Doctor Who legends in surprise return to show as Ncuti Gatwa exits after just two series
The beloved stars shared the screen with the same Doctor
coming back Doctor Who legends in surprise return to show as Ncuti Gatwa exits after just two series
DOCTOR Who legends are set to make a surprise return to the show - as Ncuti Gatwa exits after just two series.
The BBC science fiction series is celebrating 20 years since being revived for a new generation.
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Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are returning to the world of Doctor Who - with a twist
Credit: BBC
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The pair starred opposite Matt Smith in the 2010s
Credit: PA:Press Association
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It comes as Ncuti Gatwa is exiting after two series as the Doctor
Credit: PA
Former stars Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will take a peek behind the scenes as part of a docu-series.
The pair, who played Amy Pond and Rory Williams opposite Matt Smith, will take in a special episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed.
Joining them will be Ncuti Gatwa, David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker as well as past and present companions Billie Piper, Mandip Gill and Varada Sethu.
Rounding out the line-up are current and former showrunners Steven Moffat, Chris Chibnall and Russell T Davies.
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The episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed will land on Saturday June 7 at 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Meanwhile, it will air on BBC One Wales and BBC Three later that day.
Former Sex Education and Barbie star Ncuti, 32, took over as the Doctor in 2023.
Earlier this month, The Sun revealed he will be leaving the BBC show after just two series - with the Time Lord's regeneration set to take place on May 31.
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The star's Fifteenth Doctor is reportedly set to have a "high-stakes showdown" in his latest season's finale The Reality War.
It has been suggested that the BBC could put the next series of Doctor Who on pause.
Ncuti Gatwa returns as Time Lord for Season 2 of Doctor Who
Insiders believe Disney+, which has pumped millions into the production, may not renew its deal.
A source said: "It's unlikely we will see who Ncuti regenerates into as the Beeb will keep options open.
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"And if they do rest the show for years, it makes it virtually impossible to cast someone now.'
Doctor Who airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Ncuti was first joined by Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
Credit: PA
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His latest companion as Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra
Credit: BBC
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Scotsman
5 hours ago
- Scotsman
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BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Doctor Who: LGBT fans say show has had huge impact on their lives
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Doctor Who's resurgence in 2005 saw production move to Wales, and granted it a whole new generation of a decade later, in June 2024, it had a "landmark moment", its first on-screen same-sex kiss involving the Doctor, coinciding with Pride a new graduate in 2006, Scott started out as a runner on Doctor Who on a four-week contract, and has since progressed to script editor. He has also written, directed and produced stories across the Who-niverse, particularly in audio came out as gay at the age of 15, and said the show played a huge role in his formative years."Doctor Who literally changed my life," he told Dr Emily Garside on BBC Radio Wales' programme Doctor Who - Time and Space for Everyone."People talk about the Doctor Who family and it's absolutely true. People I met back in the early 2000s are still massive parts of my life." Scott recalled growing up in a working-class family in Birmingham, "in a world of soap operas and things" where TV characters were mostly in heterosexual relationships or "settled down" in a nuclear family."You could actually take most characters from an episode of classic Doctor Who and their sexual orientation, their gender, how they define, is completely irrelevant... [it] was almost a breath of fresh air."He continued: "Sometimes when you're feeling a bit isolated, feel like there's no one else like you around, seeing someone like that who's championing you to the ends of the earth, reminds you that those people are out there in real life. "That was important to me and I think that's important to a whole generation of fans." Scott's experience is not unlike that of the Doctor Who boss himself, Russell T Davies, who has previously spoken about his own love of the show growing up as he hid his sexuality and often felt he was different to his peers."Doctor Who was kind of sexless... he's with a beautiful woman all the time and never looks at her sexually. And that's an interesting little chime with a young, gay boy," he comedian Steffan Alun, who coincidentally grew up on the same street as Davies, also found himself represented within the show, despite feeling "stressed" initially ."When you see someone like you on telly... you're worried that they're going to do something that makes people see you in a different light," he said."As a queer man myself, for me Russell T Davies was Queer As Folk, and it's wild and sexy. And the Doctor isn't really like that, Doctor Who is cosy."He did make it wilder, but it was brilliant and I shouldn't have doubted him because he understands television, he's one of our great writers." The June 2024 kiss in a regency-era episode - between Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor and Rogue, played by Jonathan Groff - saw a stream of complaints received by the BBC, from viewers "unhappy with a storyline featuring a same-sex romance and kiss".In response, the BBC said: "As regular viewers of Doctor Who will be aware, the show has, and will always continue to proudly celebrate diversity and reflect the world we live in."Rylan Clark, who appeared in a recent episode as host of the Interstellar Song Contest, said he was proud to be part of a show that was so unapologetically inclusive."It's an iconic show that's entertaining, but it's also proud... it's diverse and it's inclusive," said presenter. "There aren't many family