Haydi ama!
Ncuti Gatwa’s stint as the groundbreaking Fifteenth Doctor has come to a surprising end in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Rwandan-Scottish actor was first announced as the next regeneration of the Time Lord, marking the first time an African-born and openly queer actor had been cast in the role.
During his time as the Doctor, Gatwa went on intergalactic adventures against goblins, fairies, human-eating slugs, and multi-dimensional gods, and made history with a same-gender romance and kiss shared with a bounty hunter named Rogue, played by Jonathan Groff.
Guest appearances included Neil Patrick Harris as the evil Toymaker god, and Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, who played a companion during the Christmas special.
But after two short seasons, the Fifteenth Doctor (spoiler alert) sacrificed himself to save a child before regenerating into a new, yet familiar, iteration of former companion Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper.
Gatwa wrote in his Instagram caption with a photo of himself dressed as the Time Lord:
“Monsters, goblins, gods, human-eating Slugs, invisible brain altering creatures, evil barbers, conspiracy theorists… you’ve had quite a busy two years. Well done and rest up son ✌🏾”
Gatwa’s exit was a shock, especially after his appearance on The Graham Norton Show last fall, during which he said he planned to shoot a third season.
Nonetheless, Gatwa shared his gratitude and pride:
“There are no words to describe what it feels like to be cast as the Doctor, nor are there words to explain what it feels like to be accepted into this iconic role that has existed for over 60 years and is truly loved by so many across the globe.”
His emotional Instagram post to the fans can be seen here:
His season came after fellow Scottish actor David Tennant reprised his role as the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor in special episodes, following his regeneration from the Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, who is the first woman to portray the character.
Writer and showrunner Russell T. Davies also rejoined the Doctor Who team for the first time in 13 years to anchor the Fifteenth Doctor’s run, and Gatwa thanked him “endlessly” for the adventures.
Gatwa was also cast alongside the Doctor's time-traveling companions, Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday and Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra.
Gatwa thanked Gibson and Sethu in the post below:
BBC also posted Gatwa’s goodbye speech to the Doctor Who crew, whom he thanked and described as “the petrol to this place.”
His gracious “leaving speech” can be seen here:
Fans thanked Gatwa for his enthusiastic and interstellar take on the beloved Doctor and wished him well on his next adventures:
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Fans will have to wait to see what Rose Tyler’s appearance means for the Doctor Who-verse and whether she’s the next Doctor in line.
In the meantime, a Doctor Who miniseries created by Davies and named “The War Between the Land and the Sea,” featuring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Russell Tovey, will premiere on BBC One and Disney+ later this year.
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