After months of anticipation, Doctor Who fans finally got to see Ncuti Gatwa’s full debut as the titular Time Lord in a fun-filled Christmas Special.
The festive episode saw this new incarnation of the famous traveller battle an army of goblins intent on causing bad luck for Ruby Sunday, an orphan determined to discover the truth about her past.
Penned by showrunner Russell T Davies, Ncuti’s performance was universally praised by fans, with many stunned to learn of his unexpected singing talents during the episode’s musical number.
The Goblin Song had been released as a single earlier this month, but Ncuti and his co-star Millie Gibson’s vocals had been kept secret from viewers.
In the episode, The Doctor finds himself drawn to young Ruby after she was abandoned outside a church on Christmas Eve as a baby.
After months of anticipation, Doctor Who fans finally got to see Ncuti Gatwa’s full debut as the titular Time Lord in a fun-filled Christmas Special
Penned by showrunner Russell T Davies, Ncuti’s performance was universally praised by fans, with many stunned to learn of his unexpected singing talents
Ruby appears on a TV series, hosted by Davina McCall, in the hope of tracking down her birth parents, after being adopted by her foster mother Carla.
Following her appearance, both Ruby, and Davina begin to be plagued with bad luck, unaware it’s actually being caused by a troupe of goblins.
When Carla’s foster baby is kidnapped, Ruby finds herself crossing paths with The Doctor when she follows the goblins to their ship, and the pair try and rescue the child from being eaten by The Goblin King.
During their quest to stop The Goblins, The Doctor finds Ruby has been erased from time, after being taken by the army when she was just a baby.
Travelling back to the church, The Doctor rescues a young Ruby and ensures she is taken in by the kindly vicar, setting her life story in motion.
Having saved her – and Davina McCall from a falling Christmas tree – The Doctor prepares to fly off in his new TARDIS, but an intrigued Ruby rushes to join him, putting a brand new time-travelling partnership in motion.
Viewers were quick to laud Ncuti and Millie’s first scenes together, with many also stunned to hear their singing talents.
Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter – fans said: ‘Ncuti Gatwa is completely believable and compelling as The Doctor and we’ve only seen him for literal minutes;’
The festive episode saw this new incarnation of the traveller battle an army of goblins intent on causing bad luck for Ruby Sunday, an orphan determined to discover the truth about her past
Viewers were quick to laud Ncuti and Millie’s first scenes together, with many also stunned to hear their singing talents
Ruby appears on a TV series, hosted by Davina McCall , in the hope of tracking down her birth parents, after being adopted by her foster mother Carla
‘LOVEEEE Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor already;’ ‘Ncuti Gatwa is *so* the Doctor!;’ ‘Millie Gibson is absolutely outstanding. Ncuti Gatwa really enjoyable too;’
‘Ncuti is going to make such a good Doctor, absolutely buzzing;’ ‘The screen presence Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson both bring is superb. Promising start to the new era;’
‘WAIT WHAT HE CAN SING TOO?!?!?!;’ ‘#DoctorWho daaamn #NcutiGatwa is such a babe who can sing AND dance.’
Ncuti made his first appearance as The Doctor in the third 60th Anniversary Special earlier this month, when The Doctor ‘bi-generated’ meaning two incarnations of him were in existence at the same time.
He and the Fourteenth Doctor (played by David Tennant) thwarted the Toymaker’s evil plan, with the previous incarnation deciding to stay on Earth with his own TARDIS, best friend Donna Noble and her family.
Speaking ahead of the festive episode, titled The Church On Ruby Road, Ncuti revealed he wants to bring his ‘black beautiful self’ to the character, when asked what will be different about his incarnation of The Doctor.
He said: ‘It is such a hard question to answer because the role of the Doctor is everything anyway.
‘He is an explorer who has been around for a billion years so they have so many quirks and intricacies, rage and joy and they are full of a lot of emotions.
‘So to pick what I was going to bring out differently is a very hard question to answer. I guess myself, my black beautiful self. I bring my blackness.’
Ncuti will be the first black actor to take on a full-time stint as The Doctor, after Jo Martin briefly played a version of the character in 2020.
