Peter Capaldi was an unabashed Doctor Who fanboy growing up — he sent in Who-related letters to the Radio Times as a kid — and he’s still an unabashed Doctor Who fanboy now. But no matter how often he displays his Whovian credentials (besides from, you know, actually being The Doctor), it’s wonderful to watch every time.
You can see Capaldi’s latest geek-out in the video above; it’s inspired by a recent exhibition of art from the classic Doctor Who story novelizations, which were published by Target throughout the run of the classic era of the show. The Target books were a hallmark of the early stages of Doctor Who fandom, not just as one of the few pieces of merchandise available for the show, but also for the classic artwork that graced every cover, which is what’s currently being shown at the Cartoon Museum in London. For example:
Cover art to the Invasion of the Dinosaurs novelization, by Chris Achilleos
Back in an era where repeats were incredibly rare, these adaptations of classic stories were often the only way a young fan — fans like Capaldi — could re-experience a story, or even experience it for the first time. It’s easy to see why the exhibition holds a soft spot in the actor’s heart, but it’s a total blast to hear Capaldi practically squeal with delight as he discusses it for the BBC’s Doctor Who YouTube series.