Doctor Who fans—excuse us, Whovians—know to expect the unexpected when it comes to the adventures of their beloved Time Lord. The long-running BBC series regularly fiddles with its own formula, and will be doing so in a big way in 2023 when it introduces Sex Education‘s Ncuti Gatwa as its new Doctor.
As per usual, not much is known about this upcoming “regeneration,” except that Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, It’s A Sin) will be returning as the showrunner for the first time in over a decade, with Heartstopper breakout Yasmin Finney as the Doctor’s companion, and Neil Patrick Harris in a mysterious villain role.
But it’s the latter who has given us perhaps our most intriguing hint at what’s to come: In addition to being played by a Black actor for the first time, this time around, the Doctor will be—spoilers!—gay.
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While guesting on the Just For Variety podcast in support of Uncoupled, Harris spilled some tea about Gatwa’s Doctor that had yet to be confirmed:
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“I got to meet and interact with him a bit and he’s glorious,” Harris said of Gatwa. “He’ll be the first gay Doctor, which is going to be super cool, a sexier Doctor.”
Considering how nonchalantly he said it, we don’t think Harris realized he was dropping such a bombshell. But up until this point, there was no official word that the new Doctor would be gay.
Related: ‘Sex Education’: Still redefining what it means to be black and gay on TV
Of course, there were rumors. Gatwa’s breakout role on Sex Education is the fun, fierce, and proudly gay Eric Effiong, and many assumed the actor’s spin on the Time Lord would follow suit. Coupled with Harris, young trans actress Finney, and an out, gay showrunner in Davies, well, the Doctor Who already had a lot of Big Queer Energy going into it. And we’re thrilled to hear the BBC series will be leaning into it!
Earlier this year, when Gatwa’s role was announced, the actor said, “I’ve known since about February this year, so it’s been tricky trying keep this under wraps, because I’ve got a very big mouth.”
Well, it’s apparently not as big as NPH’s mouth, who couldn’t help but dish on this “super cool” secret.
But there’s one bit of what Harris said that we didn’t need to have confirmed: That Gatwa would be a “sexier Doctor.” Um, obviously! Have you seen Gatwa? Of course he will be! Just take a look at the evidence below…
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We’ll be seeing much more of Ncuti Gatwa’s sexy, gay Doctor when Doctor Who returns to the BBC some time in 2023. We can’t wait!
LumpyPillows
It’s going to be a real test of the Dr. Who writers to make this work. It’s a real balance to be progressive without being a woke pile of tripe. Oh, and also be a time lord with 60 years of history to manage. I’ll be watching with my fingers crossed. It will either be super great or a thudding end of the franchise. Here’s to hoping it soars.
P.S. That black jacket is a homerun. The pink pajamas was a real miss. A+ for effort though.
dbmcvey
The minute you used the word “woke” we all knew who you are.
dario717
It’s a good thing to be woke. I’m not sure when trolls tried to make that word into a slander, but it is a pathetic attempt to make losers look like winners.
LumpyPillows
Yeah, and the new Tales of the City was a woke nightmare. You guys need to pull your heads out of the bubble.
Cam
Interesting how a series where the Doctor has slept with men and done other “woke” things didn’t seem to bother you until they might cast a Black guy in the lead.
No matter what name you’re under, your trolling is sad and weak.
Kangol2
Ncuti is a cutie but more attractive, IMHO, without that blonde coif. But each to his, her and their own!
OberonOZ
Interesting. Reading and comprehension is not a strong suit apparently. In the third paragraph **spoilers** we find out that apparently the new Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa will be gay!! Not really sure what he point of adding the spoilers warning is since you tell us in your non-spoiler tagged headline that the new Doctor will be gay and sexier than ever!
Inspector 57
I know, right? What a shame, too. Just when Queerty was finally THIS close to winning a Pulitzer.
Prax07
Eww…no thanks to that Dr.
Cam
Oh yes, because all of the old doctors were so “hot”. You aren’t fooling anyone.
christopher lord
“Nips Oot” would make an excellent title for a gay-themed murder mystery, just sayin’.
Walker
I am gay and a long-time Doctor Who fan (REALLY long-time–as in, I first started watching it in the mid-80s). I am excited for Gatwa’s casting; it is well past time to have non-white Doctor in the lead (though he isn’t the “first” as of a couple of years ago, it’s complicated). But I wasn’t thrilled to have RTD back doing his now-boring shtick and already confirming that he’s going to spend an inordinate amount of time calling back to his last run (starting with having a new ROSE, FFS).
And this news doesn’t thrill me either. The very worst thing RTD did the first time around was making the Doctor the focus of boring romantic plotlines, and making him “gay” (what does that even mean for a pansexual alien?) not only won’t make it any better, but seems designed mainly to trigger conservatives, which should not be an end in and of itself.
I was so excited when Jodie Whittaker was cast but they seriously dropped the ball focusing on her gender rather than on good writing. And after finding the last gay-themed RTD show (It’s a Sin) completely insufferable I am worried that this will be the final nail in the coffin for the show.
Creamsicle
Not sure about this jntention to sexify The Doctor. He’s had sexy actors before. David Tennant is my first Doctor and he’s smoking hot (allegedly has a gigantic dick too. His nickname is David Ten Inch), and Paul McGann kind of gets away with being a smouldering Doctor in the fee on-screen depictions he’s done, and had more romantic overtones with some of his companions.
I guess it really depends on who is writing The Doctor, but the whole reason one of his first companions was his own grand daughter alongside a married couple was to avoid romantic subplots altogether.
And personally, the series that I find the most enjoyable are the ones where The Doctor and his companion are less romantic and more mouthy, like Donna Noble, Evelyn Smythe, Lucie Miller, and Amy Pond after she chooses Rory and they drop the romantic subplot. Heck, even Charlotte Pollard (Charlie to her friends) kind of moves past being infatuated with The Doctor and gives him more attitude towards the end of their travels together.
I’m happy to go along for the ride, but I also personally need to catch up on quite a lot. I still haven’t finished all of Capaldi’s Doctor because around the time I was ready to sit down and watch it, the show wasn’t on any of the streaming platforms I subscribed to. Now it’s just on BBC’s streaming service, right?
scotty
the doctor is IN