Doctor Who boss planted fake stories about Jodie Whittaker’s replacement

Returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davis is spilling all the tea when it comes to the next Doctor. Earlier this week, the BBC announced that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will be taking over for Jodie Whittaker come season 14.

People seem very excited about Gatwa playing the Fourteenth Doctor. Personally, I didn’t watch Sex Education but talking to the folks that have, it looks like we’re in for quite a treat with Gatwa.

Davies is equally pumped about the casting and has been talking all about trying to mislead fans ahead of the reveal. Sneaky, sneaky Davies.

How the Doctor Who showrunner tried to mislead fans

While chatting with RadioTimes, Davies admitted that he tried to trick fans a bit as they were trying to figure out who the next Doctor was going to be. Davies and company have known that Gatwa was going to be the Fourteenth Doctor for months, but they managed to keep it under wraps. “None of you even guessed,” Davies said. “He’s so brilliant and so popular, he wasn’t even guessed, so I’m feeling a little bit victorious here. There’s been a few false stories and false tales and we placed a few posts ourselves, a couple of misleading things, and we’re very pleased that that kind of worked.”

Everyone was all but convinced the new Doctor would be played by someone from It’s A Sin, another of Davies’ shows. There was also speculation that late-night host James Corden might take over the role after it was announced his show would be ending; he has been in the series during the Matt Smith days so it wouldn’t be completely out of blue. Davies said that was a red herring they did not plant; and it was just something fans came up with on their own.

Ncuti Gatwa being cast as the 14th Doctor isn’t just about “diversity and representation”

Gatwa’s casting is notable in part because he’s the first actor of color to play the role as the lead; Jo Martin played a Black female iteration of the Doctor during Jodie Whittaker’s era, but Gatwa is the headliner. While Davies acknowledged that “diversity and representation” were “very important,” he said that Gatwa was, “Simply the best actor walked into the room.”

"I’m aware that all this comes with it. I think if you’re six, you don’t care. And that’s genuinely the fundamental reason for me. Because I watched it when I was six, I’m here making it. So six-year-olds watching it now will be making it in 50 years’ time…I do want to reassure anyone you can just sit down and watch a fantastic 45-minute episode of Doctor Who with Doctor Who fighting the monsters as ever. I’ve always had things to say in my dramas, and I always will and that’s why it’s a good drama, but it’s all new territory."

And now, Doctor Who fans are anxiously waiting for 2023 so we can also see just how amazing Gatwa is as the next Doctor.

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