who is the 15th Doctor? Doctor Who's future is set in stone, as we already know the identity of the next two Doctors.
Jodie Whittaker's time in the TARDIS came to an end with The Power of the Doctor, the third and final 2022 Doctor Who special. We'd known Jodie was due to leave the series since 2021, and speculation about who'd be replacing her as the 14th Doctor quickly ran rife the moment the news broke.
Months of rumors and speculation followed as Whovians around the world tried to figure out who'd be taking the TARDIS over next. All that came to an end when we learned that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa had been cast as the next Doctor.
He was confirmed to be taking on the role as the next mainline star in May 2022, after some very cryptic clues were posted on social media by returning Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T. Davies.
Since new Doctors have typically always been the next one in line, we always assumed this meant Ncuti Gatwa was going to be the 14th Doctor. However, as anyone who tuned into that final 2022 special, things are a little more complicated than that, and Ncuti Gatwa is now confirmed to be the 15th Doctor instead. Here's how that all played out.
How is Ncuti Gatwa the 15th Doctor?
Ncuti Gatwa ended up being labeled the 15th Doctor after Jodie's regeneration scene went awry in the Doctor Who centenary special.
Instead of regenerating into the Sex Education star, Jodie instead transformed into the familiar face of David Tennant, one of the best Doctor Whos to grace the show.
This reveal wasn't a complete shock — both David Tennant and Catherine Tate had already been confirmed for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special set to air in November 2023, though the May 2022 announcement just said they were "filming scenes" for the next installment, not that Tennant would be taking over temporarily!
Following the reveal, David was officially confirmed to be the 14th Doctor and is due to helm the incoming specials that are airing on the BBC and on Doctor Who's new home of Disney Plus outside of the UK. They begin airing on both platforms on Saturdays from November 25 to December 9.
Russell T. Davies has promised there are lots more shocks in store in Tennant's new adventures. He said: "If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”
When will Ncuti Gatwa become the Doctor?
We've known for some time that Ncuti Gatwa would be taking over the TARDIS in the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas Special.
Thanks to a recent announcement from Disney Plus, we know that this special is due to air on the streaming service on Christmas Day, so we can only presume that means the special will have a prime slot as part of the BBC's Christmas TV lineup, too.
Precious few details have been revealed about the special right now, though we expect there'll be some sort of update about what's to come once the anniversary specials have been and gone.
At the very least, we know the festive special is titled "The Church on Ruby Road". Since that title just so happens to contain the first name of Ncuti's new companion, Ruby Sunday (played by ex-Corrie star, Millie Gibson) we can only presume she'll have a role in the festive special, too.
What do we know about Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor right now?
Unfortunately, not too much!
When he was first revealed as the new Doctor, Ncuti said: "There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling. A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared. This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavour my utmost to do the same", adding: "Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show.”
We do know that we'll be sticking with the 15th Doctor for the foreseeable future. Over the summer, Ncuti Gatwa teased a few key details about his character.
Namely, he revealed he had plans to stay with the series for at least two full seasons. Ncuti also declared he was playing an 'energetic' and 'emotionally vulnerable' version of the titular Time Lord. one who hides his loneliness with a sense of humor.
The Doctor Who team has not shared much info about Ncuti's forthcoming adventures beyond a series of exciting casting announcements about some of the many new stars that are due to appear in season 14 of New Who. Among the names that have already been announced are Jemma Redgrave, Anita Dobson, Jinkx Monsoon, Jonathan Groff, and Bonnie Langford, who is reprising the role of Melanie Bush.
So far, we've seen that Ncuti and Millie will be journeying to at least two very different time periods, as we've seen them dressed in some sharp 1960s gear and some elegant period wear alongside Groff's 'mysterious' new character.
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