A new Doctor is in the house. Doctor Who’s Christmas special introduced fans of BBC’s long-running sci-fi programme with the Fifteenth Doctor, portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa.
Gatwa has been handed the massive responsibility of assuming the titular character’s new incarnation. Freed from the emotional baggage of his predecessor, his Doctor will be replacing Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor in the show’s fourteenth season.
However, through the Christmas special, showrunner Russell T Davies confirmed the new incarnation – akin to his predecessors – cannot remain alone. And he gave a very good explanation for the same.
Russell T Davies Explains Why the Doctor Can Never Work Alone
Disclaimer: The following part of the article will include spoilers from Christmas Special: The Church on Ruby Road
Ncuti Gatwa, who rose to stardom through his portrayal of Moordale Secondary School’s lively student, Eric Effiong, in Netflix’s Sex Education, featured in Christmas Special: The Church on Ruby Road.
In the episode, he meets Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), an orphan who lives with her kind and caring foster mother, Carla. She encounters Doctor Who, who tells her about the goblins, who travel through time to find babies to eat.
As the Goblins go back in time to take Ruby when she was a baby, the Doctor chases them into the TARDIS. He defeats the Goblin King by impaling him on a church spire, which scares away other goblins.
Speaking on Doctor Who: Video Commentaries for the 2023 Christmas special, Russell T Davies explained that this effort from the Doctor to rescue Ruby reflects his need for a companion.
When producer Chris May remarked, “He’s a vengeful Doctor by then, isn’t he? He’s quite… Goes for it.” Gibson agreed before replying: “It’s why he needs a human.”
The Doctor has always traveled with human companions, and the tradition will continue in season 14, with Ruby set to be his newest companion in the fight against otherworldly threats.
How Ncuti Gatwa Impressed Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T Davies
Doctor Who, which first premiered in 1963, is one of BBC’s most prestigious shows. As such, despite enjoying a lot of success with Sex Education, the 31-year-old actor headed for the audition for Britain’s favorite alien with little hope.
In fact, he “almost forgot” his audition as soon as it was finished. Speaking to GQ Magazine, he explained:
“I knew I needed to go in and give them a wink and a [smile]. But I almost forgot about [the audition] as soon as I left the room, because there was just no way.”
He continued: “I’m a good actor [but] this is a 60-year-long British institution and I’m a Black man, so I never thought that I’d be chosen to front something that is basically the heart of the BBC.”
Writing for Time the Doctor Who showrunner waxed lyrical about Gatwa’s acting prowess, stating he’s like a thunderbolt. The actoring walked into the audition room and left Davies convinced that he was ready to play the part of the “Crown Jewels” of U.K. television.
