New Doctor Just Dropped
May 8, 2022 4:43 AM   Subscribe

The Future is Here! Actor Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) has just been announced as the new Doctor in the TARDIS, after Jodie Whittaker's final episode later this year.
posted by crossoverman (64 comments total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
That link gives an error for me (US, if it matters) but the official Doctor Who Twitter account also has the announcement. Ncuti Gatwa also made a delightful post on Instagram.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:01 AM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]


Oh this wonderful.
posted by lownote at 5:03 AM on May 8, 2022


He's great on Sex Education, I think he could be a very fun doctor. Given that I've only seen him in the role of a teenager I was thinking that he'd be way younger than previous doctors, but someone on Twitter pointed out that he's older than Matt Smith was. (Ncuti is 29).
posted by geegollygosh at 5:06 AM on May 8, 2022 [9 favorites]


Exciting!
posted by drezdn at 5:08 AM on May 8, 2022


Ncuti (pronounced "shooty") has lots of delightful posts on Instagram. I love him on Sex Education. This is a brilliant choice.
posted by crossoverman at 5:21 AM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]


I know nothing of the actor, but was worried that they were going to go "well, we've done something different once, now lets go back to 100% white dudes", so this makes me happy.
posted by Vortisaur at 6:04 AM on May 8, 2022 [19 favorites]


I was unfamiliar with him as well (I guess Sex Education was his big role?) but doing some searching I found this interview with him by Gillian Anderson for Teen Vogue. He comes off well I think.

I'm curious, now that Bad Wolf is owned by Sony, what the production is going to look like. Especially with a returning Russell T "Farting Aliens & Too Much Hugging" Davies. Hopefully the star gets to shine (something which Jodie Whitaker did not, IMO).
posted by Ashwagandha at 6:38 AM on May 8, 2022 [11 favorites]


Oh, that interview in Teen Vogue made me smile big, Ashwagandha! Thanks for sharing it. Count me among his many fans from his Sex Education role.
posted by eirias at 6:46 AM on May 8, 2022


Gatwa is a great actor, this is great news. I wonder what accent he'll play the Doctor with? He plays Eric with an English accent tinged sometimes with Nigerian, but he's actually Rwandan and Scottish, so I don't know what his personal accent is. I know some actors have played the Doctor in their own accent (Eccleston), but Tennant performed in an English accent. I like hearing the Doctor change accents as well as appearance ("Lots of planets have a north!").
posted by jb at 6:51 AM on May 8, 2022 [12 favorites]


Metafilter: Farting Aliens and Too Much Hugging
posted by mecran01 at 6:54 AM on May 8, 2022 [16 favorites]


Still not a ginger!



Nah, in seriousness, well done and good choice by the BBC.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:14 AM on May 8, 2022 [9 favorites]


I was dreading the new Doctor announcement since I’m ready yet for Thirteen to go, but I’m hyped for this.
posted by bettafish at 7:36 AM on May 8, 2022


[paragraphs of complaints about recent Who & specifically Chibnall] In conclusion, it would have been good to see what Whittaker could have done with a season of RTD, not that I love farting aliens, but [further Chibnall complaints].

I've never seen Gatwa in anything, but he seems like a good choice and I'm feeling excited about Who for the first time in a long time.
posted by betweenthebars at 7:40 AM on May 8, 2022 [13 favorites]


I'd like to see a Doctor series where he is body-hopping episode to episode. You'd probably get some of the best actors to perform this as cameo (Cumberbatch, Emma Thompson).
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:48 AM on May 8, 2022 [9 favorites]


Oh, how exciting. I love him in Sex Ed, and I'm interested to see what he brings to The Doctor. I just hope RTD is on point with his scripts/showrunning.
posted by johnofjack at 7:53 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


It felt like with Years and Years that RTD's writing was really hitting another level. I hope the production move to Bad Wolf gives him even more latitude to do something fresh this time.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:29 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


The expected racist comments on Twitter, the same people who were sexist with Jodie Whittaker to no surprise. The more important question I've spotted though is - What will he be wearing ? Can't wait to see the look.
posted by Webbster at 8:52 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


The expected racist comments on Twitter, the same people who were sexist with Jodie Whittaker to no surprise.
I was saying privately to friends, hoping I wouldn't have to post it here, "Well, now, we get to find out which Dr. Who fans are racist and which ones are racist AND misogynistic."
I was also saying the new Doctor fulfills all my criteria -- is British. Everything else doesn't matter.
posted by dannyboybell at 9:03 AM on May 8, 2022 [16 favorites]


Would really love to see Tilda Swinton do a guest shot as The Doctor. Or better (worse!) as The Master.
posted by SPrintF at 9:06 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]


Would really love to see Tilda Swinton do a guest shot as The Doctor. Or better (worse!) as The Master.

