Out and proud, Ncuti Gatwa is the new Doctor Who and if social media is anything to go by, not everyone is happy. Indeed, before his first full series as the famous Time-Lord has even aired, there is talk that the actor has already decided to move on.
Right now it seems that happenings behind the scenes of the world’s longest-running science fiction/fantasy series are every bit as dramatic as any of The Doctor’s battles with the Daleks and Cybermen, especially if you dare to step into the often murky world of online fandom, where Gatwa has been targeted with, arguably, more abuse than any of his predecessors.
It started before he had filmed a single scene, and may, perhaps, if the rumors are true, allow an insight into why he could be tempted to make a quick exit after just two seasons, both of which will be in the can before his first regular episode is broadcast in May.
Widely acknowledged as a star turn of his generation, Gatwa is the series’ first Black Doctor. That he also just happens to be gay has proved a combination that has unleashed a barrage of hate, bigotry and ignorance with some sections of fandom choosing to denigrate him rather than celebrate the 31-year-old’s inspiring journey, one of hope and overcoming adversity.
It’s a story that was succinctly summed up by another Scottish Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi, when he commented on the casting of the Ghanian-Scot who adopted Scotland as home. Capaldi said, “What a great story — a little boy whose family escaped from the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and at age two, finds refuge in Scotland, where he grows up to become Doctor Who. That’s a story of which to be proud. With his huge talent and heart, I know Ncuti will make an amazing Doctor. How exciting.”
If Capaldi was excited, it wasn’t long before a more insidious response began to rise to the surface. If some keyboard warriors had been upset by the casting of a woman, Jodie Whittaker, as the previous Doctor, they were positively incandescent by Gatwa’s arrival — the word “woke” making many a predictable appearance.
Racism is nothing new to Gatwa, as he revealed in an interview with Elle magazine. “I’ve experienced racism my whole life and while I always believed in myself, always knew racists were stupid and uneducated, I guess it did misinform my view of how the world works. It makes you think everyone has that opinion and you’ll constantly have to fight through life,” he reflected. “Then you learn that you don’t; you can find a tribe, you can find your people.”
Gatwa has certainly found his “people” of late and it seems he fits in pretty much everywhere. From playing a Ken in Hollywood’s Barbie movie to starring in the hit Netflix series Sex Education and appearing alongside King Charles in a festive rendition of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas for the Actors Benevolent Fund, he is keeping eclectic company. Yet despite his acceptance on so different levels of society, Gatwa still finds he has to justify himself, recently being asked if his casting as the Fifteenth Doctor was done “purely as a box ticking exercise.”
His reply was to the point. “First of all, you don’t know anything about me. Secondly, tick fucking boxes. People need to be fucking seen. What are you going to do, tell the same stories? Have the same people fronting things for all of eternity? Representation and inclusivity and branching out … It enriches us all. How embarrassing.”
In another interview, this time with Rolling Stone magazine he was equally direct. “I’m the first Black man to play this character. The British press can be very mean … I just have to focus on the job and stay true to what the Doctor is: a mad scientist alien who has adventures and cares about everyone.”
For those out of the loop, Doctor Who, the story of an old man and his granddaughter, both aliens living on Earth in a spacecraft disguised as an old London Police Box, first screened in the UK in 1963. Through the decades the series has undergone many makeovers, embraced many styles, gone from black and white to color and even endured a 16 year hiatus — from 1989 and 2005 it was absent from screens altogether with the exception of an ill-fated TV special starring Paul McGann.
In America, it was the arrival of Tom Baker as The Doctor in 1974 that saw the series build a following there, finding its place on PBS stations across the US.
Since its resurrection in 2005 under the watchful eye of show-runner Russell T. Davies, who is back to oversee Gatwa’s tenure in the role, “Nu Who” established itself as a firm favorite with a new generation of younger viewers while also alienating many classic fans, further proving you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
With Gatwa comes a new partnership between the BBC and Disney, one that will provide an international platform for Dr. Who as well as an injection of new money, ensuring a budget far greater than anything the series has enjoyed in past and banishing its infamous wobbly sets and chintzy special effects to furthest edges of the universe forever.
Like Gatwa’s casting in the lead role, that new partnership should be something to be celebrated, but Doctor Who fandom is a contrary place and that news–along with the revelation that Gatwa’s Doctor will see the series “lean into fantasy with new lore, mythology and new villains”–has also not gone down well with the keyboard warriors.
The new Doctor himself is unperturbed. “What’s exciting about this season is the plethora of new villains that are coming in… a whole new pantheon of villains. It’s like the meeting of fantasy and sci-fi… bringing in new lore, bringing in new mythology, new ways of doing things. That’s really exciting,” Gatwa told TV Insider, adding, “My Doctor is emotionally vulnerable. He hides it with humor, but he’s lonely. I can’t say much more than that; I don’t want to spoil anything. But he’s also energetic. The poor cameramen struggled to keep up.”
A taste of that energy, and what to expect from the fifteenth Doctor Who, was evident in his introductory episode, a Christmas special entitled, The Church on Ruby Road. The new high-wattage Doctor with his infectious smile and childlike awe faced off against singing goblins in a seasonal adventure with his new companion, Ruby Sunday. It polarised fans even further with those who adored it feeling overjoyed, and those who didn’t flocking to Facebook to declare they’d “never watch Doctor Who again.” The gloves were definitely off.
Such extreme reactions are worrying and bizarre, it’s hard to believe that grown adults, many now in their fifties and sixties remain so invested emotionally and intellectually in what is at heart a children’s TV show. Their sense of entitlement is disturbing in its intensity and perhaps another reason Gatwa may want out. Ironically, only time will tell.
As for the actor himself, he is giving very little away. Having auditioned for the role in February 2022 – he was unveiled to the world two months later.
His first interview on being announced as “the next Doctor” found him sharing these thoughts with Big Issue Magazine. “It’s felt like I’ve been the Doctor and also had to hold off from being the Doctor for most of the last two years. It feels like it’s come full circle because David Tennant was my Doctor and such a great inspiration to me as an actor. I would have been 13, a pivotal time. And firstly, he’s Scottish. Plus he was so charismatic and fun. David had such a Scottish … almost feralness … to him, which is what I liked. I felt an affinity to that. So for him, of all people, to be handing the baton over –- it just feels really surreal.”
More recently, however, the actor who moved to London from Scotland a decade or so ago, mentioned a desire to return to the stage saying, “Theater kept me warm and it held me all night, even if I was broke. But I’m planning on getting back to it next year, after I finish Season Two of Doctor Who.”
He also told Radio Times that he has no plans following the second season of Doctor Who, saying, “No idea, no plan. I just know that I’m loving it and my love for it is growing.”
Of course, these quotes could be where the rumors originated. One thing is certain, whether he goes or stays, Gatwa is unlikely to find himself back working as a temp in Harrods, or sharing a friend’s bed while losing weight through not being able to afford to eat as he did when he first moved to London all those years ago.
Ncuti Gatwa’s star is rising and whatever happens the universe, whether as The Doctor or not, is his for the taking.
His first season as Doctor Who is scheduled to air on BBC 1 and Disney, May 2024
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Liam Rudden is an award-winning playwright, broadcaster and commentator on the arts. With more than 40 years experience working in theater and media, he was for two decades Entertainment and Festivals Editor of the Edinburgh Evening News. For more of his work, check out his website. He is also on X (formerly Twitter) @LiamRudden.
