Summary
Gatwa emulated Tennant’s physicality as the fifteenth Doctor, incorporating subtle aspects of his performance. The bi-generation concept means that Gatwa’s Doctor exists alongside Tennant’s, allowing for different evolutions. By incorporating elements of past Doctors, Gatwa’s Doctor can honor the past while making their own mark on the world.
Ncuti Gatwa emulated elements of David Tennant’s physicality when crafting his own Doctor in Doctor Who. Gatwa plays the fifteenth Doctor and stands out as the first to be brought into existence through the traditional regeneration, but instead, bi-generation means Tennant’s Doctor still exists as well. Gatwa’s was first introduced in the third special, “The Giggle,” and they will go on their first adventure in the new Christmas Special, “The Church on Ruby Road,” where he will meet his new companion, Ruby Sunday.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant for the new Doctor Who Christmas Special, Gatwa discussed taking inspiration from past Doctors. He explained why his initial plan to take a bit of something from everyone wouldn’t work. Gatwa also broke down why he wanted to emulate elements of Tennant’s most recent Doctor. Check out Gatwa’s full quote below:
Ncuti Gatwa: Yes, all of them. And then I realized that my brain was going to explode, but I tried to do that. I had this whole theory of being like, “Right, I’m going to take something from every single Doctor, and I’ll find my own thing, and it’ll all match.” But I was like, “You just have to do you, Ncuti. You just have to do you.” But with David, yes, there were a little aspect of his performance and the intricacies of his physicality. I wanted to try just the tiniest, tiniest percentage, try and emulate.
Because 15 has literally just popped out his shoulder, so he’s being birthed from this Doctor in a way that we haven’t seen before. And so there were little things that I wanted to continue on with, certainly just for Christmas, certainly. And then he’ll find a bit more of his own physicality as he goes on. Because he has to get used to that body very quickly… Lots of things are going on at the moment, so he has to find his feet very, very quickly. And so yeah, to help me with that, I was like, “I’m going to steal a little bit of what David’s doing. I feel like it’ll makes sense.”
How Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Can Evolve After The Bi-Generation
The Doctor evolves with every regeneration. This was especially clear in Tennant’s performance in the recent specials. The fourteenth Doctor was much more emotionally open than the tenth, able to admit his love for his friends and those he lost. Gatwa continued that in his performance, but by incorporating Tennant’s physicality, it also further hits home that fifteen was born of fourteen instead of taking the place of fourteen.
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The bi-generation is something completely new and means that two Doctors will exist simultaneously. However, this split is the start of their differing experiences, which will result in different evolutions. Where Tennant’s Doctor is learning to sit still and appreciate the family he is building, Gatwa’s will continue to explore, go on adventures, and stumble into mysteries. Incorporating elements of Tennant’s performance makes the eventual differences even clearer.
Each Doctor eventually makes their own mark, in terms of how they approach the world, deal with tragedy, and help others. Gatwa will be able to do that while honoring the past incarnation because they are keeping elements of these performances in their mind. As they experience the world differently through the eyes of their new companion, this will help form a new Doctor, beginning with the new Doctor Who Christmas Special, “The Church on Ruby Road.”
Doctor Who
Release Date: 1963-11-23
Cast: Array
Genres: Array
Seasons: 26
Season List: Array
Summary: As the last of the alien species known as the Time Lords, the Doctor travels through time and space in his TARDIS, a time machine thats bigger on the inside than the outside, seeking out adventures in the ancient past and unimagined future while also serving as the protector of Earth and mankind. With a human companion by his side, the Doctor meets extraordinary – and sometimes deadly – characters and creatures from across the universe.
Franchise: Doctor Who
Story By: Sydney Newman C. E. Webber Donald Wilson
Writers: Array
Network: Array