Ncuti Gatwa debuted as the Fifteenth Doctor in December 2023 on Christmas Day, but reports have suggested that the Scottish actor is quitting the show.
The BBC has confirmed the launch date of Ncuti Gatwa’s second series on Doctor Who, despite reports that the Scottish actor is to ‘quit’ the long-running series.
The sci-fi show will air on Saturday, April 12th, on BBC One and iPlayer. Millie Gibson will reprise her role as Ruby Sunday, and Varada Sethu will play a new companion.
The announcement was made during the BBC’s coverage of the U20s Six Nations fixture between England and Scotland, leaving several fans ‘confused’ over the random choice to air the news.
One TV journalist posted on X: “Quite a random place to drop such a big announcement.” A second person also typed: “The way zero fans saw this because in what world do rugby and Doctor Who fans overlap.”
Despite only stepping into the iconic role in December 2023, multiple reports have suggested that Ncuti will leave the show after the 15th series airs later this year.
Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will be reprising their roles for series two (Image: BBC)
The news comes after reports suggested that the BBC had plans to shelve the fan-favorite series, which BBC bosses strongly denied.
In a statement released this week, a BBC spokesperson commented: “This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs.
“The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
Ncuti, 32, became the first-ever Black actor to play the role. According to The Times, the Scottish star is said to have already filmed his “regeneration exit scene.”
Bookies have already anticipated who could step into his shoes, with Netflix star Josh O’Connor being a firm favourite, according to betideas.com.
Ncuti Gatwa became the first ever Black actor to play the role (Image: Getty)
The Challengers actor has recently been linked with the vacant James Bond position but leads the market at 2/1. Jack Lowden (4/1) and Richard Armitage (7/1) complete the top four selections alongside David Tennant.
On its debut, Gatwa’s first Doctor Who series garnered only 2.6 million viewers on BBC1. The Sun has also reported that crew working on the latest series have been told not to expect any more work on another Doctor Who series ‘for another decade.’
An insider told the publication, “Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles, with several Hollywood projects standing by for him.”
