office hits, she would never be “acknowledged”. When she came across the script for The Substance, however, she said it felt like the universe telling her, “you’re not done”.
The Wizard Of Oz prequel blockbuster Wicked, the most talked about film of the year, missed out on acting awards for its stars Erivo and Ariana Grande, but took home the cinematic and box office achievement prize.
In his speech, director Jon M Chu said: “In a time where pessimism and cynicism rule the planet, that we can still make art that is a radical act of optimism that is empowerment and that is joy… this means so much to all of us.”
Baby Reindeer and the other TV wins
Hiroyuki Sanada scooped one of three acting awards for Shogun. Pic: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
In the TV categories, Japenese historical drama Shogun dominated, picking up three acting awards for its stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano, and also the prize for best drama.
Baby Reindeer also had a successful night, with a supporting gong for actress Jessica Gunning, and the award for best limited series.
The series, about a comedian and barman who is stalked by an older woman, was a huge hit and criticially acclaimed, but has more recently made headlines for facing a lawsuit from a woman who says the show identified her as the “real” Martha, the character played by Gunning.
Baby Reindeer was named best limited TV series. Pic: Reuters
Accepting the award, creator and star Richard Gadd told the audience that people often ask him why such a dark show has been so successful.
“I think in a lot of ways, people were kind of crying out for something that… spoke to the kind of painful inconsistencies of being human,” the 35-year-old said. I think for a while now, there’s been this kind of belief in television that stories that are too dark and complicated won’t sell and no one will watch them.
“So I hope that Baby Reindeer has done away with that theory. Because I think right now, when the world’s in the state that it’s in, and people are really struggling, we need stories that speak to the complicated and difficult nature of our times.”
Read more:
The red carpet in pictures
The full list of winners
Colin Farrell was recognised for his performance in The Penguin. Pic: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
Gadd missed out on the acting award in the show’s category – which was won by Irish star Colin Farrell, 48, for his portrayal of Batman villain Penguin in the series of the same name.
Farrell, who wore heavy prosthetics as he campaigned to be the new kingpin of Gotham in the show, joked on stage that he had “no one to thank” and that he “did it all by myself”.
The ceremony in Los Angeles was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, who made jokes about everything from Ozempic, the drug being used for weight loss by Hollywood stars, to Sean “Diddy” Combs – who has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and racketeering and is currently in jail awaiting trial after being arrested last year.
“Welcome to the 82nd Golden Globes, Ozempic’s biggest night,” Glaser said as she opened the ceremony.
She also referenced the huge A-list support for Kamala Harris in the election – and how it didn’t translate to a win.
“You could really do anything… except tell the country who to vote for,” she said.
Ahead of the evented, authorities said they had implemented “increased security measures” following the vehicle attack in New Orleans and Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion on New Year’s Day.
A heavy police presence surrounded the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, with a wider and more enforced perimeter than usual around the hotel.
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