Doctor who? Why Ncuti Gatwa flopped as the Time Lord

Sydney Morning Herald

2 days ago

The Doctor has just been exterminated – but not by Daleks. After mounting speculation that leading actor Ncuti Gatwa would be leaving Doctor Who, Saturday's series finale saw him regenerate into the Time Lord's next incarnation sooner than planned.
Fan favourite Billie Piper returned to inherit the starring role, having previously starred as companion Rose Tyler. Such a surprise plot twist still can't paper over the cracks. Gatwa becomes the first Doctor to depart without a prior announcement in the show's 62-year history. Piper is the first to be unveiled onscreen, rather than trumpeted in advance. It smacks of desperate decision-making and an ignominious end for a 15th Doctor who once promised so much.
This was supposed to be a brave new era for the venerable sci-fi saga. Respected showrunner Russell T. Davies – who masterminded the show's blockbuster reboot 20 years ago – returned to take the reins ahead of the show's 60th anniversary. Streaming giant Disney+ pumped in plentiful cash to boost the budget. One of the hottest young actors around inherited the sonic screwdriver. Whovians were abuzz with anticipation.
Early signs were positive, but the expected resurgence didn't come to pass. Ratings have nosedived, averaging 5 million for Jodie Whittaker's last series but a mere 3 million for Gatwa's latest.
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It's predicted Disney won't renew its deal to bankroll the series. Rumours are rife that production will be paused for the first time since the cult show went off-air between 1989 and 2005 after a previously unbroken 26-year run. Gatwa's Tardis tenure has been a flop of intergalactic proportions, putting Doctor Who firmly back in the doldrums.
What went wrong? For a start, his portrayal has missed the mark. Gatwa's time traveller has been the most emotional yet – prone to tears and petulant outbursts. He lacks the authority and gravitas to convince as an old soul who has lived for thousands of years and seen it all. It's not about the actor's age (Peter Davison and Matt Smith were younger), it's about screen presence.
With bright colours, plots that included space babies, singing goblins, and a bogeyman made of snot, plus his tendency to use the word 'babes', this Doctor feels overly kid-focused. Disneyfied, if you like. He has been too passive, frequently outwitted by foes and failing to impress until the last moment.
Offscreen, Gatwa has appeared hesitant to embrace the ambassadorial side of the role, rarely taking on the extramural duties that are part and parcel of being the Doctor. The clearest indication came in May, when he belatedly backed out of being the UK jury's spokesperson for the Eurovision Song Contest. As one of the BBC's highest profile faces, his last-minute withdrawal is said to have angered bosses. It's rumoured that a row erupted after he allegedly refused to take part when Israel made it to the final. The official line was that he'd dropped out due to 'unforeseen circumstances', but it's been seen as the final straw.
There is a feeling that Gatwa never fully fell in love with Doctor Who in the way that his predecessors did, never taking on the plethora of extra duties and personal appearances that other former leads embraced. David Tennant and Peter Capaldi were already life-long fans who dreamed of one day playing their boyhood hero. Whittaker and Matt Smith became passionate devotees during their stints, won over by the franchise's treasured status and loyal fan base.
By contrast, Gatwa seems to belong in the same category as one-series wonder Christopher Eccleston – appearing to be a reluctant Doctor, never entirely comfortable in the role. Guesting on a themed edition of Mastermind shortly before his series debuted in 2005, Eccleston pointedly replied, when being introduced as the Doctor, 'Well, for now'. When Gatwa was cast in 2022, he said: 'This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself.' However, those fans have largely been let down.
In addition, Gatwa was reportedly not universally popular on set in Cardiff, where the series has been filmed since Davies took over. Rumours circulated about difficult behaviour during production. 'I think he has sights beyond [ Doctor Who ] … I think it was a stepping stone for him, rather than wanting to do it,' an insider claims. 'Nobody particularly knows him.' Having tasted Hollywood in the Barbie movie and Steven Spielberg's Masters of the Air, Gatwa's ambitions appear to have always stretched further than Tiger Bay.
Neither does he have the mainstream recognition of previous incumbents. Gatwa could probably walk down the street relatively unnoticed. It's partly his prior CV – his breakthrough part was a supporting turn in Netflix teen drama Sex Education – and partly down to his Doctor lacking a signature onscreen look. Changing costume (and even hairstyle) for each adventure has been a mistake. From Tom Baker's scarf to Matt Smith's bow tie, the best Doctors had a sartorial trademark. Gatwa's Doctor never settled on one.
Lastly and most crucially, Gatwa has been ill-served by the scripts. Davies might be one of our most decorated screenwriters, but when it comes to the Whoniverse, he's lost his golden touch. Overcomplicated storylines have paid off poorly. Rip-roaring thrills have been in short supply. Self-reflexive writing and fourth-wall breaks, with meta-references to the show's fan base and the villainous Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) whispering asides to camera, are symptoms of a show increasingly in thrall to its lore and impenetrable for newer viewers.
Davies has deliberately swerved classic monsters this time around. Daleks and Cybermen haven't appeared during his current stint. Instead, we've been underwhelmed by the baffling return of obscure old enemies – The Rani, Omega, Sutekh, the Toymaker – who mean nothing to most viewers.
The show has entered the realm of fan fiction, rather than primetime entertainment with broad appeal. Anybody who hasn't been watching for decades won't have a clue as to what's going on.
Scripts have forgotten ye olde maxim of 'show not tell', with too much proselytising and expositional dialogue. Naysayers believe Davies has focused far too much on identity politics and culture wars issues, rather than family-friendly fun. Plots have featured incels and imperialism, coercive control and conspiracy theorists, non-binary aliens and discussions of pronouns. Crowbarring those topics in has sparked a backlash, with the series being dubbed 'Doctor Woke'. At times, watching it has felt like being thwacked around the head with a progressive pamphlet.
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Doctor Who hasn't just lost its way. It has lost much of its audience. Overnight ratings for the BBC have plummeted to 1.6 million, down a whopping 10 million from their 1970s heyday. The Tennant era recaptured those glory days, averaging 8.3 million and often hitting 10 million. Even with catch-up viewing taken into account, recent figures have struggled to reach 4 million. Uncertainty about the show's future has increasingly crept into coverage, resulting in a depressing death spiral. You can't blame Disney for wanting to cut its losses after a reported £100 million ($208 million) investment.
Gatwa lasted a mere 18 episodes, putting him behind only Eccleston as the shortest-serving full-time Doctor ever. Did he depart of his own accord or was he pushed? Three months ago, tabloids claimed he had 'quit' to pursue other projects and would be written out.
A generous reading is that Piper's return was a well-kept secret. A more cynical one says it's a desperate last roll of the dice. Either way, with Gatwa now exiting the Tardis and Davies' crowd-pleasing touch deserting him, the 62-year-old show is in critical condition. Somebody call a Doctor.