The casting of the first Doctor of color, and the first openly gay actor to play the lead role in the world’s longest-running and most popular sci-fi show, was always going to cause a few tediously inevitable ripples in the culture war. Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies and lead star Ncuti Gatwa also seem unable to resist, when the opportunity presents, leaning in and stirring the pot.
From trans commentary in the anniversary specials to Gatwa’s ongoing one-man war against what he sees as the forces of racism, it seems like some kind of flashpoint is never far away around Doctor Who these days.
So it was at San Diego Comic-Con. As part of a panel to promote the show, Gatwa was asked what he would do if he really had a time machine. The Scottish-Rwandan actor said he would go back in time and stop colonialism:
“I’d go back in time and stop colonisation” says Ncuti if he had a time machine #DoctorWho #SDCC pic.twitter.com/svv3y4dFat
— SFX magazine (@SFXmagazine) July 26, 2024
The purpose of the panel was to p[remote the already completed second season of Gatwa’s run as the Doctor, and to introduce Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan as guest star of the upcoming 2024 Christmas special.
Titled Joy to the World, the episode sees Coughlan playing Joy – a determined woman from current-day London whose life is forever changed when she meets the Doctor. She will embark on an adventure with him from Manchester in the 1940s to Mount Everest in 1953 and on the Orient Express in 1962.
Steven Moffat, who served as series showrunner during the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras, wrote the Christmas special and said:
“Nicola is wonderful in it, she will break your heart.”
A video message was shared, along with a trailer for the special.
Gatwa is not contracted past the second season, and even Davies admits he has no idea if he will return for a third run in the TARDIS.
Doctor Who: Joy to the World will premiere on Christmas Day on the BBC and on Disney+.