It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Ncuti Gatwa as he gears up to take the TARDIS key next year!
We’re steadily heading down the road to the Fourteenth Doctor. And incoming Doctor Ncuti Gatwa is certainly keeping busy. Here’s what’s been happing in the world of the new Doctor!
The Fourteenth Doctor’s costume
Early discussions for the Fourteenth Doctor’s costume may be about to begin. Talking to the Radio Times at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards Ncuti Gatwa revealed that he’s going to have an input into what his Doctor wears. That’s to be expected. David Tennant famously requested his ankle skimming coat as his very first comment to Davies when being cast, after all. And the first pair of the Tenth Doctor’s iconic converse were actually Tennant’s own. Meanwhile Peter Capaldi had very strong ideas about his initial minimalist ‘100% Rebel Time Lord’ look. And Matt Smith certainly made his feelings clear about which of the suggested costumes he preferred.
But still, it’s exciting to think that Davies and Gatwa have had that initial talk about the costume, and that the wheels are obviously already turning in Gatwa’s mind about what his Doctor will look like.
Gillian Anderson: the next Missy?
Gatwa also revealed who he’d love his Doctor to match wits with as a new nemesis: his Sex Education co-star Gillian Anderson! “I would love to play opposite Gillian again,” he told the Radio Times. “I would love for Gillian to come in and be an amazing baddie.
“Like, I’d love to battle with Gillian! That would be a dream.”
In Sex Education, Anderson co-starred as sex therapist Jean Milburn, mother of Otis, the best friend of Ncuti Gatwa’s Eric Effiong. For many Doctor Who fans Anderson will also be famous for her starring role as Dana Scully in The X-Files. After all, it was one of the biggest SF television hits of the years Doctor Who was off air. Of course, Anderson is such a famous name, and so respected and talented an actor, that it’s hard to believe the Bad Wolf team wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to include her if the chance arose. But who would she play? A new villain, or perhaps a new incarnation of Missy?
The name is Doctor Ncuti Gatwa!
Ncuti Gatwa has also lately become a doctor in real life! Gatwa has been awarded an honorary doctorate in drama by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Gatwa is a graduate of the RCS, which also trained a young David Tennant (they granted Tennant an honorary doctorate in 2016.)
As part of the ceremony, Gatwa addressed the class of 2022, telling them that “I’ve learned in life thus far is that you have to roll with the punches and figure it out as you go along.” He also spoke of how inspiring he found the new generation of actors coming up through the RCS. “I am humbly inspired and in awe of the strength, talent, perseverance, and dedication to your craft that each of you clearly possess,” he said, “These qualities will serve you so well in life. What today signifies is that you are artists. Period.”
Ryan Gosling declares Gatwa’s Doctor “most exciting!”
Meanwhile, Gatwa’s Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling was a guest on the BBC’s The One Show this week. Both Gosling and Gatwa play different version of the famous Ken doll alongside Margot Robbie’s Barbie in the Greta Gerwing directed film. He was quick to praise the new Doctor. “I am such a big fan of Ncuti’s, he’s the coolest.” And Gosling in already excited for the next series of Doctor Who! “[Ncuti] playing Doctor Who is the most exciting thing that’s happening right now. I’m here for it.”
Gosling’s excitement follows on from a couple of weeks ago when he fans spotted him out and about in an unofficial t-shirt featuring fan art of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor! Perhaps we should add Gosling to the list of potential guest stars for the Fourteenth Doctor era. Much less likely to make an appearance in former Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston. But he’s still added his voice to the various former Doctors that have been supportive of the latest to join their exclusive circle, saying “Much love to Ncuti Gatwa!” on a recent Instagram post.
Disney+
Fascinatingly, high profile business news site Bloomberg have reported that Disney and the BBC are in negotiations for Disney+ to become Doctor Who’s new international streaming home. This would make Disney+ the replacement for Netflix, which hosted Doctor Who from 2013 to 2021. It would also presumably replace the current arrangement with HBO Max, where it’s currently found in the US. It should be noted that ‘streaming rights’ mean just that – the right to carry Doctor Who on their platform – and is very different from a co-production deal. Should Doctor Who wind up on Disney+ outside the UK, it won’t effect the show itself any more than the previous Netflix deal did. It would however give millions of potential new fans worldwide an opportunity to discover the Time Lord’s adventures for themselves.
Doctor Who continues this Autumn with the Thirteenth Doctor’s final episode, ahead of Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode next year
