Doctor Who: Ncuti Gatwa Breaks a Sacred Tradition as the 15th Doctor That Has Been Defied Only Twice Before

Russell T. Davies previously said that “it’s the age of Ncuti now” in Doctor Who and he was undoubtedly spot on. Ncuti Gatwa is the first black male to play the role of Doctor Who and a lot of expectation hinges on him. He stole hearts in Sex Education as the lovable queer character Eric, wowing the audience with his impeccable sense of fashion and his herculean acting prowess, which even put some seasoned professionals to shame. However, his trial by fire seems to be his role as Doctor Who, and two episodes in, he has been playing it as if it was exactly what he was born for.

In the Christmas special episode of Doctor Who, Gatwa takes center stage since his debut. Previously, in the 60th Anniversary episode, he shared his spotlight with David Tennant so the Christmas special was his first chance to shine. Ncuti Gatwa breaks away from all the other Doctors before him by not following a major Whoverse tradition that has only been broken two times in the past 60 years of the show.

Ncuti Gatwa breaks away from a major Time Lord tradition in Doctor Who

Although Ncuti Gatwa made his debut as the Fifteenth Doctor in the 60th-anniversary episode The Giggle, he had to share much of his spotlight with David Tennant. Gatwa first appeared in all his glory in The Church on Ruby Road and had already managed to set himself apart from most of the Doctors before him. He already had a pretty unconventional start due to his bi-generation and then went on to break away from another Doctor Who tradition.

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Ncuti Gatwa does not get a costume change sequence in Doctor Who. The tradition that started with Patrick Troughton in 1966’s The Power of the Daleks went on to live through Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann. The tradition started with the Second Doctor losing his predecessor’s ring and cloak. He then proceeded to whip out a new coat and his signature recorder from a chest in the TARDIS. This tradition kept on going with the Third Doctor Who swiping his outfit in a hospital.

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In recent times, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker have all carried on the legacy. However, Ncuti Gatwa walked the other way to join William Hartnell and Christopher Eccleston, who had already settled into their costumes when they debuted. 

Doctor Who completely bypasses the Fifteenth Doctor’s past

The show does not just stop at breaking away from the past at one point. It also entirely skips over Fifteenth’s early days as the Doctor. Usually, Doctors are seen struggling after their regeneration with regeneration sickness, getting a new sonic screwdriver, and convincing companions they’re still the same person. Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who manages to avoid all of that. 

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The Church on Ruby Road does not go in that direction. Instead, the doctor appears to be fully formed with his screwdriver and without any trace of a post-regeneration shock, which means it has already been dealt with. It strongly symbolizes a new era that is to come in the Whoverse. 

The show is available to watch on Disney+.