Ncuti Gatwa Says "Ciao" to the TARDIS: Doctor Who Role Took a Toll, Mate!
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Ncuti Gatwa has revealed the Doctor Who role was super demanding, leading to his exit, and leaving the show's future hanging in the balance like a dropped frame rate. Looks like being a Time Lord is harder than farming XP in an MMO.
Right, so Ncuti Gatwa, the Doctor Who who regenerated faster than a loot box opening animation, has opened up about why he hung up his sonic screwdriver after a relatively short stint. And fair dinkum, it sounds like the role was more intense than a final boss battle on Legendary difficulty. According to IGN South Africa, Gatwa told the *Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg* show that playing the Doctor was "strenuous" and "takes a lot out of you physically, emotionally, mentally. So, I – it was time." (You can find the original report).
Now, any actor worth their salt will tell you landing the Doctor Who gig is like winning the lottery. But Gatwa paints a picture of it being a lottery with a side of marathon running, chess tournaments, and therapy sessions. He even joked about taking up ballet, suggesting he's swapping cosmic adventures for pliés – a choice, I reckon, that’s probably easier on the knees.
The news comes after some behind-the-scenes scuttlebutt suggesting Gatwa's final episode went through extensive reshoots to accommodate his departure. The show's future also seems a bit wobbly, with whispers about Disney potentially not renewing its co-production deal. (Talk about a cliffhanger, eh?)
Adding to the mystery, Gatwa was supposed to appear at Eurovision but pulled out. He denies it was anything to do with political kerfuffles, blaming it all on a packed schedule. (Sounds a bit sus, doesn’t it? But who am I to judge?)
During an interview with BBC Radio 4's *Today* show, Gatwa confirmed he's done with the Doctor, even throwing shade on the whole "regenerating into Billie Piper" thing, suggesting it might be a big ol' fake-out. Which, let's be honest, wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen in the Doctor Who universe.
So, what does this all mean? Well, for starters, being a Time Lord isn't all wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey fun. It sounds like it's a proper grind, and Gatwa clearly needed a breather. And secondly, the future of Doctor Who is looking more uncertain than a blockchain transaction during peak hours. Is it goodbye forever? Or just a particularly long respawn time? Only time (and maybe Disney) will tell, I suppose. In the meantime, I'll be over here, re-watching classic episodes and wondering if they'll ever bring back Captain Jack Harkness…
Tags: Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa, BBC, Sci-Fi, Television
Original article: IGN South Africa