TV Evening all. Scott Bryan is a TV critic and broadcaster and if you don't already follow his twitter feed, you really should. If there's an entertainment story brewing, especially about UK TV he'll be waaay ahead of most sources, even our lord Lizo Mzimba. At just before noon today he posted this for those of us who avoid Instagram because we're too old to understand it:
What does this mean??!! pic.twitter.com/qBkirqdNr1
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 8, 2022
Frankly initially, I didn't understand that either. Who was @ncutigatwa and what did this code mean? But that's how the new Doctor was announced, via emojis two hearts and a blue box on the actor's Instagram page. Welcome to 2022, where the news goes first to the people that matter with the kind of cryptic messaging beloved of hard core Swifties.
We have been delivered of a new Doctor who is Ncuti Gatwa, best known for Netflix's Sex Education, which I have not seen but all of the people who's opinion I admire indicate is excellent and he's excellent within. This is one of the images the official website ran to publicise the announcement, taken (I think) just before tonight's red carpet at the Baftas:
Amazing.
Lizo interviewed him and RTD2 on that red carpet:Firstly, who's the new Ken Campbell? Next of all, it's refreshing to have a showrunner who seems genuinely excited to be in the role again and wants to be right in the thick of publicity, so much so that it's through him that we know Jodie's send off will be 90mins long and broadcast in October (Halloween weekend perhaps?).
My only brush with Gatwa is in the absolutely fine The Last Letter from Your Lover as Felicity Jones's friend from the magazine office and although he doesn't have much to do other than be squeezed next to her in a meeting, he plays his discomfort very well. I also like his round glasses. Perhaps they'll use those in the new series, although they do dampen his dynamism a bit.
But that's all to the good. My first though was that it means that unlike some previous Doctors I'll be able watch his interpretation fresh and without any preconceived notions. But even when Jodie, Peter C, Matt, David and Chris were announced we won't really know how they were going to interpret the role and it's the same for Ncuti.
[Quick sidebar: Above, I've linked to the posts where I write about the announcements for all of the most recent Doctors but I can't find anything for Chris. There was a time I barely mentioned Doctor Who on this blog and the return of a show I'd been a fan of for at least five years didn't seem to be worth a mention. It's been a weird journey.]
Will there be a whole series as well as a 50th anniversary special in 2023? The announcement of a new Doctor usually coincides with the start of production and it would be strange if they begin filming something which won't be seen until for eighteen months now and then a bunch of episodes for 2024? The press releases say:
"Russell T Davies will make an explosive return to screens to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who in 2023, and series beyond."
Which has a little bit of wiggle room - "celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who" needn't mean "with a single episode in November". Wouldn't a whole new series also be a celebration?
Just so long as they don't change the logo.
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