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Doctor Who: Ncuti Gatwa Leaving After 2 Seasons Was "Surprise": Gatiss

Ncuti Gatwa's departure from Doctor Who was a "surprise" to Mark Gatiss, and he sees that Billie Piper moment as the "ultimate cliffhanger."

Spoiler? It seems a lot of folks have a lot of opinions on how the second season finale of the BBC and Showrunner Russell T. Davies' Doctor Who handled Ncuti Gatwa's departure. If you're reading this, then we're pretty sure you know what we're talking about: that regeneration twist that saw Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper's Sixteenth Doctor. Maybe. Because there are a whole lot of theories out there saying that it can't or shouldn't be possible. Then again, it could also be exactly the kind of creative punch-to-the-face, metaphorically speaking, that the franchise needs. Speaking with Radio Times, show writer Mark Gatiss ("The Unquiet Dead," "The Idiot's Lantern," "The Crimson Horror," "Robot of Sherwood") shared that he appreciates the "ultimate cliffhanger" that Davies dropped on fans.

"Russell [T Davies] does chutzpah like no one else," Gatiss shared. "I don't know much about what happened, if Ncuti Gatwa was going to do three years, but only did two – it was certainly a surprise that he was going, wasn't it? So I think if you have this sort of… it's like the ultimate cliffhanger, isn't it?" The Bookish star continued, "It's like Sherlock in 'The Reichenbach Fall.' It's like, well, this is a big one. And I mean, in a funny kind of way, it absolutely bookends the 2005 new show onwards – it's all about Billie! And then guess what?! So I haven't a clue. I know there's a Christmas special this year, isn't there? And after that, who knows?"

Doctor Who Christmas Special 2026: A Timeline

In October, we learned that Davies would be writing the Christmas Special, with Davies sharing, "Here we go. Away in Danger? Jingle Hells? Silent Blight? Hark the Weeping Angels Sing..? O Come All Ye… um, Nimon?" A month later, during an interview with RadioTimes.com, Davies revealed that his current commitments were preventing him from writing the special. "Not at the moment because I'm busy on [The War Between the Land and the Sea]. I'm also shooting a show in Manchester [Tip Toe], so next year my plate clears, and we'll get to work on that." However, Davies made it clear that he's not going to be writing the special cold, adding, "I know exactly what happens in it, don't worry about that."

In Doctor Who Magazine #624, Davies dropped a tease about the special in his Doctor Who-themed "12 Days of Christmas" column. "Twelve months-a-waiting! Next December, I'll be here to trumpet and toot about the 2026 Christmas Special. It contains these three words. 'Bafflers,' 'Winternox' and 'village.'" Shortly after, Davies shared that the bigwigs over at the BBC liked what Davies had planned for the special. "We haven't even started work on it yet," Davies revealed to BBC Newsbeat regarding next year's Christmas special. "I know what happens, but I better write it down soon in case I get run over by a bus." Understandably, Davies didn't get into details – partly because it hasn't been written yet and partly because he's not going to spoil something that's still a year away. But it seems like the folks over at the BBC know what Davies is up to, and it left them "with jaws agape, loving it."

However, despite all of that, images "leaked" on social media showed Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and Piper on a set together during filming of… something. Was Davies lying the entire time, and was the Christmas Special already being filmed? Could this be for something other than the special? Well, it didn't take long before social media started picking apart the "big leak," and now, we have McGann on the record, calling out and scoffing at the image. Checking in with The Gerry Anderson Podcast hosts Jamie Anderson, Richard James, and Chris Dale, McGann touched on the topic, making it clear that it wasn't real (McGann: "If only!") while joking with the hosts that they were part of the problem when speculated that it could be true but McGann can't discuss it because he's under some kind of non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Make sure to check out the complete episode (waiting for you above), and here's the clip that James shared:

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