Doctor Who fans often have a particular attachment to the Doctor (and the actor playing the character), and whether it’s the first, second, fifth, or twelfth regeneration, the idea of losing one Doctor only to gain another never gets any easier.
Peter Capaldi made his final appearance as the Doctor this week, and he sent a special note to one fan anxious about the change.
According to author Brian McGilloway, his 9-year-old son was not looking forward to the change in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, which saw Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor regenerate into Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. But for Christmas, McGilloway’s son received a letter from the Doctor himself, who offered a different perspective on the upcoming regeneration.
#PeterCapaldi is my 9 year old son’s fav #DoctorWho and he was dreading his regeneration. And then he got this letter with some words of comfort from the Doctor himself among his Santa presents. Such a kind man. pic.twitter.com/Dki37Wt6Er
— Brian McGilloway (@BrianMcGilloway) December 27, 2017
“Even though it can be a little bit icky (like really bad flu) it was always, always turned out good for Dr. Who,” Capaldi wrote. “The new Doctor always becomes your favourite and the one that goes… Well, he never really goes, he is always there, somewhere in time and space, and if you think about him hard enough you’ll see him, and he’ll see you.”
Regenerations can often be sad for fans—especially if the departing Doctor is “your” Doctor—but it can also mean there’s a brand new Doctor to fall in love with. Even the Doctor is afraid of change as his time comes to an end in “Twice Upon A Time,” and Capaldi, who has been a Doctor Who fan for much of his life, completely understands where many of the fans are coming from.
“It’s like the Doctor says, ‘Everything ends and it’s always sad,’” Capaldi wrote. “‘But everything begins again, and that’s always happy.’”