Ncuti Gatwa watched a certain Doctor’s performances to prepare for his audition

Screen OD staff

It still feels like a long time until we get the chance to see Ncuti Gatwa in the TARDIS as the Fifteenth Doctor – well, it is! Gatwa will be joined by his new companion Ruby Sunday, played by former Coronation Street star Millie Gibson in their first full episode of Doctor Who around the festive season of 2023 as season 14 of the show begins and a new era under Russell T Davies launches with earnest.

But what was it like preparing for the role? How did Ncuti get ready for a part that is one of the most famous and iconic of all time?

“Prepping for the role of the Doctor and watching all the episodes again and watching Russell T. Davies and David [Tennant]’s work. I was overcome with the need to get the job!” Gatwa told The List magazine in an interview celebrating him topping their Hot 100 creative leaders in Scotland list.

Added Gatwa: “I was like ‘I want to work with Russell.’ His writing is so clever. I just feel very honoured that he saw something in me that he likes. He’s going to take me to the universe, around all the stars and galaxies.”

So does this mean we can expect to see Gatwa’s Fifteenth to have similarities in his style to that of David Tennant’s Tenth? Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Before we see Ncuti Gatwa as Fifteen we are in for a treat in November 2023 as David Tennant returns to the TARDIS as the Fourteenth Doctor in a series of three 60th anniversary specials that will also feature Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, Neil Patrick Harris and Yasim Finney as a character called Rose.

The episode that will air in 2023 will also be the first that will be part of a new deal that’s been inked between the BBC and Disney that will see streaming service Disney+ become the new international streaming home of Doctor Who along with a back catalogue of episodes of the show.