Posted in: BBC, Disney+, TV | Tagged: doctor who, Ncuti Gatwa

Doctor Who "Has Not Been Shelved": BBC Responds to Ncuti Gatwa Report

The BBC responded to rumors that Doctor Who was ending because Ncuti Gatwa was looking to depart and that he had filmed his final episode.

As much as we wished that the majority of fans' radars were focused on the upcoming second season of Showrunner Russell T. Davies's Ncuti Gatwa (Fifteenth Doctor), Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday), and Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra)-starring Doctor Who, the rumors and rumblings about what may or may not happen after Season 2 continue to get louder. Despite on-the-record comments from Davies, the BBC, and folks over at Bad Wolf that a decision on a third season wouldn't come until after Season 2 hits, every possible "worst-case" scenario is in play on social media. Along with the long-running rumor that Disney is dropping the series after the upcoming second season, one or two of the less-than-distinguished media outlets across the pond in the UK have been reporting that Gatwa is leaving the series with Season 2 and that he had already filmed his final episode) – fueling fears that the long-running series could end up taking another long hiatus after the second season. Releasing a statement to The Mirror, a BBC spokesperson looked to shut down the reporting: "This story is incorrect, 'Doctor Who' has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on Season 3 will be made after Season 2 airs. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines."

Doctor Who: Some Previous Season 3 Rumblings

Okay, so it's time for a brief modern history lesson. In an interview with SFX Magazine at the end of August 2024, Davies had this to share about the future of the series: "It's an industry decision; it's like any business – these things take time. I think the decision will come after the transmission of season two. That's what we're expecting, that's what we've always been heading towards." Davies' comments were in response to rumblings on social media during the weeks prior, speculating that somehow Disney wasn't happy with its deal with the BBC and Bad Wolf. With us so far? Great!

That brought us to October 2024 and The Graham Norton Show, with reports from the taping that Gatwa had revealed that the team would begin filming Season 3/Season 16 in 2025. Joining Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez), Miranda Hart (I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You), Kevin Kline (Disclaimer), and Rag 'n' Bone Man in support of his run in the National Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest, Gatwa had this to say: "It is all going well. We did the second series this year, the Christmas special is coming up, and we are filming a third series next year." Except… that wasn't what ended up airing.

Instead, Gatwa is shown saying, "We finished the second season earlier this year, we've got the Christmas episode coming out … at Christmas … But it's been amazing." Well, you can imagine how that got the rumors and gossip going on social media and pop culture news sites, with many wondering if the edit was done at the request of the BBC. Deadline Hollywood reported that the popular talk show "made the edit to liven up Gatwa's answer and was not obeying a 'sinister' request from BBC bosses" (DH's wording). Reportedly, the Doctor Who team wasn't involved in arranging Gatwa's "Graham Norton" visit, and the BBC is standing by its previous comments that a decision on a third season won't happen until after Season 2 debuts (with Spring 2025 being eyed).

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