A new report claims that Ncuti Gatwa may be leaving Doctor Who soon. Gatwa plays the Fifteenth Doctor in the revival of the classic series. Earlier this year, Gatwa appeared in Doctor Who season 14. Gatwa appeared alongside Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday in the series and will return for the already-filmed Doctor Who season 15. Doctor Who season 14 was co-produced by Disney and was made available on Disney+ throughout its run, marking a first for the BBC series.
Per a report from Deadline, it seems that Gatwa might be leaving Doctor Who sooner rather than later. According to this source, Gatwa “might not be long for the job.” The reason for his potential departure was stated to be connected to Gatwa’s desire to look for other roles. Gatwa’s representative has yet to comment on the accuracy or specifics of this statement.
What This Update Means For Gatwa’s Doctor Who Future
This Contradicts A More Hopeful Recent Update
This update may come as a surprise to those keeping up with news about Doctor Who season 15 and season 16. Gatwa was recently interviewed on The Graham Norton Show and spoke about updates on Doctor Who. On the show, his original statement was reported to say that he is slated to film Doctor Who season 16 next year. This statement was given to the press and seemed hopeful as to Gatwa’s involvement. The accuracy of that statement was already called into question, however, when the statement was edited during the actual broadcast of the show.
Now, the changed statement and the recent update do not mean that Gatwa is not in Doctor Who season 16. However, the fact that he has not filmed season 16 yet, and he “might not be long for the job” seems to indicate that either Gatwa could leave after season 15 or Gatwa will not appear beyond season 16. However, playing the Doctor for three seasons is not out of the ordinary, as many past actors have only appeared for approximately that length of time in the lead role.
This Doctor Who Update May Not Be The Full Story
Previous Season 15 And 16 Updates Have Been Initially Unclear
It is hard for me not to be suspicious of the Doctor Who update given the show’s recent track record with misinformation. Earlier this year, for example, one report said that Gibson would be leaving the show after season 1. At the same time, there were statements to the contrary that suggested she was staying, and it was eventually revealed that the initial reports were wrong. Given the dissonance between Gatwa’s recent sentiment and this latest news, I think that there is still a lot more to be revealed with this Doctor Who news.