Ncuti Gatwa has been out filming in another new costume while Russell T Davies has confirmed that Whoniverse spin-offs are definitely coming!
Eagle eyed fans have for the first time been able to spy Ncuti Gatwa filming in public. And he’s got a whole new look! The filming appears to be for the 2023 year end special (whether that means Christmas Day or New Year’s Day is still unknown). But slightly surprisingly Gatwa isn’t wearing the outfit unveiled in publicity photographs last month! Instead it shows him in an orangey brown leather overcoat, colourful striped zip-up polo shirt, blue trousers and designer trainers. Has he adopted this look for a particular reason? Or will our new Doctor have less of a defined look than in recent years, and a more expansive wardrobe? We’ll have to wait and see. The BBC haven’t released any official photographs of the new outfit yet, but we’ll let you know when they are.
Doctor Who Series Fourteen filming began some time ago, of course. But for the most part up until now Ncuti Gatwa himself appears to have been filming either in studio or in more remote locations away from prying eyes. You’ll hear no spoilers from Blogtor Who, as always. So all we can say is that for these scenes the Doctor was doing a hell of a lot of running.
Nature, as they say, is healing.
Russell T Davies’ new era will look forward, not back, and have Doctor Who’s biggest ever budget!
Meanwhile, showrunner Russell T Davies has been emphasising in various media interviews is that his approach is to “go forward” with the show. Davies’ original time in charge of Doctor Who resurrected it after years off air. He also transformed it into a television powerhouse. But rather than a recreation of what he did last time, viewers can expect a whole new approach when Series Fourteen arrives. His team have stated a determination not to repeat themselves. For instance, it appears we shouldn’t expect any Dalek invasions of Earth any time soon.
Davies has also confirmed the long suspected plans for a Whoniverse of spin-offs. Using the current iterations of Star Trek as an example, he’s pointed to how they can sustain a year round presence through the different shows. It seems that the first of these new Doctor Who spin-offs are already in development. Though as you’d expect at this early stage, absolutely no details are known yet. This is news that’s been expected for some time, thanks to Davies’ comments prior to taking on the role, and the appearance of ‘Home of the Whoniverse‘ signage at Bad Wolf. But it’s still exciting to hear for sure.
The showrunner has promised that the upcoming specials and Series Fourteen will put the show’s biggest ever budget on screen
Finally for now the showrunner has revealed that when it returns Doctor Who will have its biggest ever budget, in part thanks to the deal with Disney+. However, he’s also tempered expectations. Despite this boost, its still well short of the kind of funding received by the likes of Star Wars or Marvel shows. He’s also pointed out for those concerned that Doctor Who since 2005 has always had international co-production partners and that them sending notes back to the Who offices on episodes has always happened.
We’re still only four months into a thirteen month gap between episodes, the longest since the show’s revival. And it will be another month after that before we see the first of the Ncuti Gatwa episodes currently filming. But there’s every sign that the wait will be worth it and that there are some very good times ahead.
Doctor Who returns in November with three 60th Anniversary episodes
