Peter Capaldi as Leonardo Da Vinci in Sky Arts' new show. Picture: Ellis O'Brien/ Contributed
He found a new level of fame as foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in The
Thick of It, but Peter Capaldi is happy to see the back of it as he
focuses on a more enigmatic character - Leonardo Da Vinci.
Peter Capaldi has a solemn announcement to make: Malcolm is no more. The 54-year-old Scottish actor reveals that he will no longer be playing Malcolm Tucker in BBC2’s much garlanded politi-com The Thick of It. Whisper it, the sweary-est, angriest, most charismatic character in television comedy has uttered his final baroque curse.
The character is so widely adored he has won the actor a mantelpiece-endangering number of awards. To underline Tucker’s popularity, total strangers often stop Capaldi in the street and ask him to abuse them. However, the actor says that, after the fictional spin doctor was seen being arrested at the end of the last series, he will not re-emerge on our screens. “Of course I love Malcolm,” says the Glasgow-born actor. “He is great. And I’m very grateful that he is so popular.
“Why do people like him so much? Is it because bad guys get all the best lines? Maybe he just has really good material. You can always rely on him to come up with great gags.”
But, he adds, “You can’t go on yelling and shouting forever. It was time for me to stop because it was difficult for me to know where to go with Malcolm next. I felt I would rather end it now than see him wind up as a diminished character. It’s best to go out at the top.
“It’s always difficult. It was a wonderful experience playing Malcolm, and I was very happy on the set of The Think of It. I really liked working with everyone. But in the end, things have a natural life to them.”
Read more at Scotsman
Peter Capaldi has a solemn announcement to make: Malcolm is no more. The 54-year-old Scottish actor reveals that he will no longer be playing Malcolm Tucker in BBC2’s much garlanded politi-com The Thick of It. Whisper it, the sweary-est, angriest, most charismatic character in television comedy has uttered his final baroque curse.
The character is so widely adored he has won the actor a mantelpiece-endangering number of awards. To underline Tucker’s popularity, total strangers often stop Capaldi in the street and ask him to abuse them. However, the actor says that, after the fictional spin doctor was seen being arrested at the end of the last series, he will not re-emerge on our screens. “Of course I love Malcolm,” says the Glasgow-born actor. “He is great. And I’m very grateful that he is so popular.
“Why do people like him so much? Is it because bad guys get all the best lines? Maybe he just has really good material. You can always rely on him to come up with great gags.”
But, he adds, “You can’t go on yelling and shouting forever. It was time for me to stop because it was difficult for me to know where to go with Malcolm next. I felt I would rather end it now than see him wind up as a diminished character. It’s best to go out at the top.
“It’s always difficult. It was a wonderful experience playing Malcolm, and I was very happy on the set of The Think of It. I really liked working with everyone. But in the end, things have a natural life to them.”
Read more at Scotsman
