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Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa Reveals Similarities Between Gays & The Doctor
The actor detailed the importance of chosen family both on and off the screen.
Come Christmas Day, Ncuti Gatwa is officially taking over as the fifteenth Doctor on BBC’s Doctor Who, and we couldn’t be more excited. Outside of the fact he’s the first Black Doctor, he’s also the first openly queer Time Lord the series has seen, and it’s about damn time that happened.
Ahead of the Christmas Day special that launches Gatwa in the role, the actor sat down with The Guardian to discuss how the Doctor has been part of the queer community all along.
In regard to the Christmas Special in particular, the first the show has done since 2017, Gatwa said family is the reason Christmas and Doctor Who go hand in hand.
“They’re both institutions that revolve around family, and coming together,” he said. “I mean, it’s Christmas Day, you get to sit down with your family, watch Doctor Who and go on an adventure. An adventure through time and space with a crazy man in a box!”
One person Gatwa doesn’t think necessarily enjoys the holiday, however, is the Doctor.
“The Doctor is… quite lonely,” he said. “I think the Doctor has a loneliness, a sorrow, a sadness that they try to fill with chaos and mischief. So I think they have quite a love/hate relationship.”
The new episode also introduces Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), a woman raised in foster care, which gives credence to the idea of a chosen family.
“It’s part of the reason Doctor Who has such a huge connection to LGBT people,” Gatwa said. “We choose our families. And the Doctor is a lonely wanderer, looking for their next adventure… I know many a gay man, MANY a gay man, I could describe that way.”
That said, a chosen family is just as, if not more, important than the ones that share our blood.
“Chosen family can be more meaningful, more supportive,” he said. “That really can be the case, and it’s a theme that absolutely runs through the show.”
Catch Doctor Who’s Christmas episode, titled “The Church on Ruby Road” on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day, as well as a global stream on Disney+
Andrew J. Stillman is a freelance writer and yoga instructor exploring the world. Check him out at andrewjstillman.com or follow him @andrewjstillman on all the things.
Andrew J. Stillman is a freelance writer and yoga instructor exploring the world. Check him out at andrewjstillman.com or follow him @andrewjstillman on all the things.
