'Doctor Who' Faces A New Reality With Ncuti Gatwa Regeneration After Two Seasons
No Daleks, no bananas, just a nineteen episode saga that brought back villains old and newer
Who’s afraid of the big Bad Wolf? The Ncuti Gatwa Fifteenth Doctor era of Doctor Who has ended. In the finale of his second season, Fifteen regenerated into his next incarnation, played by Billie Piper, the former pop star who helped relaunch the long-running sci-fi series 20 years ago as companion Rose Tyler in its first two series, to Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston and Tenth Doctor David Tennant.
How did this happen? Well, the Doctor faced off with Omega just fine, the Archie Panjabi Rani was eaten by Omega like she was Mummymon and Arukenimon to Omega’s Malomyotismon, while Mrs. Flood, played by Anita Dobson, just bailed. When the world exited the Wish World, Poppy, who had been positioned in Conrad (Jonah Hauer-King)’s Wish World as The Doctor’s, well John Smith and Belinda (Varada Sethu)’s daughter, had disappeared from existence. Ruby remembered her, and it disturbed her that no one else did. She convinced him to go back. But in order to fix this time schism, it took a regeneration-necessitating amount of his Time Lord essence to fix things. He really likes this face. But not before a visit from a timeline-plucked Thirteenth Doctor. Welcome back Jodie Whittaker! When the Doctor landed back, the truth was revealed: Poppy is Belinda’s actual daughter. She was who Belinda had to be taken home to and for. It turns out Belinda had spoken about Poppy, in ways of worry, love, and excitement, throughout her entire journey. Remember, in “The Robot Revolution”, she was working nights. So she at least needed to be home close enough to the end of her shift to take over from her babysitting parents. The Doctor tells Belinda they might meet up again one day, but not with that face. With an “I love you” to Belinda and Poppy, he heads off to the Star of Bethlehem, so in the presence of Joy from “Joy to the World”, he can regenerate safely.
'Doctor Who' Celebrates Revival’s 20th Anniversary With Special 'Unleashed' Episode
In an 8-episode second season of Doctor Who on Disney+ that sought to bring Belinda Chandra home, and having just had three 60th anniversary specials just a year and a half ago, it would be a lot to fit in another anniversary special for the 20th anniversary of the show’s revival. March 26, 2005 was the night it all kicked off with the premiere of “Rose…
Speaking of his departure, Gatwa said: “You know when you get cast, at some point you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it. This journey has been one that I will never forget, and a role that will be part of me forever. 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. The fans are truly the final character and beating heart of this show and I can’t thank the Whoniverse, and the Whovians, enough for welcoming me in, and making this such a touching experience. I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have. I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor."
Showrunner Russell T. Davies said "What a Doctor! Thank you, Ncuti! As his final words say, this has been an absolute joy, and the team in Cardiff and everyone who has worked on this show for the past few years, are so lucky to have been part of Ncuti’s great adventure as he shoots off to stratospheric new heights."
Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama added “When Ncuti Gatwa first stepped foot on the TARDIS we instantly knew he was going to be an iconic Doctor and it wasn’t long before his dazzling performances captured the hearts of so many around the globe. The role of the Doctor is like no other and Ncuti’s dedication, charisma and magnetism has taken the Doctor into unchartered territory which we have never experienced before. As Ncuti himself said at the start of this journey - unlike the Doctor he may only have one heart, but he is giving it all to this role - I think we can all agree that he did that, and more. Thanks, Ncuti for being such a special part of the Whoniverse.”
While Rose Tyler’s story initially ended with her trapped in the alternate universe where her deceased father Pete’s doppelganger lived, the impending collapse of the universe in series 4 at the hands of Davros made the boundaries brittle enough for her to cross, appearing in several episodes, including the series 4 finale where after the ordeal was genocidally resolved by the Metacrisis Doctor, Ten left him and his single heart to live out his days with Rose, returned to that alternate reality. But that wasn’t all for Piper, as she returned for the 50th anniversary special as the holographic manifestation of The Moment. Here, she emerges from The Doctor’s next regeneration…but isn’t given the title of The Doctor, her credit simply reading “And Introducing Billie Piper”.
Piper and Davies each gave statements regarding her return, but with the intentional crediting in mind, they both made pretty intentional statements as to how the immediate future will go with the latter starting “Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she’s done it again! It’s an honour and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told. After 62 years, the Doctor’s adventures are only just beginning!” Piper meanwhile said: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there, so to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse, but who, how, why and when, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
It’s also worth noting that first season companion Millie Gibson, who returned as Ruby Sunday for four episodes after departing the TARDIS, put out her own goodbye statement as the Doctor heads into a new era: “To my Ncuts and to the 15th: Nothing can put into words the experience we’ve shared. I am forever grateful to have been a part of it and watched you bloom into the fabulous Doctor the world has got to know and adore. You have made this incredible character even more special with who you are and how good you wear clothes. You’re my forever friend and doctor and I’ll be here cheering you on watching you on your further successes with every new companion you meet along the way ;) Thank you for taking me to the stars ✨Love, Ruby roo.” Gatwa replied “My red ruby”
Gatwa was announced as the Doctor on May 8, 2022. His Fifteenth Doctor made his first appearance in the 60th anniversary special “The Giggle”, as he bi-generated from David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor. During his tenure he won Best Actor at the BAFTA Cymru Awards in 2024, and was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Audience Award for Favourite Scot on Screen and Best Actor in a Drama Series Critics Choice Award earlier this year. He is about to star in the upcoming The Roses, a remake of The War of the Roses directed by Jay Roach, as part of an ensemble that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, and Kate McKinnon. Releasing August 29, that will be a few weeks into his West End run starring with Edward Bluemel in Born With Teeth, about an imagined meeting between bad-boy playwright Christopher Marlowe and a then-up-and-coming William Shakespeare. It has a limited 11-week season from August 13 to November 1.
This ends the Doctor Who portion of the Disney+ agreement the BBC has, at least currently. The next series hasn’t quite been officially commissioned yet. There was no Next Time trailer, no “The Doctor will return”. But that’s because the final phase of the agreement moves into an entire spinoff of a war.
Thirteenth Doctor And Yaz Get A Goddamn Bite For Their First Audio Adventure
It’s not going to be a normal weekend for the first Doctor Who audio dramas to star Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker and her companion Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill. Big Finish, the producer of the franchise’s audio dramas, has announced story details for the first of
Source: Doctor Who, Deadline