Doctor Who faces axe as Nucti Gatwa 'quits' show amid drop in ratings over 'woke' storylines
18 February 2025, 10:39 | Updated: 18 February 2025, 11:13
Doctor Who is facing the axe amid claims Nucti Gatwa has quit the show due to a drop in ratings over 'woke' storylines.
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A decision over the show's future will be decided after Gatwa's second season airs, it is understood.
The 32-year-old is said to have already filmed his regeneration scene - as fears grow over the show being shelved after more than 60 years.
It comes amid claims 'woke' storylines have been shoehorned into the latest series, resulting in bad ratings.
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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 see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.
"The show has been poorly managed in recent years and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership."
They said people had warned the episode had become "too caught up on an agenda" instead of focusing on "telling a story".
Gatwa's first series, which aired last spring, attracted between 2.25 million and 3.18 million viewers.
It included episodes criticising capitalism and Christianity as well as a new villain played by a drag queen.
The 60th anniversary episodes, which saw the return of fan favourites David Tennant and Catherine Tate, were two million up on Gatwa's series.
It comes after the BBC made a deal with Disney, believed to be worth £100 million. However, a question mark still remains on whether it will be renewed.
Crew on set are understood to be outraged over the lack of clarity over the show's future.
An insider told the paper: "Word on set is that the BBC will shelve the series for at least five years. The crew were told not to hold their breath for work on the series for at least ten years.
"As we scramble to find work, those responsible get to ride off on to other well-paid projects without any repercussions. Filming wrapped on Friday afternoon, with no fanfare or celebration."
Gatwa's exit is expected to be the earliest since Christopher Eccleston, who left after only one series in 2005.
Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker all did at least three series of the show before moving on.
