Actor Ncuti Gatwa is getting rave reviews for his Doctor Who Christmas special with one reviewer saying you want to leap through the television screen and join him on his adventures.
The new episode titled The Church on Ruby Road was Gatwa’s first full episode in the lead role of the iconic sci-fi series and began a new era of the long running show.
The Sex Education star took over from David Tennant at the end the recent 60th anniversary special of the show. The program has managed to stay on screens for decades because the lead character of The Doctor is an alien who can regenerate into a new form.
In his newest adventure The Doctor makes friends with Ruby Sunday, a young woman who has been having a string of bad luck.
Writing in The Guardian Leila Latif had high praise for Gatwa’s performance describing him as “perfectly cast”, highlighting that the character has to be magnetic enough for his companions to drop everything in their lives and head off on a life of adventure.
“Now, with the Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa perfectly cast in the role, not only does it make complete sense for young Ruby Sunday to race straight into the Tardis, but it’s hard not to make a run at the telly and beg him to take you, too.” Latif wrote.
Latif said the moment towards the end of the episode when the character says the classic line “I’m the Doctor” – “it hits like a shot of pure dopamine.”
The Independent said Gatwa’s debut had seen him “knock it out the park”.
“Gatwa makes playing the Doctor look effortless.” their writer Ed Power said. His review of the show said Gatwa was “commanding and compelling”.
More praise came from Radio Times. In a video review Executive Editor Morgan Jeffrey described the episode as having a “fresh energy” and taking the program into a new territory.
The Christmas special set up heaps of mysteries to be solved and left fans of the series asking many questions. The show will return with a full series in May, giving fans just five months to put forward all their different theories.
Graeme Watson
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