Ncuti Gatwa has described his incarnation of the Doctor as “lonely”, hiding this side of himself with humour.

Each Doctor has a different personality, even if they’re all still, at their heart, the same person, so thoughts turn to what the Fifteenth Doctor has in store for us. Gatwa explains:

“My Doctor is emotionally vulnerable. He hides it with humour, but he’s lonely. I can’t say much more than that; I don’t want to spoil anything. But he’s also energetic! The poor cameramen struggled to keep up.”

Perhaps this has something to do with the destruction of Gallifrey again, a situation that Russell T Davies initially put in place in Series 1 before Steven Moffat saved the day in The Day of the Doctor; Chris Chibnall, however, saw it fit to bring about the death of the Time Lords once more.

The Doctor is often a lonely character; indeed, Davies frequently showed the weight of the universe on his shoulders, while being alone in an empty and very big TARDIS. Certainly the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors displayed this characteristic — Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, too, was very unsettled at the thought of leaving behind her companions.

Ncuti has also talked about the pressures of playing the Doctor:

“I’m the first Black man to play this character. The British press can be very mean. I just have to focus on the job and stay true to what the Doctor is: a mad scientist alien who has adventures and cares about everyone.”

Fortunately, Gatwa has had plenty of support — yes, from us fans but also Davies and previous Doctors. He’s met with David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi in person, and the Time Lords have a WhatsApp group too.

We’re looking forward to seeing the Fifteenth Doctor in action later this year!