‘Doctor Who’ season 11: Is Peter Capaldi in midst of contract talks?
The Christmas Special for “Doctor Who” is airing tomorrow on BBC One and BBC America, but we like to think that it is never too early to start talking about some of what the future could hold.
One part of this at the moment is the contract status of one Peter Capaldi, the star and anchor of the series. he’s beloved by the vast majority of viewers, and there’s obviously a hope that he is going to be a part of the upcoming 11th season, otherwise known as the first with Chris Chibnall as showrunner following the departure of Steven Moffat the end of season 10 and the Christmas Special next year. He’s expressed a willingness to take part, but there may be one thing that is holding things back at the moment: Salary considerations.
Speaking per the Mirror, a source reports that Capaldi may be looking for a little more beyond the 400,000 pounds he is paid in order to do the role on a yearly basis:
“He’s not asking for much. He’s a veteran actor who’s hugely in demand … But the BBC has massively reduced its fees in recent years, while some key figures at the network have managed to retain vast salaries. Meanwhile, BBC Worldwide have brought in millions selling the show abroad. He wants a little extra and is keen to hear what they come back with.”
We will say that we’re not always for giving actors more money for the sake of doing so, but we don’t exactly think that this is the case here in the slightest. As a matter of fact, we’d argue that Capaldi is vastly underpaid. Look at it this way. David Tennant was paid a good 25% more than Capaldi has been as of late, and he was on the show many years ago and that figure changes further when you factor in inflation. Also, Capaldi’s salary translates over to roughly $490,000 a year, and there are stars of shows like “The Big Bang Theory” who make double what Peter is per episode. Basically, Jim Parsons is earning over $22 million a year for a show that features characters who worship “Doctor Who.” Yet, the actual Doctor reportedly makes a fraction of that. We know that there are probably other considerations out there when you consider convention appearances and merchandise, but still, we don’t think giving Peter a little extra money, even from a publicly-funded network, is a bad thing at all.
Head over here now to preview further the upcoming “Doctor Who” Christmas Special airing tomorrow! (Photo: BBC.)