Netflix Alum’s ‘Doctor Who’ Look Revealed

Netflix alum Ncuti Gatwa will be the next Doctor Who, with a new look at the actor in the role recently being revealed. Over on the official Doctor Who Twitter page, fans can check out Gatwa as the new doctor, rocking a plaid suit with a bright orange sweater. With him is Millie Gibson, who plays Ruby Sunday, the new doctor’s companion.

Notably, ahead of Gatwa’s debut, Tenth Doctor David Tennant will be making a return as the Fourteenth Doctor, though little is known about the direction of either storyline at this time. “If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way!” teased showrunner Russell T. Davies in a statement shared by Deadline. “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!”

Previously, speaking about taking on the iconic role while attending a joint BBC-Disney event, Gatwa said, “My mouth gets paralyzed by the concept of playing this role,” per Deadline. In 2023, Doctor Who will celebrate its 60th anniversary, and Gatwa pointed this out while noting that the franchise’s roots “are so deep in British culture and the fabric of British-ness that as a Rwandan immigrant to the country, it feels just really powerful.” He went on to share that his casting marks an important moment “for people of color, for marginalized people who really gravitate towards the show because it’s about friendship and it’s about adventure and it’s about union and unity. And also Doctor Who is able to turn into anything or anyone, so the possibilities are endless. So the fact that that mission is going out to lots of people, that the possibilities are endless, is extremely cool.”

“You hit it on the nose,” Disney Branded Television President Ayo Davis told Gatwa after his comments. “We talk about universal themes all the time.” She added that Doctor Who has “so many qualities that are near and dear to our heart – qualities like imagination, wonder, adventure.” Lastly, BBC Director of Drama Lindsay Salt gushed that she is “ludicrously excited” about the new project, and made mention of the show’s iconic teleporting police box. “While the unique DNA of our beloved will never change,” she said, “this partnership allows us to take the TARDIS to new heights.”