Ncuti Gatwa, the star of the long-running science fiction series Doctor Who, is warning potential viewers not to watch the show if they do n’t like his casting or his political preaching.
” Do n’t watch. Switch the TV off. Go and touch grass, please, for God’s sake” , , Gatwa said of his critics in a recent interview with Variety.
The artist is standing on shaky ground if he wants to become openly hostile to the movie’s current fans, according to That Park Place.
In Doctor Who, the main protagonist is recognized every few years and worked into the show’s tale as “regeneration” — the human but mysterious” Time Lord” taking on a new natural form and individuality. Gatwa is the 15th actor to play the mythical figure, and it is the first black and gay incarnation of the figure since the first female switch in the series, Jodie Whittaker taking the lead.
To create interest in Gatwa’s second appearance, the BBC put out four 60th anniversary specials that brought back fan favorite David Tennant as the Doctor and Russell T. Davies, the original showrunner who resurrected , Doctor Who , in the middle- 2000s and made it a historical phenomenon for new generations.
However, viewers were disappointed by egregiously woke dialogue in Tennant’s return, such as a trans character lambasting him for being unable to let go of power because he is “male- presenting”. And in the future, they can expect to see a drag queen, Jinkx Monsoon, as a villain who will be facing off against Gatwa’s Doctor.
At the third special’s conclusion, Tennant did not “regenerate” into Gatwa but split into two Time Lords — a fluke dubbed “bi- generation”. Thus, if the Gatwa character fizzles out with fans, Davies can shift the show’s focus back to Tennant’s character. But after his introduction, Gatwa then had to carry a whole episode on his own — and the ratings were less than impressive.
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The Doctor’s only role in the first two specials earned viewers of 5.08 million and 4.83 million respectively. Interest continued waning in” The Giggle”, which first brought Gatwa to the screen, with only 4.62 million viewers. Gatwa’s first solo episode,” The Church on Ruby Road”, climbed a mere 80, 000 viewers to hit 4.7 million, according to the , BBC.
According to That Park Place,” The Church on Ruby Road” is the second- lowest debut episode for any actor playing the Doctor, less than half of the viewers for his female predecessor’s introduction:
Gatwa’s debut ratings as the Doctor are the second worst in the show’s entire history. Jodie Whittaker’s debut episode” The Woman Who Fell to Earth” had overall viewership of 10.96 million.
The first Doctor Who first episode, which featured William Hartnell as the First Doctor in” An Unearthly Child,” was Gatwa’s debut film. That episode, which aired back in 1963, premiered with 4.4 million viewers. However, Hartnell’s First Doctor would see viewership increase over the next 10 episodes. Initially, it increased to 5.9 million. In the third episode it went up to 6.9 million. By episode 7 it hit 8.9 million. With episode 8 it increased to 9.9 million. By episode 10 it hit 10.4 million.
Showrunner Davies also made an observation in his interview with Variety about the criticism of Doctor Who casting a “queer” actor as the Doctor when the show appeals to kids ( and will be streamed on Disney+ ).
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” I think , if you’re six years old, you do n’t care — not at all”, the producer — who created , Queer as Folk , in the’ 90s — , said. ” But nonetheless, as the world darkens — and I do think the world is darkening around queer rights — there is a joy and a celebration, and there’s a community”.
There is a hero out there cutting his way through the universe, looking damn good in his suits, and doing it with a laugh and a smile, he continued.” Whether you’re 12 years old and just beginning to work out who you are, 62 years old and you’ve never been who you are, or 61 years old like I am and beginning to worry about where we are in society,” he continued.
As Breitbart News reported,  , Gatwa , promoted his first season as the star of Doctor Who with a litany of woke grievances, from” white mediocrity” to” transphobia”.
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