Ncuti Gatwa's Far Too Short Run, the Return of Billie Piper and Many Unanswered Questions – Pondering Over the Future of “Doctor Who”

It’s becoming quite the precarious time to be a Doctor Who fan – something that was only exemplified by yesterday’s shocking, yet also expected season finale. It was only three years ago that we got the announcement of a returning Doctor in the form of David Tennant for the 60th anniversary, a brand-new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, and the deal with Disney+. In that short time, we’ve seen two Doctors eras complete and uncertainty surrounding the future of not only the Disney+ deal, but the show as a whole.

In the season two finale, Ncuti Gatwa unexpectedly regenerated at the end of the episode, bringing his era to an unfortunately short end. Gatwa immediately made the Doctor his own, showcasing a genuine charm, youthful exuberance and joy for life that felt different, yet familiar for the character. Yet, unfortunately, his oh-too-short run has been bogged down by too much reliance on the past. While I enjoyed seeing legacy characters such as The Rani and Sutekh make their return, I think it may have been to the show’s detriment. If you’re trying to bring in new viewers, such a reliance on the show’s history of minor villains is a mistake

I think it also serves as a disservice to the Doctor and his companions, Ruby and Belinda, with Millie Gibson and Varada Sethu both bringing their A game to their respective roles. But again, their characters didn’t have enough time to be flushed out – especially in the finale. Ruby got a decent wrap-up and a stand out moment in the finale, where she was the only one who could remember the Doctor and Belinda’s child, Poppy. But after the Doctor takes off in the TARDIS, we get no further appearance from Ruby – and I hope that’s not forever, as this is a character that still has a story to be told.

Belinda’s character suffered in reverse, starting out as an independent, strong-minded woman who wouldn’t put up with some of the more problematic sides of the Doctor – she just wanted to get home. The finale however retconned that to wanting to get home for her daughter, Poppy, which seems to have taken some of the agency out of the character and pigeonholed her into the form of a housewife – something which the story up to this point, was kind of saying was a bad thing.

There were also many plot points that have yet to be resolved. Why didn’t Susan (the Doctor’s granddaughter) reappear? Who is the Boss? What about Rogue? Not getting these answers is frustrating, as we currently are in a limbo in regards to the future of the show. Disney’s deal with the BBC concludes with the forthcoming spin-off series, The War Between the Land and Sea, and it’s looking unlikely that the deal will be renewed. Reportedly, a third season with Gatwa would have been filming by now, but due to delays in Disney’s decision-making – the up-and-coming actor decided it was time to leave. And far too early, if you ask me.

So now, it seems we have Billie Piper as the Doctor. For those unaware, Piper played the first companion in the 2005 revival of the series, Rose Tyler, alongside both the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. Rose is a truly beloved character, from a time when the show was at the height of its popularity. With the Disney+ uncertainty and dwindling UK ratings in a time of a rapidly changing TV landscape, I can’t help but see this as a nostalgic attention grabbing move. But is it the right move for the series to make?

We just had David Tennant back as the Fourteenth Doctor, so to have another returning face back so soon seems a little counterintuitive towards charting a future for the series. Gatwa’s Doctor is quite literally sandwiched between two incarnations that could be seen as nostalgia-bait. But that also brings up another question. Is Piper playing the Doctor? While we seemingly clearly saw Gatwa regenerate into her, she was not introduced as the Doctor in the credits, as has been tradition. BBC press releases have also not referred to her as the Doctor as of yet.

I personally love some of Piper’s most recent work, especially in the HBO Max series I Hate Suzie, where she portrays a manic, quirky character – something very different to her role as Rose Tyler. If she channels some of that into whatever her new character in Doctor Who is, then I’ll be quite pleased. But if it’s more of the same, then what’s the point? And how long will she stick around in the role? More importantly, when will the show be back? It seems unlikely that there will be a Christmas special this year, unless filming begins immediately. That pushes things back to late next year at the earliest, with The War Between the Land and Sea set to whet our appetite before then.

To conclude, this Doctor Who fan just requests one thing – certainty. Disney, either renew or don’t renew, but don’t keep us hanging on. The show has found a way to continue for over 60 years, and I’m sure it will do. But perhaps, it needs some new blood and a fresh take to do so.

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