Doctor Who may be out of time: What happens now for Ncuti Gatwa and the BBC's deal with Disney?

There’s big trouble afoot with Doctor Who. As we reach the series finale with “The Reality War”, the Doctor is reeling. He’s lost control again and again in recent weeks. Never before have we seen the Doctor flailing quite so badly, outwitted and outmanoeuvred, constantly unable to match the evil genius of his enemies.

But if the Doctor is out of control, Doctor Who as a show has been out of this world. This has been its strongest series for years – only Peter Capaldi’s final series, in which his Doctor was paired with Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts, can rival it for creativity and consistency.

This is powerful and political science fiction, with Russell T Davies at the helm taking no prisoners. The themes have been huge. This series has challenged and called out the toxic influence of the manosphere and the terrifying implications of culture war proponents on the far-right.

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For this series, the makers of Doctor Who have taken the big bucks from the Disney Corporation and used them to hold a giant mirror up to the malevolent influence of current US politics.

Penultimate episode “Wish World” showed a dystopian alternative present in which the right-wing culture warriors, represented by conspiracy theorist Conrad Clark, had won – back-to-the-bad-old-days, but even worse. Extreme obedience demanded, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people thrown under the bus, women pushed out of the workforce and back into the kitchen.

The writing has been stunning, gradually revealing the impact of layer after layer of oppression and aggression, showing a sci-fi version of the endgame of a political project so dangerous it can scarcely be comprehended. Davies deserves all the flowers. It is hard to get work like this on the BBC these days without the cover offered by science fiction.

Yes, this series has been unashamedly inclusive – or woke if that’s your preferred terminology. And no, it’s not been subtle about it. But these are not subtle times. And besides, Doctor Who has always been progressive and foregrounded kindness.

So is it the end of Doctor Who? And is it the end of Ncuti Gatwa as the beating hearts of the show?

No one who is allowed to say anything knows. And no one who knows anything is allowed to say. And who wants spoilers anyway? But if this is the end of the BBC’s partnership with Disney+ that has given the show a mountain of cash and a global profile boost, then what a way to go.

With or without the Disney dollars, the earliest the show could possibly return now is, at a push, a Christmas special in 2026. Spring 2027 is a more plausible date.

And Gatwa spoke at length of his love for theatre during a recent Big Issue interview. He’s back in the West End, playing Christopher Marlowe in Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth from August until November and, following the success of Barbie, has a Hollywood career awaiting him whenever he’s ready.

New episodes of Doctor Who are already written. Yet, while all the reports emanating from the BBC suggest a decision on the show’s immediate future will follow “The Reality War”, Gatwa is not available until November at the very earliest. So if Doctor Who is to go back into production, the only way to avoid a lengthy hiatus is if Gatwa is not involved. This is now the most likely outcome.

But if this weekend’s series finale is the end for Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who, as per persistent rumours, then he is going out on the highest of highs – the writing this series matched only by his on-screen brilliance. Gatwa has joined the pantheon of great Doctors this series, with performances that embody the idea of the Doctor as hope in dark times.

So this may well be the end of Gatwa in Doctor Who. But as legacies go, his would not be a bad one – he’s been compelling, charismatic and in total control as the out-of-control Time Lord this series. And he would be leaving the show revived and revitalised, on the verge of becoming unmissable television once more.

Whether the partnership with Disney is renewed or the BBC is forced to go it alone again, Doctor Who is back near its best. And even if its future is one without Ncuti Gatwa, it’s one we should fight for.

Doctor Who: The Reality War is on BBC One on Saturday 31 May at 6.50pm.

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