Did Ncuti Gatwa Fail as the 15th Doctor, or Did Doctor Who Fail Him?
Feature by Jamie Ellison.
Like many fans who hadn’t been keeping up with the rumour mill, I wasn’t prepared for what happened in “The Reality War”. Gatwa’s Doctor regenerated, unannounced and abrupt, with no real build-up. It felt sudden and hollow, as though a page had been ripped from the book before the story had properly started.
A few days on, that feeling still hasn’t faded. I’m frustrated, disappointed and, more than anything, heartbroken by how wasted Gatwa’s time as the Doctor turned out to be.
I’ve seen a mixed reaction from fans. Some clearly thought he was a bad Doctor and appear very happy to see him go. But I think that’s unfair for a few reasons.
The Doctor Who Never Got to Be
Much like Jodie Whittaker before him, I feel Gatwa wasn’t given the same level of storytelling or direction that past Doctors enjoyed. The talent was there, but the scripts rarely rose to meet it. For me, the problem was never Gatwa himself. From the moment he stepped into the role, he brought charisma, charm and energy that should have made him an instant classic. He could have been one of the greats, but the show never gave him the chance to earn that status.
His first series consisted of just eight episodes, and due to his filming commitments with Sex Education, he was barely present in a few of them. Then Series 15 gave us yet another Doctor-lite episode. When you tally up his actual screen time, he didn’t have much more presence than Christopher Eccleston. But at least Eccleston had the benefit of being the clear lead in every one of his episodes.
Fatal Mischaracterisation
What made matters worse was that it rarely felt like Gatwa got a chance to actually play the Doctor. Rather than allowing him to explore the identity of a centuries-old Time Lord, the character seemed retooled to reflect Gatwa himself rather than the established essence of the Doctor. It was less a new interpretation, more a hollowed-out one.
His Doctor was frequently portrayed as overly emotional, nearly in tears in most episodes. There’s nothing wrong with vulnerability, it can be one of the Doctor’s most powerful tools, but it must be counterbalanced with agency and conviction. Gatwa’s Doctor, more often than not, stood aside while others saved the day. He wasn’t the storm in the room or the person with the plan. For some reason, he was a bystander in most of his stories.
An Icon Without an Iconic Look
Even visual storytelling failed him. The Doctor’s look is a huge part of their mythos. From the moment you see Tom Baker’s scarf or Matt Smith’s bow tie, you know who you’re looking at. Gatwa’s ever-changing wardrobe, though stylish and fun, left him without a proper recognisable silhouette. In a show that thrives on visual icons, this lack of consistency undercut his ability to make a cultural imprint.
The Audience Drifted Away
All of these issues fed into a larger problem. The audience didn’t connect. Not because they weren’t willing to, but because they weren’t given a stable foundation. The writing lacked the confidence to let Gatwa be the Doctor, and as a result, many viewers simply didn’t see him as such, and didn’t tune back in. Ratings dropped after the early episodes, mirroring a similar pattern seen in Jodie Whittaker’s run. It’s hard to blame audiences when the scripts didn’t consistently present the Doctor as a compelling central figure.
Regeneration by Numbers
The real tragedy is that some of this might still have been forgiven if the ending had delivered. Even a deeply flawed era can be redeemed by a strong farewell. But when the moment finally came for Gatwa’s Doctor to step off the stage, Doctor Who failed to give him the goodbye he deserved. Instead of a rousing final act, “The Reality War” gave us a farewell that felt like an afterthought. The emotional core of the episode revolved more around Poppy.
When the regeneration came, it had none of the dramatic weight the role demands. There was no big final speech, no parting reflection, no real moment of stillness to acknowledge the life this incarnation had lived. He said a few quiet words to Belinda, stepped outside, muttered to the stars and regenerated. It felt rushed, unearned and emotionally hollow.
There was a lovely cameo from Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, but instead of amplifying his exit, it only highlighted how little the story let him own his ending. The moment that should have belonged to Gatwa was shared, diluted and then pushed aside by a surprise twist that transformed him into someone else before he had the chance to say goodbye.
The Legacy of a Wasted Doctor
We didn’t get closure. We didn’t get catharsis. We didn’t even get a clear sense of what this Doctor stood for in the end. We didn’t just lose Gatwa. We barely got him in the first place. And even at the end, Doctor Who didn’t take the time to say goodbye.
Ultimately, was Gatwa a bad Doctor? No, I don’t think so. He was a wasted Doctor. Let down by Doctor Who scripts that didn’t trust him to carry the mantle and storytelling that never gave him the weight or wonder the role deserves.
What a waste. What a shame. What could have been.
