Doctor Who brings back William Hartnell's First Doctor with Ncuti Gatwa

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William Hartnell, who died in 1975, was the first incarnation of the Doctor from 1963 to 1966, before reprising his role for the show's 10th anniversary in the early 1970s.

Speaking at the GQ magazine Men of the Year awards, Gatwa said (as per The Mirror): "It has been a crazy year. I shouldn't say this but I shot a scene, somehow, with the first ever Doctor, William Hartnell. We end up in the same scene together at some point.

"To see that history - now a Black man as the Doctor! It was just very wild."

While there have been iterations of the First Doctor in modern episodes, including opposite Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker, his character has been portrayed by David Bradley.

Gatwa will be making history as the first Black actor to be cast as the regular lead in Doctor Who, with the 31-year-old expected to make his first appearance over the festive period, followed by his debut season as the Doctor in 2024.

However, Whovians won't have to wait that long for a new instalment of Doctor Who, with the series making a return on Saturday 25th November for the first of its three 60th anniversary specials.

These will feature David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and the return of his companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.

The BBC declined to comment when approached by RadioTimes.com.

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