Peter Capaldi could leave 'Doctor Who' "sooner rather than later".

Peter Capaldi

Peter Capaldi

The 57-year-old star - who's the 12th actor to play the Time Lord in the iconic sci-fi series - has admitted he doesn't know how much longer he'll play the part and acknowledged it is not a long-term job.

He shared: "I sort of enjoy this position I am in with a kind of deep Scottish melancholy because I know it has to end one day.

"I will cross that bridge when we come to it, which may be sooner rather than later."

The Scottish actor - who stars alongside Jenna Coleman on the show - also revealed just how central 'Doctor Who' is to his own life, admitting the soundtrack causes him to feel "teary".

He said: "I live near where they record the music. The first thing they said was, 'This is your theme'. I got all teary.

"I know I'm over the top but I never thought I would hear that. I use music to get into character sometimes including previous 'Doctor Who' soundtracks."

Despite this, Peter revealed his wife Elaine Collins has banned him from watching old episodes at home, meaning he's forced to have them delivered to his trailer.

He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I still watch shows on my day off.

"It's great because I phone the office, ask for an episode, there's a knock at the trailer and it's presented. They don't think I'm an iconic character at home. That's the difficulty. When I go home of a weekend I still have to make my own coffee."