It’s no easy gig being the star of Doctor Who – and Peter Capaldi has admitted that he sometimes worries about meeting fans.

“Some people get very excited, which I always feel vaguely confused by, because I don’t think I’m very exciting!” he told the press.

“Doctor Who’s exciting, but I’m not, so I then get into a panic, because I think I mustn’t disappoint them, but I don’t know what to do… I can’t be myself, because that will disappoint them.”

But if this all sounds rather harrowing, rest assured, Peter’s still very happy to meet and greet – he says interacting with fans has “rarely been unpleasant” and that “people want very little”.

“Often people come and ask for hugs, and I can feel them shaking, and sometimes people can’t speak. I give them a bit of time, just by talking to them.

“The funny thing I find is that I seem to be recognised even more when the show’s not on, which I can’t figure out. It doesn’t seem to diminish, it seems to be as potent as ever.”

Capaldi recalled an incident when he stumbled across a hero of his own – The Kinks legend Ray Davies – in a restaurant, and how it shed light on his own experiences with fans.

“I was really nervous,” he admitted. “I thought, ‘What if he tells me to get lost?’ – so it was good for me to be reminded of… it’s not a responsibility, but a need to try and be gracious.”

Doctor Who will return to our screens on Christmas Day with festive special ‘The Return of Doctor Mysterio’ airing at 5.45pm on BBC One.

A full 10th series will then follow in early 2017, with actress Pearl Mackie joining the show as new companion Bill Potts.