Ncuti Gatwa Says Doctor Who Exit Was Due to Exhaustion: “I’m Getting Old. My Body Was Tired”

Ncuti Gatwa, who became famous for his role in Netflix’s Sex Education, has explained why he chose to step away from Doctor Who after just two seasons. Speaking on BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the 32-year-old actor admitted that the physical and mental demands of playing the Time Lord simply became too much.

“I’m getting old, and my body was tired… and I’ve now just started doing some ballet, so I’m making really great decisions,” Gatwa joked, hinting at how exhausting his life has been recently. He also called Doctor Who “the most amazing job in the world, a job that any actor would dream of,” but added that “because it’s so good – it’s strenuous. It takes a lot out of you, physically, emotionally, mentally, and so it was time.”

Gatwa first appeared as the Doctor during a special 60th anniversary episode, joining David Tennant’s 10th and 14th Doctors. Fans were shocked when his time as the 15th Doctor came to an end earlier this year, when Billie Piper appeared in his final episode and took over after his character regenerated.

When asked if he’d ever consider returning to Doctor Who in the future, Gatwa simply replied, “Never say never.”

Beyond his departure from the TARDIS, Gatwa also explained why he didn’t appear as the UK’s spokesperson at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. After rumors suggested he pulled out due to controversy over Israel’s participation, Gatwa cleared things up. He said he had withdrawn from the event long before the issue even became public.

“It all panned out very interestingly. I pulled out of it a long time before it was announced,” he explained. “And it was announced when it was announced, I don’t know why, but I was just very busy. Just had a lot of work schedules, a lot of press around The Roses, around Doctor [Who].” He also admitted he didn’t watch Eurovision at all this year.

At the moment, Gatwa is focusing on theater. He will soon appear on stage in London in a new play called Born With Teeth, where he will play the legendary playwright Christopher Marlowe. His Sex Education co-star Edward Bluemel will join him as Shakespeare.

Talking about the play, Gatwa said, “It’s a really great story between these two huge literary icons, and it’s very exciting to imagine what could have happened in a room together.”

Meanwhile, the Doctor Who franchise itself seems to be facing trouble. The show’s audience has dropped a lot during Gatwa’s time as the Doctor. His second season as the Time Lord (Season 15) is drawing about 3.1 million viewers per episode. That’s nearly a million less than last year’s season, and about two million less than the numbers from Jodie Whittaker’s final season back in 2021.

For example, the first episode of the current season pulled in 3.6 million viewers, compared to 4 million last year and 5.8 million during Season 13. The numbers have continued to drop with each episode. This decline has led to speculation about whether Doctor Who will continue at all.

As for Disney+, which co-produces the show internationally, it has not commented about whether it plans to stay involved after the current batch of episodes.

Interestingly, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies seems to be fueling uncertainty. In an earlier interview, he compared Doctor Who to Robin Hood, saying that “there might be a pause” in the story but adding that “no good idea ever dies.” Still, Davies has also confirmed that new scripts for a future season are already written, suggesting that the show could return after a break.

Doctor Who fans will just have to wait and see whether Gatwa’s exit is the start of a longer pause for the legendary sci-fi series.

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