Ncuti Gatwa recalls difficult decision to leave Doctor Who: “I had to wrestle with myself”

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Ncuti Gatwa, the actor who plays Doctor Who, has shared how challenging it was to decide to leave the show, explaining that he struggled with the decision for a long time.

Ncuti Gatwa, who portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor, left the BBC’s sci-fi series *Doctor Who* after appearing in *The Reality War* for two seasons. The final scene of his run surprisingly showed him transforming into Billie Piper’s character.

I recently chatted with Ncuti Gatwa about his departure from Doctor Who, and he was really honest about how tough filming season two was. He admitted he was completely drained and burnt out by the end of it – totally exhausted, he said. But despite the challenges, he also emphasized how incredibly magical the whole experience was.

It was relentless – I never had a chance to rest. I was working seven days a week for eight months, which made it difficult being away from my family. Before that, I’d spent five years filming Sex Education in Cardiff, and we started filming Doctor Who while I was still finishing up the fourth season of Sex Ed.

He explained his decision to leave, saying it was difficult. He really loved the show and will miss it, but felt it was time for a new challenge.

While on the show, Ncuti Gatwa’s character battled numerous villains, such as Sutekh, the mysterious Midnight entity, the Rani, and Omega.

The actor recently shared one thing he wishes he’d done during his time playing the Doctor: battle a Dalek or Cyberman. He said on a TV show that those iconic villains are ‘the crux of Doctor Who,’ and he’s hoping to have a chance to fight one someday!

Although Ncuti Gatwa has finished filming as the Doctor for now, he hasn’t ruled out returning in the future. When asked about the possibility, he playfully responded, “Never say never,” leaving the door open for future appearances, like many Doctors before him.

Fans are currently waiting to see if Disney will order additional seasons of Doctor Who. However, the BBC has confirmed that the show will continue even if Disney doesn’t renew it.

A new Doctor Who spin-off series, titled The War Between the Land and the Sea, is scheduled to come out next year.

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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2025-09-14 14:35