dramas that have been doing that for, genuinely, decades and it's that sort of visibility... that's so important." Meeting like-minded friends has been a huge part of Doctor Who for bisexual fan Paul Robinson from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf."I've got various Dr Who chums who aren't local, but who I've met because we've gone and stood outside a freezing cold building at 03:00, praying for a glimpse of Peter Capaldi's hair. We stand there in the rain, under umbrellas, and we laugh and we laugh," he said."I was in my twenties coming out, so when Doctor Who first came back I wasn't out publicly, or even a little bit to myself."I think the biggest thing Doctor Who gives anyone in any kind of situation where they're feeling lost, they're feeling alone, they're feeling they can't, it gives you hope." Jayne Lutwyche, from Cardiff, has been a long-time Doctor Who fan and even got to appear on the show alongside David Tennant and Catherine said, as a bisexual woman, the show "makes you feel like you can be you and you can be open about who you are"."I think the many different relationships the Doctor has with their companions, but also the companions with each other, kind of really gives that scope that love is love. We need more of that," she said."It wasn't always easy to be a teen, it certainly wasn't easy to be a neurodivergent, LGBT teen, back at the turn of the century. Let's make it better. Things like Doctor Who are so valuable for that." Bill Potts, the first openly-gay companion played by bisexual actor Pearl Mackie, has been regularly cited as a key moment in the diversity of the Moore, a Doctor Who fan who spent many years in Cardiff but now lives in Boston, USA, said there were other characters and relationships which stood out as encapsulating the show's widespread appeal."The Madame Vastra and Jenny relationship, it's inter-species and queer, so that was really nice to see. They're set in Victorian England together, again that's kind of [showing] queer people have always existed," they said. Erica added they were "really interested in the episode Gridlock", where the Doctor goes from vehicle to vehicle speaking to people to try and figure out why they are all stuck."There's a lesbian couple, an older lesbian couple... I thought that was really cool because it's just, 'here's all these different couples and all these different families'."A lot of the time [when] you have queer characters, [it's] focusing on the struggle and how hard it is to be queer, but I liked that this was just another couple to exist." And it's not just Doctor Who but the entire Who-niverse which has made an impression on the LGBT show Torchwood left a lasting legacy when it concluded in 2011, with a shrine at Cardiff Bay commemorating the late character Ianto Jones who was in a relationship with John Barrowman's pansexual character Captain Jack Harkness."I think at that time, still, queer representation in sci-fi in particular was there but maybe a little bit shallow sometimes," said Steffan Alun."This was a slightly messier story. Ianto didn't consider himself gay, it was just Jack, and yet that relationship was so loving and so true." Gareth David-Lloyd, who played Ianto Jones, said at the time of filming he had no idea what the impact of the character would be."I just felt incredibly lucky to be there, to be on a sci-fi show written by Russell and to be playing a character who falls in love with his boss, which meant as an actor I got more to do," he said."When we finished filming and I started to realise the cultural impact Ianto and his relationship with Jack was having, it was a big surprise, a very moving surprise."I certainly wasn't expecting a shrine to be erected, and maintained for 20 years after. On one hand, it's a bit bonkers, but on the other it's a monument to the impact Ianto, and his relationship with Jack, had on the queer community, and one that I'm really proud of." He added: "I remember being moved to tears quite a number of times by fans saying how Ianto's relationship with Jack has helped them."Sci-fi, certainly for me when I was younger, was always about escaping to a better place, a better world where technology is evolved, politics is evolved, people are evolved."I think if accepting people's identities, who they are, is part of that better world, then that could be quite powerful."
Western Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Wynne Evans dropped by BBC after Strictly tour apology
Talking about his departure on Instagram, he thanked his followers and shared that the broadcaster 'has decided not to renew my contract'. The decision by the BBC comes after the Welsh opera singer's apology for using 'inappropriate language' during the launch of the Strictly Come Dancing tour. Captioning the post on the social media platform, he said: 'It breaks my heart to say the BBC has decided not to renew my contract so I won't be returning to my radio show. I'm gutted. 'That show wasn't just work — it was home. It was us. We laughed, we cried, we sang like nobody was listening. And somehow, through the airwaves, we became a family.' Thanking his fans, he added: 'From the very depths of my heart — thank you. These past few months, your love has been the light in my darkest days. Every message, every word of encouragement, every moment you stood by me has carried me through more than you could ever know.' Despite Evans' BBC contract not being renewed, he has announced that The Wynne Evans Show is returning to Alexa, Google and will be available to listen on his website too. The show will be live daily and run from 9 am until 12 pm. Announcing the news in the same Instagram post, he wrote: 'This is our next adventure. And I need you more than ever. 'We will have great music, my question of the day, the mystery voice, your soundtrack stories and so much more, because we have each other again. We have a new home. I'm bringing more presenters soon and I am sure you'll recognise a few of the faces. Recommended reading: 'Please — sign up for the newsletter, tell your friends, share the link, and help me make a noise so loud nobody can ignore it. Most of all, tune in. I will be there every day so let's light it up together. 'I'm full of nerves. Full of hope. Full of love. Because when we show up for each other — like we always have — anything is possible.' A spokesperson for the BBC told Newsquest: 'Wynne Evans is not under contract with the BBC. 'He is not returning to the mid-morning show on BBC Radio Wales and there are currently no plans to work with him'.
