Gatwa says it “would be essential to explore race” during his time on the show.
The long wait for Ncuti Gatwa’s first full season in the TARDIS is now over – with the opening two episodes of Doctor Who season 14 having aired on BBC One last night following their iPlayer debut.
Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord saw the Doctor and new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) travel a to baby farm in the distant future and 1960s London respectively, with the pair meeting talking babies, a monster made of bogies, The Beatles and Jinkx Monsoon’s bonkers new villain Maestro in the process.
Of course, these episodes offer just a taste of what’s to come in season 14 – and in Gatwa’s stint on the show more generally – and it looks like the series will also be taking time to explore some more serious issues alongside the silliness.
Gatwa is the first permanent Black Doctor in the show’s history – following Jo Martin’s brief appearance as the Fugitive Doctor during the Chris Chibnall era – and during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said that his race would definitely play a part in future episodes.
“I think that there will be no way to not, you have to address race,” he said when asked about the topic.
He added: “I think, like, the Doctor has been… this is the first time the Doctor has been this Black for this long, and he tends to spend most of his time on Earth, it’s a favourite of his.
“And so, yeah, it would be essential to explore race within his tenure. It’s something that I would want to do and, like, I don’t think you can ignore it. You can’t ignore my chocolate-ness!”
Read more:
- Doctor Who references first ever episode in epic Easter egg
- Doctor Who boss says finale contains scenes he’s been planning for 50 years
Of course, Doctor Who is a show that has always explored social issues through a sci-fi lens, and so it’s no surprise that this will continue to be the case during Gatwa’s tenure – and it gives fans yet another reason to look forward to future episodes.
Speaking of future episodes, an exciting teaser has arrived for next week’s instalment, Boom, which marks the high-profile return of former showrunner Steven Moffat to writing duties.
The episode will see the Doctor landing on a war-torn alien world where he steps on a landmine and is unable to move – and if the trailer is anything to go by, what follows looks rather tense to say the least…
The episode will be followed by 73 Yards, Dot and Bubble, and the Regency era-set Rogue, guest starring Jonathan Groff, before the season is rounded off with two-part finale The Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death.
Doctor Who will continue on 18th May on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.