Peter Capaldi Records Video To Comfort 9-Year-Old 'Doctor Who' Fan With Autism
Peter Capaldi will wrap his first season as the new Doctor on the BBC’s smash science-fiction hit “Doctor Who” Saturday. However, the actor has already won himself a place in the heart of many a young fan -- and, after a recent video he sent to a lucky one, he has proved he’s more than capable of living up to the high standards of his character.
Capaldi’s recent real-life good deed didn’t begin with coming face to face with some unknown alien threat or a thrilling trip back in time -- it started with a simple letter from a 9-year-old fan with autism named Thomas.
While we’re not sure of the exact contents of this letter, we know it inspired the 56-year-old actor’s touching video response, now on YouTube. According to Radio Times, Thomas recently lost his nanny. While that’s sad for any youngster, he appeared to be having an extradifficult time dealing with her passing. But, as any 9-year-old Whovian could tell you, when you don’t know what to do, you call The Doctor.
“Thank you very much for the letter,” Capaldi says in the video below. “I really enjoyed getting it because, you see, when Clara and I travel around in time and space, sometimes bad things happen to us. And sometimes sad things happen to us, too. So it’s nice to know that there’s somebody like you out there who is on our side. You should know that we’re on your side, too. So you look after yourself, take care and be happy.”
The video is brief and doesn’t directly address the boy’s concerns about his nanny’s passing. However, the video helped him through the funeral, according to Thomas’ father. “This arrived just before Thomas’ nanny’s funeral and helped him to deal with his grief in a profound way. Thank you Peter so much,” he wrote in describing the video on YouTube.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Capaldi has taken time out of his day to comfort a young fan with autism. Back before his first episode as The Doctor premiered, he greeted a young fan who was unsure about a new actor playing the 50-year-old role, as BuzzFeed noted. Previously, Matt Smith, who also had a history of reaching out to his young fans in need, played the role, as Dorkly pointed out.
Watch the video below, but be prepared to have your heartstrings pulled.
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