She would fit that universe so well. She deserves her own character with its own arc.

Here’s to the new doctor. I’m not so worried about him as I am about avoiding the gaggle of companions problem.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:13 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]


TYPICAL, ANOTHER NEW >DOCTOR!< ANNOUNCED.

YET THE BBC ARE TOO COWARDLY TO GIVE THE ROLE TO SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY DESERVES IT, A DALEK!!

STOP THIS ANTI-DALEK DISCRIMINATION!

IS THE BBC RUN BY THALS?!
posted by fallingbadgers at 9:13 AM on May 8, 2022 [63 favorites]


By the way, fallingbadgers, I loved you on 8 Out of 10 Cats last week.
posted by dannyboybell at 9:27 AM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]


People in the fandom are *losing thier goddamn minds* over this announcement in positive and negative ways, and I am LOVIN IT.
posted by Faintdreams at 9:39 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


I'd like to see a Doctor series where he is body-hopping episode to episode.

They did one with the Doctor hopping from body to body in a very short time: The Curse of Fatal Death.
posted by jb at 9:51 AM on May 8, 2022 [4 favorites]


I was eh about Matt Smith, and the writing only seemed to go downhill from there for me. At this point I don't care who they cast so long as they can make me care about the show again.
posted by lock robster at 10:25 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]


Another Scotsman?
posted by Phanx at 10:52 AM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]


If you missed the last Doctor Who episode, you are very lucky.
posted by Catblack at 11:12 AM on May 8, 2022 [2 favorites]


Another Scotsman?

That's the NuWho rule! A non-Scotsman, then a Scotsman, then a non-Scotsman, then a Scotsman, then a non-Scotsman, then a Scotsman, then...
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 12:08 PM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]


IS THE BBC RUN BY THALS?!

Yes.
posted by Ashwagandha at 12:10 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


This is going to make racists so mad, and I am here for all of it. I'm really excited to see what happens, and I haven't felt this way about Doctor Who in a while. Also:

What will he be wearing ? Can't wait to see the look.

I'm hoping it's something really stylish like some of Capaldi's. I'm kind of over Whittaker's afternoon-trip-to-Tesco outfit.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:04 PM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]


Would like to see a trans actor at some point 'cos the Doctor is canonically trans now.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:19 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


fallingbadgers: IS THE BBC RUN BY THALS?!

Ashwagandha: Yes.

The Slitheen placed one of their hunters in the Director-General chair during a lockdown party.

Congrats to the new Doctor!
posted by k3ninho at 1:31 PM on May 8, 2022


I'd like to see a Doctor series where he is body-hopping episode to episode. You'd probably get some of the best actors to perform this as cameo (Cumberbatch, Emma Thompson).

OMG, you could do a whole season! Some sort of regeneration malfunction where the regenerations escalate, shortening over the course of the season. By the end of the arc you could have multiple regens over the course of a single episode. With that short time commitment you could have every major actor in British cinema show up.
posted by leotrotsky at 2:19 PM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]


Someone on Twitter pointed out a delightful piece of trivia for disarming anyone complaining about a non-white Doctor. Peter Davison (fifth Doctor, 1981-84) is mixed race--his father was Guyanese--but nobody seemed to notice.
posted by Hogshead at 3:10 PM on May 8, 2022 [6 favorites]


Upthread we saw the interview Gillian Anderson did with Gatwa for Teen Vogue; she co-stars with him on SEX EDUCATION. And thus there is a wonderful idea I've seen floated on Twitter - Gatwa as The Doctor, and Gillian Anderson as The Master.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:40 PM on May 8, 2022 [11 favorites]


Gatwa as The Doctor, and Gillian Anderson as The Master

This sort of speculation drives me nuts because I'll be sad when this doesn't happen.
posted by crossoverman at 4:07 PM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]


crossoverman: Gatwa as The Doctor, and Gillian Anderson as The Master

This sort of speculation drives me nuts because I'll be sad when this doesn't happen.


