Ncuti Gatwa Reveals Why He Left DOCTOR WHO

Doctor Who is in quite a strange space at the moment. The end of season two left fans shocked and in a lurch after Ncuti Gatwa’s surprise regeneration into Billie Piper. We have no idea if she’s the Sixteenth Doctor or just some Rose Tyler-faced glitch. But we do know for sure that Ncuti Gatwa is done as the Fifteenth Doctor. Until now, he’s only said tearful farewells, praised his castmates, and reflected on his great experience on Doctor Who. But Gatwa finally opened up about why he left Doctor Who and the reason honestly makes a lot of sense. 

In a previous interview with The Guardian, Gatwa, who is currently entrenched in theater work, said that being the Doctor was “a gift of a job.” He admitted that there was a lot of hateful noise to shut out but the love from a lot of Whovians made it all worthwhile. However, when speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Gatwa admitted that he left Doctor Who because being a Time Lord is exhausting. “Because I’m getting old and my body was tired,” Gatwa said matter of factly before adding that the show “takes a lot out of you—physically, emotionally, mentally. So it was time.”