BBC rejects report that Doctor Who and Ncuti Gatwa are being axed over ‘wokery’ backlash
BBC rejects rumours Doctor Who and Ncuti Gatwa are being axed (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for H&M)
The BBC has rejected rumours that Doctor Who and its lead star Ncuti Gatwa are facing the chop due to so-called “wokery” in its storylines, stating that tabloid reports are simply “incorrect”.
Rumours that 32-year-old Gatwa is planning to quit the show after two seasons arose after an article in The Sun on Monday (17 February) claimed fans of the show are “outraged” over the BBC “shoehorning wokery into storylines” – despite the show consistently platforming queer storylines before Gatwa’s tenure.
The article claimed that the sci-fi show, which first began in 1963, is “facing the axe”, with Gatwa planning to quit the show due to “abysmal ratings” and “backlash” to the show.
The BBC, however, rejected the rumours written in the article, claiming the show has not been shelved. In a separate interview in 2024, the broadcaster explained the Doctor Who “remains one of the most-watched programmes on iPlayer and is the BBC’s top drama for under-35s this year.”
In a statement to The Mirror, a spokesperson for the BBC stated: “This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. 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. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
Ncuti Gatwa has previously praised the “warmth and love” he felt from Doctor Who fans after he took over the lead role in December 2023, despite facing vile homophobic and racist backlash.
“I wouldn’t be the only Black lead that’s taken over a sci-fi franchise that would have received that sort of treatment,” he told Vanity Fair in November 2024. “Unfortunately, those are voices that exist in sci-fi fandoms – but they’re not the only voices.”
“I just remember feeling a lot of warmth and love, being embraced into a big nerd family. When we’re shooting Doctor Who, there are fans outside the studio or on location every single time, be it at 4am, be it minus-12 degrees,” he said.
“I think that’s beautiful, what the show means to them, so I concentrate on that more than anything.”
He continued: “I don’t want to invalidate the very real thing that is racism, homophobia. I don’t act as if they don’t exist or they don’t affect me. They do. But I try to pay it no mind and look at the many, many positives that came from joining the Whoniverse.”
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