Current:Home > FinanceMeet the new 'Doctor Who': Ncuti Gatwa on the political, 'fashion forward' time-traveling alien -AssetBase
Meet the new 'Doctor Who': Ncuti Gatwa on the political, 'fashion forward' time-traveling alien
View
Date:2025-04-19 08:36:43
Meet the all-new "Doctor Who." He's still an alien, and he still travels through time and space. But this one is a sharper dresser than you might expect, a little more chaotic, and just a lot cooler than previous Doctors. And cooler than you too.
There are just effortlessly hip vibes emanating from Ncuti Gatwa, the 15th Doctor in the 60-year-old British science fiction institution, and the first person of color in the full-time role. As the kids would say, he slays.
"It does feel like a new era. Everything feels refreshed," says Gatwa, 31, who's familiar to American viewers as one of the Kens in last summer's smash "Barbie," and from Netflix comedy "Sex Education" (his name is pronounced SHOO-tee GAHT-wa). "We're doing things a little bit differently, but it's still the same show we know and love."
The series has a new Doctor and companion (Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday) and streams the new eight-episode season on Fridays at a new home, Disney+ (7 EDT/ 4 PDT), fresh off three critically acclaimed specials (also on Disney+) celebrating its 60th anniversary last November. There is an energy to the new episodes that was woefully absent in the most recent seasons on BBC America, which starred Jodie Whittaker, who's a decade older than Gatwa. So there's fun to be had adventuring through time and space again.
"A lot of science fiction and fantasy, in particular, can be dark, can be sinister (and) can be aggressive," says Russell T. Davies, the writer who brought "Who" into the modern era in 2005 and has returned as executive producer. "'Doctor Who' can do all those things. But I think 'Doctor Who' uniquely can be quite mad. I wanted madness. Chaos. Nuttiness. Wildness. Fun."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
There is madness in the first few episodes, which take the Doctor and Ruby back to the Paleolithic era, a "baby farm" in the future run by actual babies and back to the 1960s, where they're pursued by a villain played by drag queen Jinkx Monsoon.
But it's not all fun and games. Davies is keenly aware that we live in dark, challenging times, and he wants the series to reflect that with pointed references to political topics including abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. "Attacks on drag queens ... We just see the waves coming. And obviously, that's my world," says Davies, a gay man who frequently makes television about queer characters. "I will always have something to say about that."
Also keeping the show grounded in the present day are Gatwa and Gibson, a young and giddy pairing giving big Gen Z energy, even if Gatwa, 31, is slightly older.
"I would hope that my Doctor is a Doctor for all generations," Gatwa says. "Energy is what fuels the Doctor. We describe the relationship (between the Doctor and Ruby) as energetic and fast, which feels quite youthful."
Gatwa spent years playing a teen in "Education," a teen comedy about an amateur high school sex therapist, and has made his mark on the fashion world with bold red carpet looks, including a metal breastplate (he was shirtless underneath) at this year's Vanity Fair Oscars party. He has a strong sense of style just like the 15th Doctor, the first Time Lord in quite a while to change costumes frequently.
"I've done Doctors who stayed in the same suit for years on end, and I was beginning to think, it's odd that they never change clothes. It is surprising that I wanted that before we cast Ncuti," Davies says. "Quite by chance, we've cast a man who's one of the world's greatest clothes horses. He looks beautiful in anything."
Davies said he was also inspired by the fans who intricately recreate the Doctor's costumes as cosplay at conventions. "If there's such joy in cosplay in diving deep, let's give them a great big swimming pool."
Gatwa shares Davies' enthusiasm for the Doctor's "fashion forward" outfits – trips to the Regency era and the ’60s were his particular favorites – but says the Doctor's onscreen looks don't reflect his own personal style.
"I certainly share a sense of loving clothes with the Doctor. But no, our styles are very different. The Doctor is very eclectic. He can wear anything. Maybe one day there will be a Venn diagram between the pair of us, but not at the moment."
Does that mean the Doctor will be rocking exposed midriffs and metal breastplates in the future? Cosplayers can only dream.
veryGood! (166)
Related
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Annoyed With Your Internet Connection? This Top-Rated Wi-Fi Extender Is on Sale for $18 on Prime Day 2023
- Why It’s Time to Officially Get Over Your EV Range Anxiety
- Make Traveling Less Stressful With These 15 Amazon Prime Day 2023 Deals
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Why Khloe Kardashian Forgives Tristan Thompson for Multiple Cheating Scandals
- This Winter’s Rain and Snow Won’t be Enough to Pull the West Out of Drought
- Get a 16-Piece Cookware Set With 43,600+ 5-Star Reviews for Just $84 on Prime Day 2023
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Chipotle testing a robot, dubbed Autocado, that makes guacamole
Ranking
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- 2023 ESPYS Winners: See the Complete List
- Zayn Malik Reveals the Real Reason He Left One Direction
- Nina Dobrev Recalls Wild Experience Growing Up in the Public Eye Amid Vampire Diaries Fame
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- In Louisiana, Climate Change Threatens the Preservation of History
- OutDaughtered’s Danielle and Adam Busby Detail Her Alarming Battle With Autoimmune Disease
- Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2023: The Influencers' Breakdown of the Best Early Access Deals
Recommendation
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
One of the World’s Coldest Places Is Now the Warmest it’s Been in 1,000 Years, Scientists Say
Be the Host With the Most When You Add These 18 Prime Day Home Entertaining Deals to Your Cart
BravoCon 2023 Is Switching Cities: All the Details on the New Location
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Road Salts Wash Into Mississippi River, Damaging Ecosystems and Pipes
Maryland, Virginia Race to Save Dwindling Commercial Fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay
BravoCon 2023 Is Switching Cities: All the Details on the New Location