Doctor Who has faced uncertainty as of late. While Ncuti Gatwa won acclaim for his performance as the Fifteenth Doctor, he was gone before audiences had the chance to really know him.
In the last episode aired, “The Reality War”, he regenerated into Billie Piper – but no-one, not even showrunner Russell T. Davies, seems to know if Piper is playing the Doctor or a totally different entity. Fans are confused, and even old Doctors are doubting. Why did Gatwa leave in the first place? Now he’s answered that question on a BBC show, via Radio Times.
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Gawta appeared on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg and told Kuenssberg about why he decided to step down from the role. It seems it was more for health reasons than anything else. “I’m getting old and my body was tired,” Gatwa said. “I’ve now just started doing some ballet, so I’m making some good decisions here.”
He went on, “It’s the most amazing job in the world. It’s a job that any actor would dream of. And because it’s so good, it’s strenuous, it takes a lot out of you physically, emotionally, mentally. So, I – it was time.”
The Radio Times interview mentioned that Gatwa had indicated before how difficult he found his role as the Doctor. In a behind-the-scenes video for “The Reality War” he said, “It was always the plan to do this amount of seasons, because it’s a role that demands a lot of you, physically and emotionally and mentally. Actors playing the Doctor are only actors playing the Doctor, unfortunately, we are mere mortals. I would love to have the energy and the youth to be able to do this full time for the rest of my life, but my knees are telling me it’s time.“
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Ncuti Gatwa Also Spoke On Pulling Out of Eurovision
Before the Doctor Who episode “The Interstellar Song Contest” aired, much was made of the fact that Gatwa would be spokesperson at the actual Eurovision Song Contest on the same night as the episode. He pulled out just before the show, which led to speculation. Kuenssberg questioned Gatwa about that as well.
“That one … it all panned out very interestingly. I pulled out of it a long time before it was announced. It was announced when it was announced, I don’t know why,” Gatwa said. “But I was just very busy, had a lot of work schedules – a lot of press around The Roses [his new film with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman], around Doctor Who. Yeah, there was just a lot of press.”
Interestingly, Gatwa did also state that he wasn’t necessarily done with Doctor Who forever. When Kuenssberg suggested he could still return, he answered, “Never say never.”
Doctor Who is streaming now on BBC iPlayer and Disney+.
Source: Radio Times
Doctor Who
- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Network
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BBC
- Directors
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Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
- Writers
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Russell T. Davies, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, Steven Moffat
- Franchise(s)
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Doctor Who / Whoniverse
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Millie Gibson
Ruby Sunday
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