The last Doctor who may already be done with the role

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Key points

  • The recent deal with Disney+ increased Doctor Who's reach, which hinted at an exciting future for the franchise.
  • Rumors about the future of Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor create uncertainty about the direction of the show.
  • The possibility of David Tennant's return signals a potential regression towards safe and unoriginal narrative paths.



THE Doctor Who the franchise appears to have recently gotten its latest and most experimental Doctor to date, but a recent incident and months of rumors seem to indicate that this iteration of the iconic character will have to tweak his appearance once again in the future.

Doctor Who has been a paragon of British television science fiction for decades, with the miracle of in-universe regeneration allowing a revolving door of powerful and talented stars to take on the lead role of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who has adventures across time and in space. In a recent move to push the ongoing flagship show to a wider audience, Disney has taken up the cause and placed the show on its Disney+ streaming service for audiences outside the purview of the BBC's UK base. This partnership and expanded reach means there is a lot to look forward to when it comes to the future Doctor Whowith Davies recently exploring a potentially surprising sci-fi crossover alongside Star Trek, an idea that has already been tested in their respective mobile games.


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While Davies' return in 2021 Doctor Who was heralded as impactful at a time when the iconic IP could have done better, it seems like there may still be some issues with the show. Recently, the current Dr. Ncuti Gatwa has moved on The Graham Norton Show and said: “We've done the second series this year, the Christmas special is on the way and we'll be filming a third series next year.” While this was generally considered positive news when press conferences were released, eyebrows began to raise when the show aired, and comments were changed to instead say, “We finished season two early this year, we have Christmas.” episode coming out… at Christmas… But it was fantastic.” While Deadline managed to diffuse the rumors by confirming that the change was not a BBC order but rather an editorial choice, it seems to suggest that the relatively Gatwa's recent stint in the role appears to be nearing its end.


The problem stems from the fact that a third series for the Fifteenth Doctor already seemed unlikely for some reasons, and the BBC distanced itself from his comments. “As we said previously, the decision on the third season will be made after the broadcast of the second season and, as always, we do not comment on speculation,” a spokesperson for the production confirmed in a statement. This echoes the sentiment expressed in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine by franchise boss Russell T. Davies, who went further to insist that it's always been done this way. There was talk that Disney would have to cancel Doctor Who after season 2 due to a failure to attract the kind of audience the company was looking for when it signed the deal with the BBC to take it on Doctor Who for the United States and other international markets, and these rumors have been echoed in some prominent circles. Considering these rumors with the revisions, it's difficult to see positive signs for the Doctor of Gatwa.


The most unfavorable factor for Gatwa is the integrated transition tool that its bigeneration has left to the creative team. With the ever-adored David Tennant already present in the show's current narrative, Doctor Who could easily return to what worked before, taking another step in the direction of a troubling trend that the MCU appears to have borrowed from the franchise with the return of Robert Downey Jr. While many fans would be happy to see Tennant centered again, it would be a bad sign of health for the franchise as a whole and something of a white flag raised for the current series to try new things with the character, for better or worse.


While Doctor Who looks set to return to tradition with the Christmas special at the end of the year and has made many promises about the quality and appeal of the second series with Gatwa, it's unclear what the show's chances are of doing better with fans. While Gatwa's time as the Doctor wasn't as poorly received as Jodie Whitaker's, it's hard not to see a downward trend in the franchise similar to the difficulties the MCU and DCEU have faced in recent years. Fans will have to wait and see if the Doctor can get through this difficult period or if he will have to regenerate once again.

THE Doctor Who the franchise is available to stream on Disney+ in the US and other markets outside of the UK.

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Source: deadline

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