The story behind Lewis and Peter Capaldi’s powerful organ donation video

It took a former Doctor to trigger the conversation on organ donation.

TARDIS veteran Peter Capaldi starred in and his second cousin (once removed) Lewis’ video for ‘Someone You Loved’ – and triggered an outpouring of emotion online.

The video depicts the senior Capaldi playing a widower, seen nursing his dying wife in flashbacks before he visits the family of the woman who received her heart as a transplant, meaning he is able to hear his wife’s heartbeat once more.

The response has been incredible – reaching one million views in two days and adding an extra 100,000 per day.

In this week’s Big Issue magazine, we give you the full story of how the video, in support of charities Live Life Give Life and Save9Lives.

“We were at the record label and I was explaining what I wanted to do to raise awareness with this video,” says Lewis Capaldi. “Very flippantly I was like, ‘We could ask Peter Capaldi’. My manager had his email from when he came down to the show last year, he emailed and literally the next day, my manager gets a phone call from Peter saying, ‘Mate, I’d love to do this, send me over the script, I’d be honoured to be involved.’”

Peter, known for his potty-mouthed Malcolm Tucker character, showed his softer side to get involved.

“Lewis is an amazing talent (I’m not just saying that because of his name – Capaldi or not, he’s remarkable), and I was happy to draw attention to organ donation,” he said.

For more on the dial-moving organ donation campaign, check out this week’s Big Issue magazine, available from vendors around the country and The Big Issue Shop.