Following her appearance, both Ruby, and Davina begin to be plagued with bad luck, unaware it’s actually being caused by a troupe of goblins
Ncuti will be the first black actor to take on a full-time stint as The Doctor, after Jo Martin briefly played a version of the character in 2020
Ncuti made his first appearance as The Doctor in the third 60th Anniversary Special earlier this month, when The Doctor ‘bi-generated’ meaning two incarnations of him were in existence at the same time
The actor, who was born in Rwanda before moving to Scotland when he was two, said it was ‘surreal’ that he landed the part, alongside Millie Gibson, who will play his companion Ruby Sunday.
He said: ‘We have seen that blue box and heard the theme for many years and to see my face it is like ”What is going on?” But it is exhilarating.
‘I have the best writer and the best companion. It was a joy – daunting, exhilarating and fun.’
Doctor Who returns with a new series in 2024.
The changing face of Doctor Who: Every actor who has played the Time Lord
1. William Hartnell – 1963 to 1966
William Hartnell played the first Doctor from 1963-1966, with a somewhat ‘old and grumpy’ version of the character
William Hartnell played the iconic Time Lord in his first incarnation, as he crashed to Earth with his granddaughter Susan after being ‘exiled’ from their planet Gallifrey.
He was initially portrayed as a stubborn old man but a softer side was later shown to him in his compassion as a grandfather and towards his companions.
The initial appearance of the doctor was very different to the modern episodes, with black-and-white filming and shaky effects.
Hartnell’s time as the Doctor also saw the first appearances of the Daleks and the Cybermen but years of travel took their toll on the aging Doctor and he collapsed in the TARDIS, leading to the second incarnation.
The First Doctor sadly suffered through ill health while filming, ultimately forcing him to retire from acting. He passed away in 1975, aged 67.
2. Patrick Troughton – 1966 to 1969
Number Two: Patrick Troughton played The Second Doctor from 1966-1969
Patrick Troughton’s Doctor was in stark contrast to his predecessor, and was outwardly scruffy and light-hearted.
In the second incarnation, fans met with new enemies such as the Great Intelligence and the Ice Warriors.
This time also saw the debut of classic series mainstay Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (or the Brigadier), when he met the Doctor in the tunnels of the London Underground.
The Second Doctor’s time came to an end when the TARDIS landed in the middle of a war-zone, created by a race of alien warlords.
He was able to defeat the plot but was forced to regenerate due to breaking laws of non-interference.
Troughton passed away in 1987 after suffering a fatal heart attack.
3. Jon Pertwee – 1970 to 1974
Jon Pertwee took on the role of the Third Doctor from 1970 to 1974
Many modern-day fans will also know Pertwee for his role in Worzel Gummidge and his Doctor was more prone to action that his predecessors.
After his exile to Earth was lifted, he and his companions travelled to all corners of the universe, along with meeting journalist Sarah Jane Smith.
This era also the first ever multi-Doctor crossover, as the Third Doctor met his two previous selves.
It saw the introduction of prehistoric villains The Silurians and The Autons, who appeared in the first episode of the 2005 reboot series.
Eventually Pertwee’s Doctor regenerated following a nasty encounter with The Green Death.
Pertwee is sadly also no longer with us and passed away in 1996.
4. Tom Baker – 1974 to 1981
Tom Baker – with his iconic curly hair and striped scarf – was the fourth Doctor
With his mass of curled hair and legendary striped scarf, Tom Baker was both the longest-serving Classic era Doctor and its most iconic, partly due to his partnership with Sarah Jane, played by the late Elizabeth Sladen.
Tom – now 84 – is also known to younger fans as the narrator for comedy sketch series Little Britain.
5. Peter Davison – 1981 to 1984
Peter’s Doctor was dressed as a cricketer and his personality tended towards being indecisive
Peter’s Doctor was dressed as a cricketer and his personality tended towards being indecisive – although he had a vulnerable side.
Even though popularity for the show dwindled through this era, the Doctor and his companion Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) are fondly remembered.
A heart-wrenching scene also saw the first major death of the series, when Adric died trying to stop a space freighter from crashing into prehistoric Earth.
6. Colin Baker – 1984 to 1986
Colin’s regeneration was played out off-screen due to his abrupt axe from the show
Colin Baker’s time as the sharp-tongued Doctor was a turbulent period, with the actor’s early dismissal as ratings plummeted leading to a slightly awkward regeneration scene.
After the TARDIS was attacked by villainous Time Lady scientist The Rani, the Sixth Doctor was left injured and regenerated, though his death was never played out on-screen.
In addition, the Doctor was never reunited with his companion Peri (Nicola Bryant).
