“It’s not going to be a Star Wars budget”: Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who Showrunner Claims They Can Make an Episode Even If “Money Disappeared Tomorrow”
The legendary sci-fi show reportedly has a bigger budget as it finds a new home at Disney Plus.
Ncuti Gatwa made history when he appeared as the fifteenth Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who. The Barbie star became the first Black and queer actor to portray the role, making his debut in the third 60th-anniversary special episode ‘The Giggle’. He took over from David Tennant, who returned to the role for the anniversary specials.
The fourteenth series of the show will begin airing in May of this year. The show also received a streaming partner in Disney Plus, which reportedly gave the show a bigger budget. While no particular numbers have been revealed, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies mentioned that they could make the best episode even without the money.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who Gets A Bigger Budget
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa began his tenure as the fifteenth Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who in the 60th-anniversary special ‘The Giggle’. He took over from David Tennant, who had already once been the tenth Doctor on the series and had returned for the specials. Gatwa was also reprised as the sole Doctor in the Christmas special episode ‘The Church on Ruby Road’.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies returned to the show after a long break as he had left along with Tennant in 2010. According to Variety, Davies pitched the concept of a 60th-anniversary special after the thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker was exiting the role, and Tennant and actor Catherine Tate expressed their desire to return to the project.
The new Doctor Who series, which will be the fourteenth in the show, also reportedly partnered with Disney Plus as a streaming partner and hence, received a larger budget than previous seasons. While Davies dismissed reports that the budget was £10 million per episode, he said to Variety,
“It’s not going to be a ‘Star Wars’ budget, and do you know what? Neither should it be. Because I do think, with no offense to anyone, if money disappeared tomorrow, we’d [still] make the best episode of ‘Doctor Who’ ever.”
The showrunner also mentioned that he was delighted with the partnership as it would give the show a global audience. He said he wanted the whole world to watch the show and he felt that it was the place where Doctor Who should be.
The Doctor Who Team Cast Ncuti Gatwa After Already Finding Another Lead
Doctor Who has always taken bold risks with its casting choices, despite facing backlash from fans. Though the character was only played by a White man until after Peter Capaldi’s iteration, the show created history by casting Jodie Whittaker as the thirteenth Doctor. Whittaker was the first woman to take on the role of the Doctor.
Similarly, Ncuti Gatwa’s casting also created history as the Rwandan-Scottish actor became the first Black and queer actor to portray the role. He was reportedly the last to have been auditioned by the team and they had reportedly already found a lead. Despite having found a new lead, the team reportedly wanted to see if Gatwa was interested (via Variety).
Gatwa had reportedly mentioned to his agent that he wanted to play someone like the Doctor or Willi Wonka when he got that call. Showrunner Russell T Davies was reportedly convinced immediately upon auditioning the actor. Producer Jane Tranter also had the same opinion and said to Variety,
“I have never seen an audition tape, and I suspect I probably never will, which had more conviction, more star quality, more talent in it than Ncuti’s. For me, it was the audition of a lifetime.”
Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor also had a different kind of regeneration when he appeared. While the Doctor usually completely transforms from one body to another, in ‘The Giggle’, Gatwa’s iteration reportedly splits from Tennant, with both incarnations existing at the same time.
