BBC issue statement as its claimed Doctor Who has been axed amid Ncuti Gatwa exit rumours
Rumours abound that Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa is set to walk away from the sci-fi drama leaving the future of the show in doubt – but the BBC has hit back at reports
The BBC has furiously denied that Doctor Who is on the cusp of being cancelled – but refused to rule out Ncuti Gatwa walking away from the iconic show.
Rumours erupted on Monday that 32-year-old actor Ncuti plans to quit the show after just two seasons. The star joined the show in 2023, taking over the lead role of the Doctor after Jodie Whittaker bowed out – but a report claimed that he aims to walk away from the Tardis at the end of the upcoming 15th season.
The rumours of his exit have sparked fears the BBC could cancel the series – which has seen the show’s viewership drop from the huge numbers of its heyday to just 3.5 million in the most recent episodes. The dramatic drop in ratings has also been recorded despite Disney investing in the long-running show since season 14 was planned.
Now a BBC spokesperson has slammed the suggestion the Corporation is planning to retire the show amid signs of audience fatigue. They told the Mirror: “This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
Their rebuttal comes after The Sun reported that Ncuti had already filmed his final episode and plans to bow out of the show at the end of season 15, which is set to air this year, to chase bigger dreams. A source told the publication: “Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him.
“His team also see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work. The show has been poorly managed in recent years, and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership.”
Doctor who first aired in the 1960s and remained on the air until the late 80s when it was cancelled – but revived in the 1990s for a TV film special. Fans were then thrilled when the show was fully revived in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston drafted in to play the lead character and add gravitas to the series. Billie Piper also joined the cast when the show had it’s comeback – and she won the hearts of viewers as loveable companion, Rose.
Ratings exploded as the revived show continued – with David Tennant and Billie pulling in audiences in excess of 13 million – while show writer Russell T Davies praised by fans for creating engaging and relatable stories. Fans began to tune out after Russell walked away from the show in 2010 – so fans had high expectations when he returned to the show in 2022.
