As Doctor Who’s leading man Ncuti Gatwa sparks fears he’s about to leave the show, former star David Tennant could make another comeback.
Ncuti, 32 has portrayed the Time Lord since December 2023 after signing onto the show when showrunner Russell T Davies also returned. His second season comes out later this year.
However, according to reports, the former Sex Education star has plans to move to the US, as Hollywood execs are eyeing him up for other projects.
The insider also claimed that the Scottish actor is looking to branch out, particularly after Doctor Who fans have been left divided by its latest storylines.
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As such the bookies are predicting previous lead, David, who has played both the 10th and 14th Doctor, could make a return as the full-time Time Lord.
There is a 5/1 chance he’ll become the permanent replacement after he returned for a three-episode 60th anniversary special stint in November 2023.
Lee Astley, spokesperson for betideas.com, said: ‘Ncuti Gatwa’s tenure as Dr Who appears to be coming to a premature end.
‘And we reckon there’s a firm chance the BBC turn to David Tennant once again to try and steer the series back on track.
‘Tennant is arguably the most-loved Doctor in the programme’s history and is 5/1 to replace Gatwa on a full-time basis after his cameos in 2023.’
Joining him in contention is The Crown star Josh O’Connor with 2/1 odds, Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden at 4/1 and newest British heartthrob Leo Woodall at 8/1.
Although in May 2024, Davies poured cold water over the Bafta’s host return anytime soon.
‘I think he died. I’m going to start saying that. He went to Venice, 2063, when the city sank, and he went into a whirlpool, which is really sad …
‘David is parked and retired and it’s all Ncuti’s show now. Genuinely. Not that David might be coming back – he’s absolutely not coming back,’ he said at the time.
The speculation over the Good Omens star comes after a source told The Sun: ‘Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him.
‘His team also sees a lot of fan backlash from the series and doesn’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.’
Elsewhere, The Sun source also claimed that the long-running BBC show has become ‘poorly managed’, with longstanding members of crew and production ‘cast aside due to poor leadership.’
It was initially claimed by the publication that the programme itself was facing the axe after 62 years on screens.
However, a BBC spokesperson has confirmed to Metro that such rumours are ‘incorrect’.
‘Doctor Who has not been shelved,’ they said.
‘As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs.
‘The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit.’
Ncuti’s future as the Doctor remains unclear, though, as the Beeb added: ‘As for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.’
As speculation started to gain momentum, fans of Doctor Who took to X to express their anxieties about the show’s future should Ncuti decide to leave.
‘The BBC denied Doctor Who being axed (it’s contracted for 26 episodes for Disney+) but not Ncuti Gatwa leaving. Yeah, he’s going’, wrote shawnlunn2002.
‘I just don’t know how to feel about the BBC denying the cancellation rumors, but not commenting on Ncuti leaving. If it happens I’m sure whoever takes his place will be fantastic, but it’d be terribly sad seeing him gone so soon’, added callitivy.
The comments come just months after Ncuti himself confirmed he would be returning for a third series.
Appearing on The Graham Norton Show in October last year, he commented on Doctor Who’s upcoming episodes because, at the time, viewers knew a new series was in the works but not that Ncuti would be part of it.
‘It is all going well. We did the second series this year, the Christmas special is coming up… at Christmas,’ he said.
Although his later comments didn’t make the final cut, he did also add they were ‘filming a third season next year’.
Speaking about also taking over as the beloved character, Ncuti said it had been ‘amazing’ so far, calling Whovians the ‘sweetest and best fans’.
Audiences were left slightly confused, though, given that Ncuti’s apparent excitement for another outing contradicted what RTD said.
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Writing in a recent issue of the Doctor Who Magazine, the creative explained: ‘The decision to commission season 3 won’t be made until after season 2 has transmitted. And that’s always been the deal since the start. Hey, we might even have a day off!
‘Although maybe not, with the whole of TWB (The War Between the Land and the Sea) to complete and the rest of season 2 to hammer into shape. So the Great Work goes on.
‘I always think: every episode of Doctor Who is someone’s first episode. Imaginations will be sparking across the world, as these 14 episodes boil and bristle and burst onto the screen.’
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and returns for a second series in 2025.
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