Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa reveal could be hiding another big surprise

Let’s start with what wasn’t in the announcement. If you read the BBC’s official release, the language is very carefully chosen, announcing Gatwa’s casting but not specifically saying when he’s taking over as Doctor Who’s lead.

“Ncuti Gatwa is the new Doctor set to take charge of the TARDIS,” the release statement reads. “The future is here,” various social media posts promised. Quite specifically, nothing from the BBC itself names him as the Fourteenth Doctor (as most outside coverage of the announcement has), or that he’s going to appear when Whittaker regenerates this autumn – minor omissions to some, but significant in their absence.

When Jodie Whittaker’s casting was teed up, a short teaser trailer emphasised her status as the Thirteenth Doctor by running the number onto significant landmarks and other pieces of everyday footage. Four years earlier, when Peter Capaldi was unveiled in a live TV special, presenter Zoe Ball named him “the Twelfth Doctor” just moments before he walked on set.

(For simplicity’s sake, we’re not even going to broach War and/or Fugitive Doctors here – even with extra incarnations, the numbering is usually set so it’s not relevant.)

So why drop the numbering this time? Plenty of Whovians were quick to notice the carefully-worded sentences, and have already speculated that it could have been written that way to obscure a surprise twist – what if Gatwa is going to be the Doctor, but not the one right after Jodie Whittaker? In other words, what if there’s a shock incarnation in between them?

For a long time, we’ve heard whispers of something a bit different coming in the near future for Doctor Who – a possible short run of specials for 2023, rather than a full season, with a new Doctor who doesn’t stick around for long. Rumour had it that Tenth Doctor David Tennant could even be returning, somehow embodying a new Fourteenth Doctor for Who’s 60th anniversary year before stepping aside for a “proper” new Doctor who’d take over going forward.

Maybe that’s Gatwa – the new Doctor, but not the next Doctor. Maybe Tennant’s return is planned just as was rumoured, with the Scottish actor returning for a few specials before Gatwa takes over permanently, and maybe that’s what all this careful wording has been trying to hide.

Certainly, if Tennant (or another actor) was involved, you couldn’t have asked for a better way to deflect attention than Sunday’s news. Before then, there was an awful lot of chatter about Tennant’s potential role in the series, including the actor himself being quizzed about it on stage a week or two ago (where he had his own curiously-worded non-denials).

That chatter was conveniently kneecapped and taken off the agenda when Gatwa’s casting was announced on Sunday. Now, nobody is seriously speculating about Jodie Whittaker’s regeneration because they think the matter has been settled. But maybe it hasn’t.

Look, we get it – this is starting to sound like a bit of a conspiracy theory, with tinfoil sonic screwdrivers all round. And to be fair, there are plenty of other explanations for all these weird details.

For example, it could be that dropping the ‘Fourteenth’ designation is an attempt to simplify and streamline the series. The vast majority of people aren’t keeping a tally of Time Lords, and showrunner Davies might be trying for a soft reboot that reimagines the show as a fresh and new entity without mounds of backstory.

The Tennant rumours? Well, Davies recently admitted that he had planted a few false castings and stories about Whittaker’s replacement, so maybe his former leading man was one of those red herrings. And who knows? Maybe Tennant was even in on it, driving speculation with faintly evasive answers before the BBC revealed the truth.

So yes, we might just be reading too much into some minor details, and it’s likely we should just take this announcement at face value. After all, it wouldn’t be a great look for the BBC to announce the first actor of colour as the Doctor Who lead, only to pull the rug away at the last second when a whole new audience is excited to see him in action.

“Sorry! Come back next year,” probably wouldn’t fly for all the fans who specifically decided to give Who a chance because of Gatwa’s involvement. Davies would know that, and be wary of baiting people with something they’d have to wait for.

But still, you have to wonder. Even if they don’t want to say Gatwa is the Fourteenth Doctor, then why does the BBC avoid calling him the next Doctor as well? Why don’t they say he’s taking over from Jodie Whittaker? Why is it all so vague and evasive?

With months to go until this autumn’s centenary special, there’s plenty of time for us to chew it over. But for now, it feels like we’re not done with exciting Doctor Who casting news just yet. Watch this space... and time.

Read more:

• Russell T Davies confirms he planted Doctor Who red herrings
• Matt Smith and Sylvester McCoy congratulate Ncuti Gatwa on Doctor Who role
• Lydia West says she was never in the running for Doctor Who role

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.