Ncuti Gatwa claims his 2-year tenure on Doctor Who was "always the plan"
"My knees are telling me it's time."
Following Ncuti Gatwa's surprise regeneration at the end of The Reality War, the Doctor Who star has claimed that it was always his plan to just do two seasons.
Speaking in a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube, Gatwa said: "It was always the plan to do this amount of seasons, because it’s a role that demands a lot of you, physically and emotionally and mentally.
"Actors playing the Doctor are only actors playing the Doctor, unfortunately, we are mere mortals. I would love to have the energy and the youth to be able to do this full time for the rest of my life but my knees are telling me it’s time."
In leaving after just two years, two seasons and 19 episodes in the role, Gatwa had one of the shortest tenures of any of the actors in the show's modern era.
Christopher Eccleston just did one season and 13 episodes, but all of the other actors (David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker) have done at least three seasons.
Back in 2024, when he was filming the current season and promoting the previous one, Gatwa previously said he intended to "be around for a while" as the Doctor, joking that "you’re not getting rid of me yet".
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Gatwa also spoke on the episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed for The Reality War about his feelings as he was coming to the end of filming, saying he was "feeling complete".
"You know it’s gonna happen when you get cast, you’re like, 'I’m gonna have to hand this baton over one time, it’s all gonna come to an end soon,'" he said.
"So I feel like I’ve been in constant preparation for that. It’s been bittersweet, as I can imagine it’s been for all Doctors.
"Just looking at the console before regenerating was like, 'My god, this console. It’s been here for 60 years. And I was here for some of those years. And how magic.'
"But also, 'My body is tired, you’ve tired me. You’ve tired me and I’m old now and I’m ready to settle down.'"
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Gatwa's regeneration made way for a major twist, as it ended with Billie Piper emerging from the cloud of regeneration energy.
But is Piper playing the Sixteenth Doctor, is she reprising her role as Rose, or is something completely different afoot? It seems we may have to wait some time to find out.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
