Ncuti Gatwa is preparing to unleash his second full series of Doctor Who on the world when he calls Big Issue. It’s the day of the UK premiere in London and he’s got a snazzy outfit by Dries Van Noten lined up for the red carpet. He is, he says, more settled into his lead role in the longest-running sci-fi series on the planet this time around. He’s been reading some books, doing some therapy, learning a lot about himself. “This is a happy moment,” he decides. “It feels exciting to be back.”
But if the present is bright for the actor, the future of the series remains under a cloud. The deal between the BBC and Disney that has enabled the show, with Russell T Davies at the helm, to be bigger and bolder during Gatwa’s time in the Tardis has yet to be renewed. Davies himself suggested “there might be a pause”.
In this week’s Big Issue, we dive into the future of the iconic British show.
What else is in this week’s Big Issue?
How the legal aid crisis is denying asylum seekers a fair hearing
Venee fled rape and modern slavery, coming to the UK from Africa to seek asylum. She has just learned that her asylum case has been refused, with a decision made because of a statement she wrote on her own, in a second language, without the guidance of a legal aid solicitor.
She finds herself one of an increasing number of asylum seekers who are being pushed into the appeals process – a growing problem experts say is being made worse by the chronic underfunding of legal aid.
Getting the white working class wrong
In our post-Brexit era of populism and culture wars, white working-class Britain has been both lionised and victimised – a convenient shorthand for politicians and media to use to score a point. But who exactly makes up this hugely diverse group of people, and what do they actually believe? In his new book, Underdogs, Joel Budd is busting the myths.
