Ncuti Gatwa has addressed his shocking exit from Doctor Who in a series of moving posts on Instagram.
At the end of Saturday’s episode “The Reality War”, the closing episode of series 15, it was revealed that Gatwa’s iteration of the Doctor would be regenerating after just two seasons.
As Gatwa disappeared from screens in a flash of light, it was revealed that Billie Piper – who played one of the Doctor’s most beloved companions, Rose Tyler, between 2005 and 2006 – was the new incarnation of the Doctor.
As the dust settled on the shock revelation, Gatwa took a moment to reflect on his time in the TARDIS via a sweet post on social media.
“Monsters, goblins, gods, human-eating Slugs, invisible brain altering creatures, evil barbers, conspiracy theorists… you’ve had quite a busy two years. Well done and rest up son,” he wrote, sharing a photo of himself in role as the two-hearted Time Lord.
“Thank you endlessly,” he added, tagging the official Doctor Who social media accounts and the show’s writer, Russell T Davies.
Davies re-joined the Doctor Who team for the start of Gatwa’s run, returning as showrunner and writer for the first time in 13 years.
Ncuti Gatwa made history as the first Black and publicly queer actor to play the Doctor. During Gatwa’s run, the character charted new territory, falling in love with a man for the first time in the show’s 60-year history.
In a follow-up post, the former Sex Education star praised his co-stars Millie Gibson and Varada Sethu, who played his companions Ruby Sunday and Belinda Chandra for the two seasons he starred in.
“Three queens of the sky,” he wrote, sharing a photo of the trio behind the scenes.
“Twas an experience like no other and thank God we were by eachothers side. There aren’t quite the words for how much you both mean to me but I am so grateful I got the opportunity to work, learn from and laugh with you both everyday.”
He added: “You’re both just simply incredible and it has been nothing short of a blessing to share this journey with both of you. Ruby Sunday and Belinda Chandra will live in mine and the Whoniverse hearts forever.
“I love you guys. We did it!”
In a sweet and simple post on his Instagram Stories, Gatwa also reacted to the news that Piper would potentially be stepping into his shoes as the Doctor.
“Legend. Icon,” he wrote, alongside a wilted rose and love heart emoji. He shared a photo of Piper which she’d uploaded to celebrate her Doctor Who return.
Rumours had circulated for weeks ahead of the series 15 finale that Gatwa wouldn’t be making a return to the hit sci-fi series.
Yet now that the news has been confirmed, his fans have been left devastated that he’ll no longer be on their screens.
“I could have easily watched 20 seasons with you as the Doctor,” lamented one fan in his Instagram comment section.
A second added: “Gutted. Feels like you’ve gone too soon, just as your Doctor was getting started. But regardless, you will always be a beloved member of the Whovian family.”
“You being The Doctor was such an important and iconic moment,” shared a third. “You’ve touched so many lives and while I’m sad to see you gone so soon, I’m grateful and proud to have had you as my Doctor when I joined the team. It’s been a wonderful ride and you were fantastic! May your star never stop shining!”
“Thank you for being the representation I needed to see,” added RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner and Doctor Who superfan, Tia Kofi.
Doctor Who is streaming now on BBC iPlayer and Disney+.
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