Eponysterical?
posted by mollweide at 4:29 PM on May 8, 2022 [6 favorites]


Doctor Who is at its best when its taking some risks rather than playing it safe.
posted by jjderooy at 4:50 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


I judge my new Doctor's on the "How much do they look like an alien pretending to be human" scale. Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Matt Smith (a non-convincing alien alias if ever there was one) all scored highly.

I know nothing about Gatwa and was worried that they look far too human in their publicity photos. But the recent shots of him on the BAFTA red carpet has allayed all my fears. In fact, I hope they go with that look for the show.
posted by AndrewStephens at 5:15 PM on May 8, 2022 [2 favorites]


I'm excited for this but also sad because Jodie absolutely got effed with stupid stories as the first female Doctor. I hope things are better for Gatwa.
posted by cyndigo at 5:43 PM on May 8, 2022 [8 favorites]


!!!!!!!!!!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 6:26 PM on May 8, 2022


When I saw the news, my first thought was imagining all the butthurt dudes who'd been up in arms about a woman doctor - that they'd go "Good! - back to a man like it always should have been!" before whiplashing into "Wait, he's not white??"

But I have better (and more entertaining) things to do than to actually seek out and read their inevitable posts.

(Like cyndigo, I'm sad that Jodie's talents were sometimes wasted on meh stories; I thought from her first episodes that she really nailed the mannerisms of a Doctor.)
posted by Philofacts at 6:43 PM on May 8, 2022 [2 favorites]


Here's AndrewStephens' link as a jpg, which worked better for me, and the article it came from.
posted by Pronoiac at 7:23 PM on May 8, 2022


> Peter Davison (fifth Doctor, 1981-84) is mixed race--his father was Guyanese--but nobody seemed to notice.

And apparently also he's David Tenant's father-in-law??
posted by WaylandSmith at 8:47 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


And apparently also he's David Tenant's father-in-law??

Georgia Tennant, Peter's daughter, played the Doctor's daughter in the episode The Doctor's Daughter. So she's the Fifth Doctor's actual daughter and she played the Doctor's daughter to David Tennant's Doctor, her husband.
posted by crossoverman at 11:24 PM on May 8, 2022 [9 favorites]


Sure I've said it before but the state of Teen Vogue is the only redeeming feature of this fuckin timeline.
posted by away for regrooving at 11:37 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]


I was saying privately to friends, hoping I wouldn't have to post it here, "Well, now, we get to find out which Dr. Who fans are racist and which ones are racist AND misogynistic."

this venn diagram is a circle
posted by secret about box at 12:23 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]


In case anyone else is curious about why his name has an N in it, I googled:
In Kinyarwanda, represents phonetic [n̥tʃʰ], at least in a somewhat-conventional style of IPA transcriptions. The [t] portion of the cluster is brief, and English speakers generally do not parse that sequence as [ntʃ], instead it sounds like a sneeze plus [ʃ]. The word incuti means "friend". The initial vowel is the "augment", a kind of determiner, and when a common noun is used as a name, the augment is omitted. /n/ is the class 9 prefix.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:30 AM on May 9, 2022 [5 favorites]


I lost interest in the Dr. Who storylines but I thought Jodie Whittaker was quite good in the role. I guess I was hoping they would replace her with more women, so that it wouldn't seem like "woman Doctor" was a one-off attention seeking gimmick they'd slough off as soon as it lost its shock value.
Like, somehow, Freema Agyeman, back as the Doctor...!

Congrats to the new guy though. Hopefully the role will be worthy of him.
posted by xigxag at 12:36 AM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]


Oops, I just realised there was an ‘nc’ between pointy brackets that got stripped out there. Should read :
In Kinyarwanda, ’nc’ represents phonetic [n̥tʃʰ], at least in a somewhat-conventional style of IPA transcriptions
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:40 AM on May 9, 2022


> Peter Davison (fifth Doctor, 1981-84) is mixed race--his father was Guyanese--but nobody seemed to notice.

