For many, Glastonbury is a whirlwind of music and mud, a memory slightly out of focus. But for Peter Capaldi, the 2025 festival feels… unreal. He’s genuinely convinced the entire experience was a figment of his imagination.
The celebrated actor, known for his iconic role as The Doctor, stunned audiences when he unexpectedly joined Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand on the Other Stage. It was a moment that sent ripples of excitement through the festival grounds.
Frontman Alex Kapranos had playfully hinted at a surprise guest, mentioning “a fellow Glaswegian” would be joining them, fueling speculation and anticipation. The reveal of Peter Capaldi sent fans into a frenzy.
Appearing on The One Show, Capaldi confessed to host Roman Kemp, who witnessed the performance firsthand, “That’s incredible, you were actually physically there, because I feel as if it’s a dream. I feel as if it was in my head.”
He described the surreal feeling of being on stage, complete with shades and a vibrant red shirt under his black suit, looking every inch the rock star. The collaboration quickly became a standout moment of the weekend.
Capaldi readily admitted to being a long-time fan of Franz Ferdinand. The connection, it turned out, stemmed from a shared musical circle – his own band’s bassist knew the band’s drummer, Audrey Tait.
Apparently, Capaldi had been urging his band to emulate Franz Ferdinand’s sound, a detail that reached Tait and ultimately led to a phone call from Alex Kapranos, inviting him to perform at Glastonbury.
Initially, Capaldi braced himself for a specific song. “What do you want me to sing?” he asked. He’d noticed a track called “The Doctor” on their latest album and half-expected a themed performance involving Daleks and sonic screwdrivers.
But Kapranos had other plans. “He said no, it’s Take Me Out,” Capaldi recalled, laughing. “I said, what, your biggest hit? I’m there!” The band’s massive 2004 hit had recently surpassed a billion streams on Spotify, a testament to its enduring popularity.
Franz Ferdinand are no strangers to the Glastonbury energy, having previously graced the festival in 2009. For Capaldi, however, the 2025 performance marked his Glastonbury debut – a debut he’d actively avoided for a very specific reason.
He explained his aversion to the festival experience: “I don’t like the idea, that you come and see a band and there’s some guy with a rock chick on his shoulders and you can’t see the band that you’ve paid to come see.”
Despite his initial reservations, Capaldi stayed for the afternoon, soaking in the atmosphere, but opted not to camp. He concluded, with a lingering sense of disbelief, that the entire experience felt “like a dream.”
