Ncuti Gatwa says he left Doctor Who as ‘I am getting old and my body was tired'
In May, during his final episode as the 15th Doctor, Gatwa appeared to be replaced by former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper when his character regenerated.
Gatwa told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'I'm getting old, and my body was tired… and I've now just started doing some ballet, so I'm making really great decisions.
'It's the most amazing job in the world, a job that any actor would dream of and – because it's so good – it's strenuous.
'It takes a lot out of you, physically, emotionally, mentally, and so it was time.'
Asked if he would ever come back to the show, he said: 'Never say never.'
Barbie star Gatwa has played the Doctor since Tennant's Time Lord bi-generated in 2023, after his version of the alien character was brought back to the series as the 14th Doctor.
Gatwa was expected to be the UK's spokesperson at the Eurovision Song Contest in May but pulled out, with speculation the decision was connected to controversy surrounding Israel's participation in the competition.
'It all panned out very interestingly. I pulled out of it a long time before it was announced', he said.
'And it was announced when it was announced, I don't know why, but I was just very busy.
'Just had a lot of work schedules, a lot of press around The Roses, around Doctor (Who).'
Asked about the speculation surrounding his withdrawal, Gatwa, who did not watch this year's competition, said: 'I was just very busy.'
The actor appeared on the Sunday morning news show to discuss the West End premiere of Born With Teeth, a play that re-imagines the relationship between rival playwrights Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.
Gatwa plays Marlowe with his Sex Education co-star Edward Bluemel as Shakespeare in the Royal Shakespeare Company production at London's Wyndham's Theatre from August.
'It's a really great story between these two huge literary icons, and it's very exciting to imagine what could have happened in a room together', he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
25 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
BBC Morning Live host sent messages of support after emotional farewell 'Will miss you'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Morning Live's Gethin Jones has received an outpouring of supportive messages after he shared a heartfelt farewell with his Instagram fans. The host announced his plans to take a summer hiatus last Friday, promising to return in September when Morning Live resumes. Gethin then headed over to Instagram to share a touching message with his followers. Posting a video snippet from the show, Gethin commented: "We'll be back soon! I've said it a lot, but it's quite incredible how many of you not only watch @bbcmorninglive, but also get involved with the show. Sharing your stories to help others. "Will miss you and the gang! And dancing in the sun!" Gethin's admirers quickly filled the comments section to send good wishes for his break and share their anticipation for his return, reports Wales Online. One person said: "Aww!! You're not allowed to be away for 6 weeks! Definitely one of my favourite programmes. Hope you all have an amazing summer." Echoing this sentiment, another stated: "Missing you already my mornings won't be the same! I'm 80 years young and always start my day with you and the gang! Enjoy your break xx." Another concurred: "Will miss you all - have a great break and see you in September! Thank you for such a brilliant programme." (Image: BBC) "Have a great summer will miss you all loads thank you to everyone on the show," a fourth fan wrote. While someone else added: "Enjoy yourselves ..I'm sure you will all be working on other things as well .. look forward to seeing you all back in September." As Friday's Morning Live came to a close, Gethin told viewers: "That's all we've got time for today. "Morning Live is taking a break for a few weeks, but we'll be back on Monday, 1st September at 9.30am." He added, "Thank you for watching, thanks for getting involved with the show, we'll see you very soon. Have a lovely summer."
Leader Live
27 minutes ago
- Leader Live
What did the review of the BBC Gaza documentary find?
The programme, Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, was removed from BBC iPlayer in February after it emerged that the child narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who held a senior post in the Hamas-run government. Here are the findings of a report into the programme: – Failure to disclose information The BBC breached its editorial guidelines by not informing viewers that the narrator's father has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. This omission was considered misleading and a breach of accuracy standards. – Members of the production company knew The report found that nobody at the BBC knew of the father's position when the documentary first aired, but three people at Hoyo Films, the independent production company which produced the film, were aware. The report does not find that the production company misled the BBC, but said that the firm bears most of the responsibility for the failure. – The BBC was not proactive The report said that the corporation does bear some responsibility for 'not being proactive in the early phase of the project to ensure that the relevant editorial risks were fully discussed and that the production company had the guidance, direction and support it needed'. It said that the BBC also had a 'lack of critical oversight of unanswered or partially answered questions'. – Narrator's role was problematic The narration was 'highly scripted' and carried the right of reply of the Israel Defence Forces, so it was 'wrong' to use the narrator as the voice of the programme given his background, the report said. There should have been more comprehensive scrutiny by the BBC about his role earlier in the production process, the report added. – No influence on programme content There was no evidence that the narrator's family or father influenced the content of the programme. The narrator's scripted contribution did not breach impartiality standards, the report said. – Payment and checks The narrator received a fee, a phone and a video game gift card which all amounted to £1,817, while £795 was paid to his adult sister. Sanctions checks on the narrator and family found no issues. – No other editorial breaches found There were no other breaches of the guidelines on issues of due impartiality, language and translation, continuity and editing, fairness to contributors and consent, privacy, harm and offence, and child safeguarding, the report found. The programme contained a range of views and rights of reply and there was no evidence of any outside interests inappropriately affecting the programme. – Recommendations The report recommended stronger BBC oversight for 'higher risk' independent productions, including embedding executives, formal greenlight meetings, improved compliance tracking and enhanced scrutiny of narrators. It added: 'It is clear that actioning these recommendations would require more senior executive oversight and scrutiny for the higher-risk projects. This requires consideration of resourcing by BBC News.'
Scotsman
32 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Scottish luxury brand ‘over the moon' as Jodie Comer wears one of their bags at Wimbledon
Killing Eve actress looked chic with one of the Edinburgh firm's bags. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The owners of a Scottish luxury accessories brand said they were 'over the moon' to see actress Jodie Comer carrying one of their designer bags at Wimbledon. Comer, who is best known for playing the antagonist Villanelle in the hit BBC series Killing Eve, looked effortlessly chic with Strathberry's Mini Tote in Chestnut at Sunday's Men's Singles Final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leeanne Hundleby, Strathberry co-founder, told The Scotsman: 'We were thrilled to see the wonderful Jodie Comer carrying Strathberry this weekend at the Wimbledon final. 'I was over the moon that she had chosen to carry our signature Mini Tote to the event, her look was styled so beautifully with our bag as the perfect accessory. It's wonderful to have the support of such an amazing British actress during an iconic summer event.' Comer, who also features in the film 28 Years Later alongside Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, was just one of many A-list stars in attendance at Wimbledon over the weekend. Princess Kate, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey and Henry Cavill were among the celebrities who attended the matches as the tournament wrapped up Saturday and Sunday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Actresses Marisa Abela and Jessica Plummer were also seen with Strathberry at Wimbledon over the weekend. Strathberry was founded by husband-and-wife team Guy and Leeanne Hundleby in 2013 and has gone on to become one of Scotland's best known luxury brands. In February, the firm opened a new Edinburgh store on Victoria Street. It is the second location for Strathberry in the Capital, alongside its shop on Multrees Walk, which opened in 2020. The brand also operates shops in London and Shanghai. As well as the aforementioned Jodie Comer, Strathberry's products have been worn by the likes of Katie Holmes and Megan Markle. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In an interview with The Scotsman in March, Leeanne said: 'We've been thrilled to see several celebrities showing their support for Strathberry. Actress Ayo Edebiri was spotted in New York City carrying her Charlotte Drawstring, while Jennifer Lopez showcased her Nano Tote on the red carpet during the promotion of her new film.