7. Sylvester McCoy – 1987 to 1989
The Doctor headed into his seventh incarnation with his signature cane and punctuation-printed vest
The Doctor headed into his seventh incarnation with his signature cane and punctuation-printed vest while, as now-EastEnders star Bonnie Langford took on the role of dizzy companion Mel Bush.
However McCoy’s tenure in the TARDIS came to an abrupt end when BBC axed the show in 1989.
8. Paul McGann – 1996 and 2013
After a near-decade off-screen Doctor Who was brought back as a TV movie in an American co-production, with Paul McGann taking on the leading role
After a near-decade off-screen Doctor Who was brought back as a TV movie in an American co-production, with Paul McGann taking on the leading role.
This film saw The Master (played here by Eric Roberts) trying to steal the Doctor’s remaining lives by opening the Eye of Harmony the TARDIS, which nearly destroyed the Earth.
Luckily, the Doctor and his companion Dr Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) prevent the Earth’s destruction, leading the Master is sucked into the Eye.
It was in this film that fans saw their first glimpse at what a romance between the Doctor and his companion could look like, as they shared a firework-lit kiss in the closing scenes which infuriated fans at the time.
9. Christopher Eccleston – 2005
The eighth Doctor was a leather jacket-clad man with a Northern accent because ‘lots of planets have a North!’
The series was an instant hit as Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) teamed up with Eccleston’s version of The Doctor, this time a leather jacket-clad man with a Northern accent because ‘lots of planets have a North!’
A drastic change for the series at this point was the absence of Gallifrey, which had been destroyed – off-screen – in a Time War with the Daleks.
The Daleks took centre stage in this new series with a scary gold exterior, and an explosive finale saw thousands of the alien robots try to conquer a futuristic version of Earth under the leadership of their Emperor.
Sadly Eccleston’s tenure in the TARDIS was brief – largely due to reports of disagreements behind the scenes – but his regeneration proved epic, kissing Rose to absorb the TARDIS vortex and save her life.
10. David Tennant – 2005 to 2010
Fan-favourite David Tennant played the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010
Ask most Doctor Who fans, and they would predominantly name David Tennant as their favourite Doctor and fans became invested in his feelings for Rose Tyler.
It was also the birth of his famous partnership with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) which saw hilarious banter between 10 and companion.
Ten’s exit also saw Russell T Davies step down as showrunner and his closing scenes saw the fan-favourite alone in the TARDIS saying ‘I don’t want to go’ before bursting into regeneration, with viewers of more than 11 million struggling to hold back their tears.
11. Matt Smith – 2010 to 2013
Raggedy Man: Matt Smith played the Eleventh Doctor from 2010 to 2013
Matt, 27, made for the youngest-ever Doctor as he had big shoes to fill, while Stephen Moffatt took on the reins of show-running.
Known as the ‘raggedy Doctor’, fears were soon gone as Eleven’s sprightly nature and signature bow tie won over fans in a heartbeat alongside companion Amelia Pond.
He stepped down after four years after saying it was long enough in the role.
12. Peter Capaldi – 2013 to 2017
Peter Capaldi played the Twelfth Doctor from 2013 to 2017
Fans felt the show headed back to its classic roots during Twelve’s era as Scottish actor Peter took on the role.
The character was capricious and spiky but became more compassionate over time.
Fans grew to love the friendship between the older Doctor and his companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) while the show’s first ever gay companion was introduced in the form of Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie)
13. Jodie Whittaker – 2017 to 2022
Jodie Whittaker was the first female Doctor
Jodie Whittaker took on the then-controversial role of the first-ever female Doctor.
The actress, 41, has portrayed the eponymous Time Lord on-screen for four years, and bowed out of the sci-fi series in her last episode in October 2022. However, the role and the show’s script were criticised throughout her tenure.
Her departure featured in the episode The Power Of The Doctor, which even saw a brief return of David Tennant.
14. Ncuti Gatwa – 2023 to present
Nucti Gatwa is taking on the role of the first ever black actor to play the Time Lord from Christmas Day (pictured in character)
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa is making history as the first-ever black actor to take on the role of the Doctor.
He will be taking on the iconic role from Christmas Day onwards after his first appearance in the 60th anniversary episode, in which the Doctor ‘bi-generated’, meaning there were two versions at the same time.
He is set to cross paths with new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) for the first time.