A little over a year ago, Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor came into existence under unusual circumstances during Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Rather than David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor simply regenerating into his new form, he instead bi-generated, resulting in 15 being split off from him while he continued to exist. But 14 is long behind us now, with 15 returning just a few weeks after “The Giggle” for the Christmas special “The Church on Ruby Road,” and then leading the first Doctor Who season to be released exclusively to those with a Disney+ subscription outside of the UK. Now we’re just several days away from Gatwa’s Doctor coming back for this year’s Christmas special, “Joy to the World,” followed by the premiere of the next Doctor Who season sometime on the 2025 TV schedule.
And yet, even though Gatwa’s Doctor only has one season currently under his belt, he’s already become one of my favorite versions of the eccentric Time Lord. I’ve been following along with Doctor Who (which is easy enough to watch) for 12 years now, and while 15 has a ways to go before he’s in the running for my favorite Doctor, he certainly falls into the top echelon of candidates in my book. Below are the reasons why he ranks so highly for me.
He’s Bringing Much-Needed Representation To This Series
Let me make something clear right away: Ncuti Gatwa is not the first Black actor to play The Doctor. That honor belongs to Jo Martin, who played The Fugitive Doctor during Jodie Whittaker’s tenure as the Thirteenth Doctor. However, where The Fugitive Doctor was a plot twist meant to serve 13’s story, 15 is the star of the show, and it’s about time! For a series that’s been running since 1963 (albeit with a break from 1989 to 2005, minus one TV movie), the fact that it’s taken this long for a person of color to lead Doctor Who is baffling. Fortunately, we’ve finally crossed this much-needed milestone, and Ncuti Gatwa, who’s also appeared in Sex Education and Barbie, brings more than enough talent to shine on the small screen.
He Has One Of The Best Companion Relationships
Every Doctor Who fan has their favorite Doctor and companion pairings, with mine being The Twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald. However, the Fifteenth Doctor being paired with Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday was a refreshing return to a best friend-kind of dynamic that hasn’t been seen since the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. It didn’t take 15 and Ruby long to hit it off in “The Church on Ruby Road,” and while I wish we could have had more scenes of the two hanging out in the TARDIS together, it’s nonetheless clear they share a deep platonic love for each other. While I am curious to see how Varada Sethu does as new companion Belinda Chandra, I’m also glad Ruby isn’t going anywhere.
He’s Much More Open With His Feelings
In “The Giggle,” Donna Noble theorized that the reason the Fourteenth Doctor’s face looks just like the Tenth’s is because this was his body’s way of telling him he was emotionally exhausted and needed to take time off from adventuring to heal from the various traumas he’s suffered over the centuries. Well, we saw the results of that healing in 15 right away, and while that’s not to say that this version of The Doctor doesn’t have his issues, he’s a lot more emotionally healthy. This is a Doctor who isn’t afraid to share how he feels about the people he’s close to, and he steers clear of keeping secrets from them… well, mostly.
He Balances Being Funny With His More Serious Qualities Quite Well
Playing The Doctor is quite the balancing act, as one minute you need to be spouting off one-liners and techno-babble, and another minute you need to effectively show how an alien who’s lived for thousands of years with many faces has the weight of the world… no, scratch that, the universe on his shoulders. Fortunately, Ncuti Gatwa excels at doing this for the Fifteenth Doctor. Not only is the character’s brand of humor top-notch, but we can also feel when he’s in full-blown serious mode, from trying to convince a group of bigots not to march to their doom to crying over how his best friend has moved on to a new chapter of her life that doesn’t need him.
He Has Great Fashion Sense
I have to imagine that most of this has to do with the Doctor Who budget being increased thanks to the Disney+ arrangement, but that doesn’t matter. While previous versions of The Doctor chiefly stuck with just one or a few outfits, 15’s donning all kinds of different clothes during his adventures, from a blue pinstripe suit in “The Devil’s Chord” to a simple white t-shirt and cargo pants in “Empire of Death.” The guy is stellar when it comes to picking out threads, but even if I were to focus on just one of 15’s fits, I really like the brown leather trench coat he first donned in “The Church on Ruby Road” and has put back on several times since then.
He’s Opened Himself Up To Romantic Love Again
The Doctor was a largely aromantic character during the classic years of Doctor Who, but in the show’s revival era, the Time Lord has been more open to romantic love, particularly with companions like Rose Tyler and Clara Oswald. That said, we haven’t really seen this side of The Doctor since the Twelfth Doctor bid farewell to River Song (though we may see her again someday), as 13 wasn’t willing to act on her feelings for Yasmin Khan. But after meeting Jonathan Groff’s Rogue, it seems like 15 is open to exploring romance again, at least with this character. Sure, Rogue is currently trapped in another dimension, but it’s probably safe to say we’ll see him again.
He’s The Doctor I Want To See Reunite With Susan
While it was initially believed towards the end of Ncuti Gatwa’s first Doctor Who season that Susan Triad was actually his granddaughter Susan, that proved to just be a deceptive ploy from Sutekh. And yet, given how often Susan was mentioned last season compared to barely being acknowledged in the previous modern Doctor Who seasons, I can’t help but think Susan will return during the Fifteenth Doctor’s tenure, and I would welcome seeing that. She’s more than deserving of a a return after decades away, and 15 should specifically be The Doctor who gets to reunite with her.
I have no doubt my appreciation of the Fifteenth Doctor will only grow after I’ve seen “Joy to the World” and the next season of Doctor Who in 2025. In the meantime, I’ll be over here streaming some of his episodes on Disney+ and speculating about what’s up next for Ncuti Gatwa’s character.
