The latest season ofDoctor Whois set to premiere on June 26, 2025, and while the new Time Lord,Ncuti Gatwa, is interested in facing off against a classic franchise villain, it might not happen. Gatwa is set to take up the mantle as the Fifteenth Doctor alongside companions Millie Gibson and Varada Sethu, as the series begins a fresh chapter in its storied history. It will not only reset to be known as Season 1, but it will mark its debut on Disney+ outside the UK.
Doctor Who
Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
Speaking toEntertainment Weekly, Gatwa revealed that he really wants to face offagainst a Dalekduring his tenure at The Doctor. However, according to the 31-year-old actor, there have been rumblings of that never happening. He says if that’s the case, “What on earth would be the point of me being Doctor Who?”
“I’ve heard chats about me not ever facing a Dalek. I’d be so angry if that’s the case! By the time that I’m done with Doctor Who, I better have faced a Dalek. What on earth would be the point of me being Doctor Who without facing a Dalek!”
Ncuti Gatwa Says His Expectations of What The Doctor Should Be Like Were Confusing
Portrayinga character with such a rich historycan be a daunting task. Ncuti Gatwa already had some expectations going intoDoctor Who, which led to some confusion as to how he should play the iconic role. Upon learning that he had the creative freedom to act the part however he wanted, he says, “It took a long time for that to settle in.” In the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, he remarked that he had a very “British mentality” at the start.
“I had a lot of set expectations as to what the Doctor should be like. I thought, there’s definitely a correct way of doing the Doctor, which is a very British mentality. I found it very confusing in season 1, the fact that they were just trusting me to do what I want with the role. I was like, ‘Surely there’s a right way and a wrong way, and you’ve got to tell me the right way.’ But they were like, ‘Well, it’s just whatever you’re doing.’ It took a long time for that to settle in: They just wanted me to be myself creatively.”
Doctor Who’s Companion Controversy Put to Rest by Russell T. Davies
Russell T. Davies has finally broken his silence on the rumors about Millie Gibson’s early departure from Doctor Who’s upcoming season.
Gatwa learned that he landed the role of the Fifteenth Doctor just as he was walking into his local barber shop for a haircut. While he was certainly excited to joinsuch a legendary franchise, he says it didn’t become real for him until he saw the TARDIS.
“It wasn’t until I stepped on set and saw the TARDIS that I was like, ‘This is all real now.’ My heart started racing because I just thought, ‘That’s the blue box. And it’sminenow.'”
You can see just how real it is when Ncuti Gatwa makes his debut as the new Time Lord whenDoctor Whopremieres on Disney+ on June 22, 2025.
Previous seasons ofDoctor Whoare currently available to stream on MAX.
