Doctor Who spoilers follow.
Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies has shut down fan complaints about Ncuti Gatwa.
Season two of the rebooted series kicked off earlier this month, as the fifteenth Doctor returned with his latest companion Belinda Chandra. The opening episode saw the pair on the planet Missbelindachandra 1, in the midst of a rebellion.
When rebel leader Sasha 55 was killed by the robot overlords, the Doctor shed a tear for his friend – sparking fan theories about the recurring emotional displays from Fifteen.
However, showrunner Davies has dismissed the idea that the tears indicate a deeper issue with the latest regeneration. In an interview with TV Line, he explained that the waterworks were not actually scripted.
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"I mean, I remember the first time [Gatwa] did it, which is in [the 2024 Christmas special] 'The Church on Ruby Road,'" Davies shared. "He thought Ruby had vanished, been erased from time and space, which was astonishing, and he turned around in the studio and gave us that performance, which was absolutely spellbinding."
"You don't tell an actor whether to cry, not to cry, not an actor of that stature. Absolutely not," he continued. "It's like, you wouldn't tell anyone to laugh or not to laugh! It's beautiful thing [Gatwa] does, and it's a completely new thing for the Doctor, that opens doorways into whole new experiences."
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Davies explained that Gatwa's emotionally available Doctor is simply a different take on the character, which keeps the long-running show fresh and interesting.
"Diversity is many things, and sometimes it's putting emotions on screen you haven’t seen before, or that the Doctor has withheld himself from," he said.
"But it does make me laugh… I know sometimes fans get up in arms and they complain about it. They're the same fans who say, 'Why don't you do something new with the program?' and you're like, hello."
Praising Gatwa's acting, he added: "I'm just here to watch and thank the lucky stars that I get to share in a princely performance like that. What an actor. Amazing."
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