{"id":15153,"date":"2022-05-10T17:48:48","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T15:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1642423"},"modified":"2022-05-10T18:17:12","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T16:17:12","slug":"doctor-whos-ncuti-gatwa-reveal-could-be-hiding-another-big-surprise","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-whos-ncuti-gatwa-reveal-could-be-hiding-another-big-surprise\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who\u2019s Ncuti Gatwa reveal could be hiding another big surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Huw Fullerton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 10 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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On Sunday 8th May 2022, Doctor Who<\/a> changed forever \u2013 by doing something it\u2019s already done a dozen times or so. After months of speculation, Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa<\/a> was announced to play time-travelling hero the Doctor<\/a>, with the Rwandan-born Scottish actor set to take over from incumbent Time Lord Jodie Whittaker when she regenerates this autumn.<\/p>\n

Or is he? Because some fans still think returning showrunner Russell T Davies has a few tricks up his sleeve, based on some key details in the official announcement of Gatwa\u2019s casting. Maybe, just maybe, there\u2019s more to this straightforward news than meets the eye.<\/p>

Let\u2019s start with what wasn\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0in the announcement. If you read the BBC\u2019s official release, the language is very carefully chosen, announcing Gatwa\u2019s casting but not specifically saying when he\u2019s taking over as Doctor Who\u2019s lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cNcuti Gatwa is the new Doctor set to take charge of the TARDIS,\u201d the release statement reads. \u201cThe future is here,\u201d various social media posts promised. Quite specifically, nothing from the BBC itself names him as the Fourteenth Doctor (as most outside coverage of the announcement has), or that he\u2019s going to appear when Whittaker regenerates this autumn \u2013 minor omissions to some, but significant in their absence.<\/p>\n

When Jodie Whittaker\u2019s casting was teed up, a short teaser trailer emphasised her status as the Thirteenth Doctor by running the number onto significant landmarks and other pieces of everyday footage. Four years earlier, when Peter Capaldi was unveiled in a live TV special, presenter Zoe Ball named him \u201cthe Twelfth Doctor\u201d just moments before he walked on set.<\/p>\n

(For simplicity\u2019s sake, we\u2019re not even going to broach War and\/or Fugitive Doctors here \u2013 even with extra incarnations, the numbering is usually set so it\u2019s not relevant.)<\/p>\n

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Ncuti Gatwa and Russell T Davies at the Virgin Media BAFTA Television Awards<\/span><\/figcaption> Dave Benett\/Getty Images)<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

So why drop the numbering this time? Plenty of Whovians were quick to notice the carefully-worded sentences, and have already speculated that it could have been written that way to obscure a surprise twist \u2013 what if Gatwa is going to be the Doctor, but not the one right after Jodie Whittaker? In other words, what if there\u2019s a shock incarnation in between them?<\/p>\n

For a long time, we\u2019ve heard whispers of something a bit different coming in the near future for Doctor Who \u2013 a possible short run of specials for 2023, rather than a full season, with a new Doctor who doesn\u2019t stick around for long. Rumour had it that Tenth Doctor David Tennant could even be returning, somehow embodying a new Fourteenth Doctor for Who\u2019s 60th anniversary year before stepping aside for a \u201cproper\u201d new Doctor who\u2019d take over going forward.<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s Gatwa \u2013 the new Doctor, but not the next Doctor. Maybe Tennant\u2019s return is planned just as was rumoured, with the Scottish actor returning for a few specials before Gatwa takes over permanently, and maybe that\u2019s what all this careful wording has been trying to hide.<\/p>\n

Certainly, if Tennant (or another actor) was involved, you couldn\u2019t have asked for a better way to deflect attention than Sunday\u2019s news. Before then, there was an awful lot of chatter about Tennant\u2019s potential role in the series, including the actor himself being quizzed about it on stage a week or two ago<\/a> (where he had his own curiously-worded non-denials).<\/p>\n

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David Tennant<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

That chatter was conveniently kneecapped and taken off the agenda when Gatwa\u2019s casting was announced on Sunday. Now, nobody is seriously speculating about Jodie Whittaker\u2019s regeneration because they think the matter has been settled. But maybe it hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Look, we get it \u2013 this is starting to sound like a bit of a conspiracy theory, with tinfoil sonic screwdrivers all round. And to be fair, there are plenty of other explanations for all these weird details.<\/p>\n

For example, it could be that dropping the \u2018Fourteenth\u2019 designation is an attempt to simplify and streamline the series. The vast majority of people aren\u2019t keeping a tally of Time Lords, and showrunner Davies might be trying for a soft reboot that reimagines the show as a fresh and new entity without mounds of backstory.<\/p>\n

The Tennant rumours? Well, Davies recently admitted that he had planted a few false castings and stories about Whittaker\u2019s replacement, so maybe his former leading man was one of those red herrings. And who knows? Maybe Tennant was even in on it, driving speculation with faintly evasive answers before the BBC revealed the truth.<\/p>\n

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Ncuti Gatwa<\/span><\/figcaption> Photo by Axelle\/Bauer-Griffin\/FilmMagic<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

So yes, we might just be reading too much into some minor details, and it\u2019s likely we should just take this announcement at face value. After all, it wouldn\u2019t be a great look for the BBC to announce the first actor of colour as the Doctor Who lead, only to pull the rug away at the last second when a whole new audience is excited to see him in action.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry! Come back next year,\u201d probably wouldn\u2019t fly for all the fans who specifically decided to give Who a chance because of Gatwa\u2019s involvement. Davies would know that, and be wary of baiting people with something they\u2019d have to wait for.<\/p>\n

But still, you have to wonder. Even if they don\u2019t want to say Gatwa is the Fourteenth Doctor, then why does the BBC avoid calling him the next<\/em> Doctor as well? Why don\u2019t they say he\u2019s taking over from Jodie Whittaker? Why is it all so vague and evasive?<\/p>\n

With months to go until this autumn\u2019s centenary special, there\u2019s plenty of time for us to chew it over. But for now, it feels like we\u2019re not done with exciting Doctor Who casting news just yet. Watch this space\u2026 and time.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n