As Doctor Who prepares to begin a new era, Jodie Whittaker shares her advice for her successor Ncuti Gatwa. Doctor Who premiered on the BBC in 1963 and was revived by Russell T. Davies in 2005. Over the sci-fi series’ nearly 60-year history, thirteen actors have led the show as the mysterious time-traveling Doctor. Whittaker stepped into the role as the Doctor’s thirteenth incarnation in the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special, “Twice Upon a Time”, taking over for Peter Capaldi. Whittaker’s Doctor marked a historic moment in television history as she became the first woman to play the Time Lord.
Soon, Whittaker’s time as the Doctor will be coming to an end. The Thirteenth Doctor will be making her final appearance in the upcoming Doctor Who special, “The Power of the Doctor”, on October 23, during which the Doctor will face the returning Lone Cyberman. The special’s trailer teased Whittaker’s regeneration scene, although it is unclear whether the Doctor will regenerate into Gatwa or David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor, who will be returning for the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary special next year. In May, it was announced that Sex Education‘s Gatwa will be replacing Whittaker as the Fourteenth Doctor in Doctor Who season 14. Similar to Whittaker, the 29-year-old actor will also be making history as the first Black actor to lead the series.
As the role changes hands, Whittaker shares some encouraging words for Gatwa. SFX (via Games Radar+) reports that the Thirteenth Doctor revealed the advice she gave her successor at a recent Doctor Who event, and her words show complete faith in Gatwa’s abilities. Check out Whittaker’s full comment below:
“I’m certainly not giving that phenomenal actor any advice! He doesn’t need it from me: It’s yours to own and you’ve earned it.”
How Ncuti Gatwa Can Make Doctor Who His Own
Although they were all playing the same character, each actor cast as the Doctor has brought a new personality to their incarnations. While Whittaker seems to have complete confidence that Gatwa will be able to own his role as the Fourteenth Doctor, there are a few ways he may do so. For one, considering Gatwa’s age, it’s possible his incarnation of the Doctor will be more youthful. Neil Patrick Harris, who joined the Doctor Who cast earlier this year, certainly seemed to think so when he called Gatwa’s Doctor “sexier” and “super cool.“
It would make sense for Gatwa’s Doctor to present a younger image because the last few seasons of Doctor Who have focused on the Time Lord’s ancient history. Changing directions with a more youthful regeneration could help refresh the series after some of the controversial episodes that aired during Whittaker’s run as the Doctor. Of course, viewers may know more about Gatwa’s Doctor after Whittaker makes her final Doctor Who appearance in “The Power of the Doctor”.
