Doctor Who is one of the most successful timeless tales. Despite existing for almost two decades, it still has no intention of slowing down anytime soon, with the next doctor in the saga being Ncuti Gatwa. But times are changing, and the casting of Gatwa as the core doctor marks a significant milestone for the franchise because the actor is the first openly queer Black actor to take on the role.
However, instead of letting it stay as a milestone for the saga, the Rwandan-Scottish actor has been caught making one too many controversial statements regarding “racism,” which have unarguably enraged even the viewers and die-hard fans of the franchise. In fact, the most recent comment from Gatwa is a bit too contentious, and could just end up coming back to haunt the show later on.
Doctor Who Controversy: Ncuti Gatwa Strikes Again
After 13 successful seasons, Doctor Who is returning to the screens with a never-seen-before doctor in the Sex Education alum Ncuti Gatwa. Notably enough, the 31-year-old actor is the first openly queer Black actor to play the doctor in the history of the franchise, marking a revolutionary milestone for the same.
But the Rwandan-Scottish actor is also one who has been making quite a few controversial comments ever since fans apparently criticized the series for changing the race of the doctor, who had been played by a series of White actors all these years. Responding to the backlash, Gatwa criticized the praise of white mediocrity in an interview with Attitude magazine.
Yet, while that was one thing, his most recent comment is sparking a bit more controversy than all the others. In an interview with Variety, Gatwa is quoted as saying:
“I feel like anyone that has a problem with someone who’s not a straight white man playing this character, you’re not really, truly a fan of the show.”
Although the Masters of the Air actor continued to explain how, since “the show is about regeneration, and the Doctor is an alien,” even his casting is more than accurate, what seems to have caught him on fire is the fact that he went a bit too “racist” while explaining his point, as per what fans are saying.
Needless to say, this comment had a lot of the fans of the saga furious with the new doctor for making such statements. If anything, these words weren’t the most appropriate to use as per the fans, considering how they just might end up coming back to haunt the franchise with the fourteenth season’s release if fans get pissed off too much to watch it anymore.
Fans Aren’t Happy with Ncuti Gatwa’s Latest Statement
While fans were beginning to accept him as the new doctor because The Doctor can literally be anyone he wants, this latest statement from Ncuti Gatwa has led to a whole new wave of controversy to surround him. As per their reaction to it, fans just can’t seem to support someone who has been going around “being racist in recent interviews.”
If anything, the fans following the saga for ages are angry for being insulted this way by someone who has only just joined the franchise, with some of them even claiming they won’t watch the show if the series of events continue this way. All in all, here’s what they’re saying about it all on X:
no one cares what his skin colour was or his sexual preference. I liked him in the 2 episodes as the doctor. But him being RACIST in recent interviews.. well i have had just enough. im done. Been a WHOVIAN since 1979 but now im done. I will enjoy the old doctors that didnt…
— Lord Brian Urso, Lead Guitarist of Gideons Mob (@TheMobRules73) April 25, 2024
Aww yes blame the fans and the audience that built the show. That always works out well…..
— TheCommonNerd (@CommonNerd1791) April 25, 2024
Desecrating a beloved character by changing everything about him is showing that you're not a true fan of the show. The Doctor doesn't twerk 😡#RIPDoctorWho
— Dustin Straight (@Carnage2469) April 25, 2024
This show is going to bomb so hard. I skipped Jodie's "Doctor" will skip the gay black man's as well. Get Woke Go Broke.
— TheFocused1 (@TheFocused1_com) April 26, 2024
I don't have a massive issue right now, but don't put the blame on fans who do/no longer watch.
— Chat About It, Don't Shout About It with Rachael (@ChatDontShout) April 25, 2024
We aren't fans of the show…now. So valid point.
— Garak (@cya9nide) April 25, 2024
Ahhh… fan blaming. I knew it would come around to this eventually. We can, indeed, love the show but dislike you as the arrogant, narcissistic, mid-tier talent, racist that you are.
— SpacenetTV (@SpacenetTV) April 26, 2024
I guess “We have some great scripts and are going to delight old fans and hopefully earn some new ones” didn’t make it through the PR meetings.
— Steven woolery (@Stevenwoolery) April 25, 2024
The Doctor Who fandom have existed since literal decades before this talentless nobody was even born and suddenly he thinks he is the authority on it because he’s the BBC’s latest diversity hire.
— Gan Ainm (@Ganainm1916) April 25, 2024
Judging from all of these reviews, fans seem to be beyond pissed with how things have recently turned out to be. To put it in a nutshell, if the franchise really wants to save itself from destruction before even the fourteenth season airs, it really needs to cut off on what fans call the “racism” part and focus more on promoting the storyline.
The 14th season of Doctor Who is expected to premiere on the 10th of May, 2024, on Disney+. You can stream all the previous seasons on HBO Max.