Yeah, that was how we sneaked in Asian Superman (Dean Cain) in the 90s too. A fact I am quick to remind people of whenever talk of a potential black Superman comes up and the racists get squirrelly.
posted by seraphine at 1:51 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]


The energy around Doctor Who has seriously dimmed, as it seems "everyone" got tired of the show. I know that the last season of a Doctor and/or showrunner is often a muted affair, but post-Flex episodes remind me more of McCoy's final season, where the string was painfully being played out for all to see. When The AV Club can't be bothered to review April's episode, that's my personal sign of serious DW fatigue setting in.

I have hopes for Gatwa, and not just for what his potential fit will be--I'd like something along the lines of an all-white suit with a gaudy waistcoat, or something 70s-inspired as his first adventure ends up happening in that decade. The show is either in need of a serious rejuvenation, or a graceful end, and to be honest the latter is what I had assumed RTD's hiring would portend. I had guessed that a well-known actor would take over the role of the Doctor for two seasons, which would allow them to sunset the show at Season 15 in 2024. Casting a young actor with a relatively short CV suggests that RTD sees more life in Doctor Who beyond 2024, and that both he and Gatwa can make a good argument to keep the show going longer.
posted by stannate at 7:56 AM on May 9, 2022


Jodie Whittaker got (Colin) Baker'd.

I look forward to the 13th Doctor shining in future Big Finish productions.
posted by charred husk at 8:25 AM on May 9, 2022 [8 favorites]


I wholeheartedly applaud this return to a thirst trap Doctor.
posted by praemunire at 12:30 PM on May 9, 2022 [3 favorites]


Georgia Tennant, Peter's daughter, played the Doctor's daughter in the episode The Doctor's Daughter. So she's the Fifth Doctor's actual daughter and she played the Doctor's daughter to David Tennant's Doctor, her husband.

Put another way, Georgia is the Doctor's daughter, played the Doctor's daughter, and gave birth to the Doctor's daughter.

(Also, if you haven't seen Staged, it is adorable and provides a hilarious, if presumably fictional, view into the David/Georgia Tennant household.)
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 1:10 PM on May 9, 2022 [4 favorites]


Another Scotsman?

That's the NuWho rule! A non-Scotsman, then a Scotsman, then a non-Scotsman, then a Scotsman, then a non-Scotsman, then a Scotsman, then...


But not a single one in their Scottish accent!

If Gatwa doesn't perform in a Scottish accent, then obviously the next Scottish choice should be Susan Calman who will bring her lovely Glaswegian accent to travel time & space as well as she does tourism around Britain. (Also, she is a massive Doctor Who fan. Someone should at least get her a guest part!)
posted by jb at 2:33 PM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]


Jodie Whittaker was let down by some not-good writing, for sure. I will say that my Who engine petered out when Capaldi swooped in; I just became a lot less interested in the whole thing. I set things aside until Whittaker came on board, but found little to keep me interested past her first two episodes. (And I was super enthusiastic about having a woman Doctor. Still am.)

Who feels like it's at the point where Star Trek was when Enterprise was a couple seasons in: a little bit tired, not much life in it, making shows for the sake of making shows. It's sad, but I'm hoping Gatwa with a proven runner in RTD (for better or worse!) can inject a little freshness, urgency, and care into this next series.
posted by hijinx at 2:51 PM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]


Put another way, Georgia is the Doctor's daughter, played the Doctor's daughter, and gave birth to the Doctor's daughter.

Some fan elsewhere remarked, at the time their first kid was born, that "that child's family tree is a lemniscate."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:22 PM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]


David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning to Doctor Who for the 60th Anniversary.

Feels like only yesterday that Tennant returned for the 50th. I'm glad Donna is coming along for the ride.
posted by crossoverman at 9:06 PM on May 15, 2022 [1 favorite]


“I'm glad Donna is coming along for the ride.”

I came back to this thread just because I'm so excited to see Donna again and I wondered what the reaction here might be.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:31 PM on May 15, 2022


I basically did the Kermit Arms when I heard about Donna coming back.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:49 AM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]


IT GETS EVEN BETTER

BERNARD CRIBBINS IS BACK AS WILF TOO
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:45 PM on May 16, 2022 [5 favorites]


Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper) will play the 14th Doctor's companion, Rose. Finney will be the first transgender actor to play a companion.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:09 AM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


Finney will be the first transgender actor to play a companion.

At this rate, you will be able to power a substantial portion of the UK just by running water over furious gammon heads and capturing the resulting steam.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 12:55 PM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


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