The Doctor is in…This time, with a new actor taking on the TARDIS. Ncuti Gatwa made his debut in the holiday special for Doctor Who but now we’re gearing up for season 14 of the series! With a new trailer taking over, we’re excited for what Gatwa is bringing us!
It’s always a bittersweet moment when The Doctor regenerates. This personality that you’ve come to know and love has to leave, but at least it’s still the same person, right? There’s a science to the art of regeneration. It has to properly send off the current Doctor while giving room for a new actor to come in and fill the Timelord’s shoes. Just based on how many people cherish this show, that’s a task I wouldn’t want to have.
With David Tennant returning for a series of specials that brought the Tenth Doctor back with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), we’re now heading into new territory with Gatwa’s Doctor and this new trailer for season 14 is incredible!
Travel with the Doctor and Ruby in a new trailer!
In a new trailer for the series, we get to see what Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and the Doctor are up to after their run in with the space goblins and the Goblin King!
Welcoming a new Doctor and companion
Way back in 2022, it was announced that Ncuti Gatwa would be talking on the mantle as the next Doctor. The collective internet exploded, with many Whovians (and surprisingly locals) expressing their excitement. There was even a section of the fandom with a newfound desire to get back into the show specifically for this new iteration of the beloved character.
It was a huge step when Jodie Whitaker took on the role, making history as the first-ever woman to do so. That decision had been teased for some time, and now the role is once again blown open because Ncuti will be the first ever Black actor to fly the TARDIS and have adventures across time and space. In addition, according to Neil Patrick Harris (who starred as the Toymaker in the holiday special), Gatwa’s incarnation will be the first gay Doctor.
Ncuti is journey will have Gibson as a companion in his first season and we have news of Jonathan Groff joining as a guest star in an episode! Other guest stars include Indira Varma, Anita Dobson, Yasmin Finney, Michelle Greenidge, Bonnie Langford, Jinkx Monsoon, Jemma Redgrave, Lenny Rush, and Angela Wynter.
A new (kind of) showrunner
If that wasn’t enough reason to be excited, original Doctor Who reboot showrunner Russell T. Davies will also be returning to the series as well as Steven Moffat for an episode! Just like the old days. Davies served as showrunner from 2005-2010, where he and Tennant (and Christopher Eccleston in the first season) brought Doctor Who back to fans. It was his mind that spawned stories such as The Waters of Mars and Midnight. It will be interesting to see where he and Gatwa take the show as Davies described the incoming Doctor’s audition as a “thunderbolt.”
Davies said to the BBC: “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!”
A new era is coming
It’s always exciting when a new actor takes on the TARDIS because a new group of fans can join in. With Gatwa, his work in shows like Sex Education and his role as one of the Kens in Barbie made him a worldwide success. Getting to see what he brings to Doctor Who is incredibly exciting!
The series is set to premiere on Disney+ on May 10.
(featured image: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
